Nutrition
Like most species in the family Polygyridae, the main diet for Mesodon andrewsae is microfungi, mycelia and other decaying organic matter found in the fallen leaves of deciduous trees such as Oak or Maple, which are quite common throughout the species range (Auffenberg 1989). Some polygyrids have been observed eating and eventually damaging young and growing plants (Pilsbry 1940). Polygyrids most actively feed in nocturnal hours or during moist conditions, such as early morning or a rain shower (Parker 1982)
Like all Gastropods, the Balsam Globe snail uses an oral organ called the radula to scrape and tear chunks off the plant matter that they are consuming. The radula look like tiny teeth-like structures and they also help to keep food in the mouth and orientate the bolus toward the esophagus (Gillis 2012). Digestion in gastropods is extracellular in the lumen in the intestines and stomach. Excretion of wastes occurs in the anterior part of the body (near the mouth), because the developing embryo undergoes torsion which allows for only 1 portal through the shell (Hickman, 2011). Torsion in gastropods is an evolutionary development that is advantageous in balancing the center of gravity, as well as defense against predators, because it allowed for the ability to retreat the head into the shell.