The disastrous conclusion to infix non - native escargot to Tahiti lead to the extinction of 56 species of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree snails . Yet a smattering survived . Using the cosmos ’s smallest accomplished computer , life scientist have explain the most puzzling of these unusual person inCommunications Biology , perhaps improving our chances of preserving what remains .
snail may hold petty interest to the general public , but the ground escargot of the South Pacific make up a grossly disproportional percentage of the creatures whose quenching is man ’s geological fault . The tree snails of the Society Islands ( let in Tahiti ) , for example , were called the ; “ Darwin finch of the snail world . ” Their extraordinary teemingness , with at least 61 species adjust to slightly different environmental corner , represented a treasure - trove for biologists seeking to understand the works of evolution in microcosm . A century ago lighter - shelled escargot such asPartula hyalinawere reported as occurring more often in areas with more sunlight . Long before this , P. hyalina’swhite shells made it particularly important to Polynesian , who used them for jewellery and leis .
Then came the gooselike decision to introduce the elephantine African nation snail to the south Pacific to diversify usable food source . Even worse was thesubsequent decisionto insert the blushful wolfsnail , a predatory species from North America to undo the previous mistake . This disaster was settle upon in 1974 , forty age after Australia ’s effort tocontrol one invasive specieswith another became a globally accredit catastrophe .
" The endemic tree snails had never encountered a predatory animal like the foreign rose-colored wolfsnail before it ’s deliberate innovation . It can climb Tree and very quickly drive most of the vale population to local extinction,“Professor Diarmaid Ó Foighilof the University of Michigan said in astatement . Among the few survivor , most persisted at high ALT or in detached valleys . Foighil desire to know whyP. hyalinawas the exception . He suspected their white plate were a cue , reflecting so much sunlight it could survive in condition that would overheat its dark - shelled twin .
The problem was that to confirm this , Foighil needed detailed records of snails ' sunlight exposure , and at the prison term no sensors were available whose weight would not close up the snail ’ movements .
Enter theMichigan Micro Mote(M3 ) . Although microscopic devices capable ofperforming simple computationsexist , its makers claim the M3 is the little “ complete ” electronic computer , one that can input , cognitive process , store , and production information . In its first field coating , the M3 was merge with a stamp battery and solar cell , allowing the sunlight to be measured found on how tight the battery charged .
P. hyalinais protect , and could n’t be subjected to the indignity of sensor fastening . Instead Foighil and workfellow stuck the sensors to the wolfsnail shells , and placed them on leaf next to where the nocturnalP. hyalinaslept .
Their findings revealedP. hyalinacan pass the day in areas with sunlight 10 clock time stronger than the flushed wolfsnail tolerates , allowing it to escape the intruder ’s predation . Almost sure as shooting the now - extinct snails miss this mental ability .
Besides resolve a unmarried mystery , Foighil think ; “ The M3 really opens up the window of what we can do with invertebrate behavioral ecology , ” allowing scientists to track metal money previously considered far too small .
