ARTICLE Pomacea paludosa (Florida Apple Snail) Reproduction in Restored and Natural Seasonal Wetlands in the Everglades Nancy K. O’Hare Received: 1 July 2010 / Accepted: 23 July 2010 / Published online: 3 November 2010 # Society of Wetland Scientists 2010 Abstract Seasonal wetlands have high variability in the timing, depth, and duration of flooding. The timing of hydroperiod relative to reproduction may be especially critical since reproductive timing may be constrained by other factors. Pomacea paludosa (Florida apple snail) is a large, aquatic snail that tolerates a range of hydroperiods. This study compared P. paludosa reproduction in depressions in natural (N =20) and restored (N =60) seasonal wetlands (wet 6 to 8 months) in the southern Everglades for five years. The total number of egg clusters in a year ranged from 260 to 621. Restored sites always had fewer egg clusters per year (mean±standard error of 54.6±4.8 to 64.2±23.1) compared to a natural site (207.0±38.4). Peak oviposition occurred after the onset of the wet season, typically in July, and then decreased approximately two months later even though similar surface water levels occurred. Compared to long hydroperiod wetlands, the average number of eggs per cluster was lower and reproductive timing shifted from the non-rainy/dry season to early wet season. A combination of hydrological characteristics appeared to influence the timing and amount of oviposition. Moreover, functionality of seasonal wetlands in the southern Everglades may change depending upon cumulative hydrological conditions over several years. Keywords Mid-hydroperiod wetlands . Restoration Introduction Seasonal, mid-hydroperiod wetlands (wet 6 to 8 months) in the Everglades have high inter-annual variability in the timing, depth, and duration of surface water (Trexler et al. 2005). Many wetland species tolerate a hydrological gradient and some wildlife species can easily move between areas with suitable hydrology. However, other wildlife species have limited mobility and must cope with local conditions. For these species, the timing of hydroperiod relative to reproductive cycle may be especially critical since reproductive timing may be constrained by other factors, such as hormonal cues mediated by daylight or temperature (Wayne 2001). The large, aquatic snail Pomacea paludosa Say (Florida apple snail) is one example of a species with limited mobility that occurs in a range of wetland habitats. It occurs throughout Florida, with limited distribution in southern Georgia and Alabama (Clench and Turner 1956). Adult snails average 40 mm diameter, have a life span of one to one and a half years, and typically die-off following reproduction (Hanning 1979; Darby et al. 2003). Pomacea paludosa appears to prefer water depths between 10 and 50 cm, with at least 10 cm required for any movement (Darby et al. 2004). It survives seasonal dry downs by aestivating. Pre-reproductive adult snails had a survival rate of 71% after 12 weeks of dry down, yet only 27% after 18 weeks of dry down (Darby et al. 2008). Pomacea bury into the soil as a response to predators (Snyder and Snyder 1971; Bourne 1993), low temperatures (Stevens et al. 2002), and dry downs (Darby et al. 2003). While movement requires water, oviposition occurs on the emergent stems of aquatic plants (Turner 1996). Adult P. paludosa are the primary prey item of the federally endangered Rostrhamus sociabilis Vieillot (Everglade snail N. K. O’Hare (*) Everglades Research Group, Inc., Homestead, FL, USA e-mail: nkohare@uga.edu Present Address: N. K. O’Hare Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA Wetlands (2010) 30:1045–1052 DOI 10.1007/s13157-010-0110-2