scholarly journals Undara Lava Cave Fauna in Tropical Queensland with an Annotated List of Australian Subterranean Biodiversity Hotspots

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 326
Author(s):  
Stefan M. Eberhard ◽  
Francis G. Howarth
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Species List ◽  
Lava Tubes ◽  
Cave System ◽  
Annotated List ◽  
Cave Fauna ◽  
Tropical Australia ◽  
Subterranean Species

The lava tubes at Undara became internationally recognised in the late 1980s, when 24 species of terrestrial cave-adapted invertebrates (troglobionts) were recorded from Bayliss Cave, making it one of the 20 richest known cave communities in the world at the time. Over the last decades, several of the Undara species have been taxonomically described and a great deal of research has been undertaken in other parts of Australia, which has revealed additional subterranean hotspots. It is therefore timely to update the list of Undara cave fauna, and to evaluate the Undara cave system in relation to other subterranean hotspots in Australia. The updated species list was compiled from the published literature and museum databases. Minimally, 78 species of arthropods have been recorded from 17 lava tube caves in the Undara Basalt. Sixteen species have been taxonomically described; 30 identified to genus and/or morpho-species; and 32 remain unidentified to species or genus level. Thirty troglobionts and one stygobiont species were recorded. Seven caves harboured obligate subterranean species; Bayliss Cave harboured the most obligate subterranean species: 23 troglobionts and one stygobiont. All these caves contained deep zone environments with high humidity, of which three also contained ‘bad air’ (CO2). The unique combination of geomorphic structure and environmental parameters (high humidity) and multiple energy sources (tree roots, bats and guano, organic material wash-in) are the main factors responsible for Bayliss Cave’s extraordinary local richness. Further research is needed to investigate CO2 as a factor influencing troglobiont richness and distribution in ‘bad air’ caves. Undara remains the richest subterranean hotspot in humid tropical Australia; however, significantly richer subterranean assemblages are found in arid and semi-arid calcrete aquifers, karst and iron-ore terrains, mostly in Western Australia.

scholarly journals Subterranean Species in Washington, D.C.: Spatial Analysis, Habitat Preferences, & Urban Conservation Implications

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Keany
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Exclusion ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Soil Morphology ◽  
Chemical Parameters ◽  
Species List ◽  
Environmental Preferences ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Subterranean Species

Washington, D.C. is home to a remarkable assemblage of troglomorphic amphipods and isopods living in shallow groundwater habitats, the hypotelminorheic. Groundwater from the hypotelminorheic emerges on the surface into low-flowing seepage springs, or “seeps”, which are categorized as having blackened leaves, an underlain layer of clay, a drainage area of less than 10,000 m2, and are situated in slight topographical depressions. Stygobiotic species found in D.C.’s seeps include Crangonyx and Stygobromus amphipods and Caecidotea isopods. One species, Stygobromus hayi, is on the endangered species list and is endemic to the district; however, little is known about their habitat preferences or their distribution. All small water bodies, including rainwater puddles and seepage springs were sampled in national park lands in Southeast D.C. for hypotelminorheic fauna, soil morphology, and water quality indicators such as nitrates, phosphates, radon, pH, DO, and conductivity. Comparing sites with and without stygobionts, all phsysico-chemical parameters were statistically insignificant except for conductivity, which was able to distinguish between stygobiont-rich and stygobiont-poor seeps using logistic regression. Spatially, Crangonyx and Stygobromus amphipods rarely inhabit the same seepage spring, with only three occasions of cohabitation and an expected occurrence of ten. Caecidotea, however, is found in habitats with both amphipods. These results can be explained by either competitive exclusion or the presence of chemical differences in their habitats; however, even if there were some slight differences in their habitats, that still does not exclude competitive exclusion as an explanation. This study highlights new and important findings into the environmental preferences of D.C.’s most cryptic and rare species, and the importance of continued exploration of D.C.’s lesser known park lands.

