Demographic and spatial structure of invasive xerophilous snails colonies in the territory of Belgorod

When species spread beyond a natural range, further invasion success depends on the ecological characteristics of the invader. The analysis of a demographic structure and spatial heterogeneity of the alien species allows assessing their invasive potential. The object of the study is xerophilic snails Xeropicta derbentina and Brephulopsis cylindrica currently known as invasive species in various regions, including the South of the Central Russian Upland. The study of the demographic and spatial organization of colonies was carried out using the methods previously used in similar studies of snail’s populations, in particular, B. cylindrica. Specific characteristics of the population dynamics and age structure of the colonies during the activity season were determined. The spatial distribution of invasive species individuals in the conditions of an urbanized biotope was revealed. The results demonstrate that the studied ecological parameters of the population remain outside the northern boundary of the range of the species.