How Aquatic Snails React to Multiple Stresses

Ever wondered how snails deal with stress? In the underwater world, these tiny creatures face multiple challenges at once. We tested how an aquatic snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, reacted to different stressors like acidic water, toxic acetone, and fellow snail chemical signals. Surprisingly, snails took the longest to move in acidic water and when exposed to both acid and acetone. But when it came to chemical signals from their own kind, they seemed fine. This shows that stress responses change depending on what causes them and when they happen together. It's like us feeling tired from staying up late (acid) and then having a noisy neighbor (acetone)—we might feel even more exhausted. But if a friendly face (chemical signals) joins us, we might feel better. So, it's important to study how multiple stresses affect animals together, not just one at a time, for a real-world picture.