scholarly journals Nyitni vagy nem nyitni? – Pilisi barlangok szellőzöttsége a geokémiai adatok tükrében

2021 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-231
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Isotope Fractionation ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Geochemical Analysis ◽  
Cave System ◽  
Cave Environment ◽  
Carbonate Formations ◽  
The Given

Speleothem formations are one of the most important and informative objects in paleoclimatological research. However, in order to interpret the data that reflect environmental conditions, we have to know the operation of the given cave, and it should be determined how the composition of the carbonate formed at the given site is related to the changes in the environmental parameters. The study presents the results of stable isotope geochemical analysis of speleothem formations and carbonate precipitated on glass plates collected in the Vacska Cave (Pilis Hills). The youngest layer of carbonate formations, formed in the last 1-2 decades, shows an isotope fractionation sign indicating strong ventilation, with the exception of a single site farthest from the entrance to the cave. The isotope shift was also accompanied by a change in carbonate fabric. Preceding the fabric change, the carbonate of the speleothem formations did not show ventilation-related shifts in the isotope compositions, suggesting that the exploration and opening of the cave areas may have caused the change. Based on this, we recommend the installation of local closures in the Vacska Cave and in the entire Ariadne cave system. The study provides a good example of how the results of basic research can be utilized in practical environmental protection, in the preservation of a strictly protected cave environment.

scholarly journals Can the subterranean fauna be used as proxy for past environmental changes? – the example of the Carpathians cave fauna

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Teodora Moldovan ◽  
Ionut Cornel Mirea ◽  
Marius Kenesz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
General View ◽  
Carpathian Mountains ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
The Carpathians ◽  
Cave Fauna ◽  
Historical Processes ◽  
Geological Units

Carpathian Mountains were one of the main refuge areas during the climate changes of the Pleistocene and the Holocene in Europe and one of the richest regions in the world in subterranean (caves and associated habitats) endemic species. Nevertheless, the Carpathian Mountains subterranean fauna importance is underestimated especially due to dispersed information on its diversity and the scarcity of molecular studies in the area. Here, we present a first general view of the cave fauna hotspot represented by the Romanian Carpathians and the geological and historical processes that shaped the patterns of subterranean distribution and diversity at regional scale. The Carpathians are an amalgam of various geological units with complex paleogeographical evolution that is reflected in completely different species assemblages dominated by unit specific fauna groups. Phylogeography of Coleoptera and environmental parameters are adding to the general view at regional scale and offer additional explanation for this exceptional subterranean diversification in a non-Mediterranean region. We also use the example of the Carpathians cave fauna as proxy for past environmental changes in the area. Troglobionts are endemic on small areas and by studying their present distributions and phylogeny, past processes of landscape evolution on the surface can be better understood.

scholarly journals An annotated list of plant viruses and viroids described in Brazil (1926-2018)

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot W. Kitajima
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Viruses ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Viral Diseases ◽  
Alphabetical Order ◽  
Species List ◽  
Annotated List ◽  
Plant Viruses And Viroids ◽  
Official Recognition ◽  
Scientific Name

Abstract: A list of plant species, in alphabetical order by their scientific name, and the viruses found naturally infecting them in Brazilian territory, with some comments, was prepared . The production of such a list was based on a yearly catalog of publications on plant viruses collected by the author, from 1926 to 2018. Listed species of viruses were those recognized by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), but also those characterized and still waiting official recognition, were included. Several cases of putative viral diseases were listed for historical reasons expecting to raise interest for their clarification. This list includes 345 plants species belonging to 74 families naturally infected by plant viruses in Brazil. Fabaceae and Asteraceae had most virus-infected species, respectively 49 and 36. Until 2018, a total of 213 plant virus and 6 viroid species belonging to 57 genera and 22 families and 6 orders, officially recognized by ICTV, were found naturally infecting these plants. Begomovirus and Potyvirus genera have most representatives, with 45 and 42 species, respectively. There are 59 characterized plant viruses, up to species level, described in Brazil waiting for the inclusion in the ICTV Master Species List. One hundred and thirteen viruses were identified up to genus level but still uncharacterized, while four putative isometric viruses and eleven presumptive viral diseases (“unidentified”) are included in the list. A reverse catalog, listing viruses and the plant species in which they were found is also included.

