CHANGES IN THE BODY MASS, RESPIRATION, CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM AND HEART RATE IN THE PULMONATE SNAIL HELIX ASPERSA (0.F. MULLER, 1774) TREATED WITH MERCURIC CHLORIDEHAIVIEED L. ABBAS, G. ACHUTHAN NAIR AND FATMA F. EL-TOITMIAbstract Studies, over a period of 14 days, were made to determine the effects of five sub-lethal concentrations (0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 g/L) of Mercuric chloride on the body mass, respiration, haemolymph glucose, digestive gland and foot glycogen, and heart rates of the garden snail Helix aspersa, found in plenty in Benghazi, Libya. A significant difference in the body mass existed between the snails kept in the control and in different mercury concentrations. Oxygen consumption of all the mercury-treated snails increased during the first two days of exposure with a decrease thereafter. The haemolymph glucose in snails showed an upward trend when the mercury concentrations were increased. Significant reductions in the digestive gland and foot glycogen and in the heart rates were evident in the mercury-treated snails as compared with the control.
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