Miljöfaktorers påverkan på nettoförflyttning hos mördarsnigel, Arion vulgaris

Sammanfattning: The Spanish slug, Arion vulgaris, is an invasive species in Sweden and the rest of northern Europe, dispersing rapidly and widely and it has become a significant pest for both gardening enthusiasts and commercial farmers. In this study, I examined the relationship between dispersal movements and temperature, relative humidity, illuminance, and individual body mass of the slugs. The investigation was based on data from a field experiment where PIT-tagged slugs were telemetrically tracked for 12 hours and data from the experiment were used to develop a model for how the local dispersal movement of the slugs was affected by the environmental factors. There was no correlation between slug body mass and dispersal movement. Movement decreases with increasing temperature in the range 14–19°C. Movement was similarly affected by illuminance. Relative humidity did not have a significant effect on movement. Spanish slug actively moves between adjacent gardens and within plantations, and the local dispersal has an impact on the extent of damage it causes in gardens and farms. It is therefore important to gain knowledge about what affects the local dispersal. This study contributes to that knowledge.