Exploring land snails’ response to habitat characteristics and their potential as bioindicators of riparian forest quality

• We related land snail ecological parameters to characteristics of riparian forests. Both abundance and diversity responded habitat characteristics. Habitat continuity was the main factor affecting surveyed communities. Land snails may be used as indicators forest quality. Riparian ecosystems are crucial for landscape-level biodiversity, especially in highly anthropic agricultural areas. Although low mobility reduces their dispersal capacity makes them vulnerable degradation, they less commonly indicators. evaluated potential bioindicators quality central European forests by surveying communities relation that characterize its were found affect both species richness. The increased with continuity, width leaf litter decreased cover ruderal plant presence household waste deposits. Snail positively influenced width, dead wood. community composition also sensitive characteristics, most having optimum habitats high amounts decaying wood litter. Many demonstrating fragmentation is total richness good predictors quality, being more powerful than diversity. Aegopinella epipedostoma, Perforatella bidentata, Helix pomatia best at discriminating among poor individual species. Our study showed describing spatial temporal factors absence suitable microhabitats preferring lead lower confirming