Survival characteristics of the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis under constant culture conditions: effects of aging and disease.

Survival characteristics of seven different populations of the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis were studied under constant culture conditions. On the basis of these characteristics four populations were considered as healthy and three as infected. In the healthy populations senescence started at an age of about 200 days, 50% survival age varied from 282 to 372 days, 10% survival age from 417 to 508 days and the maximum age from 528 to 673 days. Infected populations differed from healthy ones: (1) in behaviour of the animals; and (2) in shape of survival curve and age-specific death rate. It is concluded that in aging studies in addition to the absolute age of the animals, the following information should be given: the percentage of survival of the population at the time of sampling and a quantitative estimate of the quality of the cultures from which the animals were sampled. The parameters of the Weibull function seem to be suitable for such estimations.