Passion for slugs and snails
Thierry Backeljau, head of the invertebrates department and slug and snail expert, has no doubt: “Biodiversity is a passion. Nature inspires great emotion in those who observe it, scientists are passionate about their research, and there is also a lot of passion involved in just looking!”
That much becomes clear when you look at Thierry's ongoing research project: the reproductive behaviour of marine and land-based slugs and snails. Although best known for being slow and slimy little creatures, it turns out slugs and snails have quite a steamy love life, where love darts, giant penises, and partner swapping are nothing out of the ordinary!
Together with his colleagues, Thierry is charting slug and snail reproductive behaviour, using observation, mating experiments and genetic research. “Our research focuses mostly on increasing knowledge of slugs and snails both in general biological but also in taxonomical terms,” explains Thierry. “This rather ‘basic’ research is needed if we are to understand the world around us.”
With information about the characteristics of a species as a starting point, scientists can look at the relationship of the animal to its environment and examine how human influence, such as pollution and habitat destruction, affect it. The importance of slugs and snails in ecological house-keeping is not to be underestimated: they play an important role in the formation of humus in forests and certain grasslands, give rare plants more of a chance by eliminating weeds, and are an important food source for all sorts of animal species.
Not everybody is as fond of slugs and snails, however. Farmers and gardeners could do very well without them. The tiny creatures can do a significant amount of damage to crops. “That's another reason why it's so important to study them. In order to tackle a problem properly, you first need to know what you're dealing with. You can compare a focussed management program to medical treatment. Before you get your medicine, a doctor has to first diagnose what's wrong with you!”
For example, in certain agricultural areas there are two slug species to be found, which reproduce at different times of the year. “Both were wrongly seen as pest species, and so there needed to be continuous investment in pest control methods. After identification, however, it became clear that we were dealing with two different species, of which only one was really damaging. Pest control could therefore be reduced to a much shorter period, which is much more economical and better for the environment.”
“Research and protecting biodiversity are essential,” concludes Thierry. “The smallest animals are the most important in terms of species numbers and biomass and form the foundations of all ecosystems. Only through studying them in detail can we protect them!”
