Interactions
Although there was not much information on the interactions of Stenotrema barbatum specifically, there was information about the family Polygyridae. For instance, a study done on raccoon feces showed gastropod pieces in trace amounts, with a number of Polygyra present. These snails were found in 21.95 percent of the feces samples, showing that raccoons and Polygyra interact in the same food web (Giles, 1940). Land snails in general are also a food source to predators such as flies, beetles, other snails, and parasitic mites to name a few (Carnegie, 2005). While those were just some invertebrate predators, a couple vertebrate predators include turtles, mice, and birds (Carnegie, 2005).
Land snails in are also important to the environment. For one, they are important for calcium cycling, passing calcium up the food chain by means of the aforementioned predators (Carnegie, 2005). They also play a small role in decomposition, helping to keep the natural flow of the environment in check (Carnegie, 2005). Humans can use land snails to determine amounts of pollution as well, because their bodies absorb toxins from their surroundings (Carnegie, 2005).
Besides these helpful contributions, land snails can also have some harmful effects on other organisms. Snails are known to be intermediate hosts, where asexual reproduction occurs, to a variety of Platyhelminthes and other parasites (Carnegie, 2005). Finally, some land snails are seen as pests which infest plants and gardens (Carnegie, 2005).
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