Quantitative assessment of hemolymph metabolites in two physiological states and two populations of the land snail Helix pomatia.

Hemolymph metabolite composition in ectothermic species is mainly constrained by trophic and climatic habitat conditions. In temperate regions, ectothermic species have to face subzero temperatures in winter, to which they typically respond with a state of inactivity. With use of ultra-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques, we investigated the hemolymph metabolite composition of the land snail Helix pomatia with respect to physiological states (activity and hibernation) in a mountain population (800 m above sea level) and a valley population (150 m above sea level) in Germany. The dry masses of active snails as well as the saccharide and amino acid concentrations in active snails were higher in the mountain population than in the valley population. These differences between populations might reflect differences in microhabitat conditions, such as climate and vegetal food, and consequent differences in metabolic activity. Galactose was the most abundant component in hemolymph besides glucose. Both saccharides might indicate glycolytic activity, which could provide energy for locomotion and foraging. In hibernation, glutamate, α-alanine, glycine, aspartate, serine, homoserine, hydroxyproline, glycerol, and triglycerides were accumulated in both populations. The concentrations were correlated with a decrease in body supercooling point. Therefore, these metabolites might have a role in the cold hardiness of H. pomatia that should be further investigated in a functional study.