C. muricatus can survive without moisture for weeks at a time and will become active after rain or heavy dew (Lang, 1998; Gochfeild 2001; McMahon 2003). This research backed my hypothesis that when I exposed the snails to freshwater they would become active and move around.  Batillaria minima are mud dwelling snails that cannot survive out of the water for extended periods of time (Weiser, 1981). This would suggest that when exposed to conditions different from the tide pool the snails would become inactive.  

     The instant the samples of both species were put in the freshwater they retreated into their shells and did not move the entire observation period. This may have been to keep their internal environment at a comfortable salinity or temperature. With such a sudden and drastic change in salinity this may have shocked the samples. When the samples were then exposed to saltwater they emerged from their shells and moved around the dishes within one minute of initial exposure.

     The results for B. minima show that 86.54% of the sample became active when exposed to the saltwater, and 0% moved when exposed to freshwater. This result was not all together surprising, but I did expect that there would be some response from the moisture of the freshwater.

     The results from the C. muricatus sample were surprising. With past research confirming that Beaded Periwinkles become active when there is heavy dew, I thought that being partially submerged would elicit a strong response from the snails. However, my results show that 0% became active when exposed to freshwater.

     This experiment could be improved in many ways. The observation period, detail, and sample size could be increased. With replicate observations for each species over natural rain events or heavy dews I could get more confident results. Also instead of submerging the snails in Petri dishes I would spray them with water to duplicate wave action or rain, this may lessen the shock factor for the snails.