Background: Gastropods as primary consumer serve the principal ecological function of transporting nutrients and energy from food sources, such as phytoplankton and periphyton, to higher trophic levels in aquatic environments. In addition to their ecological roles, freshwater gastropods have long been used by humans in Korea. Owing to biosynthesis constraints, animals must consume important components, including fatty acids, from their diet. Thus, the fatty acid composition of consumers reflects that of their diets. To determine the patterns of fatty acid accumulation in gastropods in coexisting aquatic habitats, we conducted a spatiotemporal study on the fatty acid composition of four freshwater gastropods associated to humans collected from reservoirs, rivers, and rice paddy fields in Korea. Results: Our results showed that the four gastropod species [Chinese mystery (Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata), melanian (Semisulcospira gottschei), European ear (Radix auricularia), and golden apple (Pomacea canaliculata) snails] had differentiated fatty acid compositions according to sampling site based on the result of cluster analysis. Furthermore, principal component analysis showed that coexisting gastropods displayed intraspecific variations in fatty acid profiles, even when inhabiting same areas and were provided similar potential food sources. By comparing biomarkers, it appears that fatty acid accumulation patterns in gastropods are affected by their feeding strategies. Conclusions: Taxonomic variations in fatty acid composition can be attributed to competition for trophic niches with limited resources, survival, feeding strategies, and metabolic requirements.
