Abiogenic and organic components of modern terrestrial gastropodes of Azerbaijan: study of macro-, micro- and bioelements

Abstract

of these mountains. The material included shells of both living and dead terrestrial gastropods, found mainly on the territory of Guba district – an administrative region within Azerbaijan, located on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus. The collected shells were then compared to gastropods found in the Shamakhi, Sheki and Gakh regions in the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, and with shells from the Caspian Sea coast. In total, 70 samples of shells belonging to mollusk Helix lucorum L. have been analyzed. The total organic matter (TOM) and several bioelements - organic carbon, protein nitrogen and phosphorus, have been determined in the shell material. Besides that macro-and mi-croelement distribution in skeleton remains of the collected mollusks has been investigated. The results achieved allowed conclusion about the controling factors on the composition of calcium carbonate and the organic component of the shell material of studied gastropods.