An annotated checklist of the Niphargidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of Greece

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4772 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-544
Author(s):  
ALEXANDROS NTAKIS ◽  
IOANNIS KARAOUZAS ◽  
CENE FIŠER ◽  
FABIO STOCH
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Species List ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Annotated List ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Of Greece

Despite Greece being a global hotspot of subterranean biodiversity, its hypogean fauna is largely neglected from both an ecological and conservational point of view. An overview of the Niphargidae occurring in Greece is presented as an annotated list of all available published records. These records have resulted in an updated species list reflecting taxonomic corrections and species distribution range in the Greek peninsula. A total of 23 species, attributed to 3 genera, is up to date known from Greece with a high rate of endemicity found particularly in Crete. The endemic species of Greece amount to 21 (91% of total species richness), with the remaining species distributing also in the Republic of North Macedonia. Currently, none of them is listed in the national, European or global IUCN Red Lists of Threatened Species. Considering the increasing habitat degradation due to anthropic pressure, groundwater harvesting and climate change we could lose rare and endemic species without even acknowledging their existence. 

Similar diurnal, seasonal and annual rhythms in radial root expansion across two coexisting Mediterranean oak species

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 956-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josu G Alday ◽  
Jesús Julio Camarero ◽  
Jesús Revilla ◽  
Víctor Resco de Dios
Keyword(s):  
Vapor Pressure Deficit ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Root Radius ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Quercus Faginea

Abstract Dendrometers are being increasingly used to measure stem radius changes in trees and to unravel the mechanisms underlying stem daily rhythms of radial expansion and contraction. Nevertheless, automated dendrometers have not been often used to measure root radius dynamics, their relationship with environmental variables and the influence of endogenous processes, especially in drought-prone Mediterranean areas. Here, we measured root radius dynamics of two coexisting oak species (the evergreen Quercus ilex L. and the deciduous Quercus faginea Lam). Our goals were to describe annual, seasonal and diurnal scale root radius patterns and to disentangle the role of different environmental parameters as drivers. Long-term high-resolution measurements (every 15 min over 7 years) were collected with automated point dendrometers on the main tree roots of five individuals per species. Root radius annual change patterns were bimodal and similar for both oak species. Quercus faginea Lam showed three times larger root increment in the spring than Q. ilex, but the bimodal pattern was stronger in Q. ilex, which showed a larger root increment in autumn. Quercus faginea Lam showed an earlier root phenological activation in the spring and in late summer compared with Q. ilex. The effects of environmental drivers across species were similar at daily scales: root radius increased with air temperature and soil moisture, and it decreased with rising vapor pressure deficit. Furthermore, daily root radius variations for both oak species were maintained after extracting statistically the environmental effects, which points toward a significant role of endogenous drivers. These differences in root radius change patterns at seasonal to daily scales likely result from the differences in leaf phenology and growth strategy. Quercus faginea Lam is deciduous and has a faster growing rate in spring than the evergreen Q. ilex, which can grow more in summer.

scholarly journals Biodiversity in the Cueva del Viento Lava Tube System (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Pedro Oromí ◽  
Sergio Socorro
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Lava Tube ◽  
Tube System ◽  
Lava Tubes ◽  
Paleontological Data ◽  
The World ◽  
Animal Communities

Cueva del Viento and Cueva de Felipe Reventón are lava tubes located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, and are considered the volcanic caves with the greatest cave-dwelling diversity in the world. Geological aspects of the island relevant to the formation of these caves are discussed, and their most outstanding internal geomorphological structures are described. An analysis of the environmental parameters relevant to animal communities is made, and an updated list of the cave-adapted species and their way of life into the caves is provided. Some paleontological data and comments on the conservation status of these tubes are included.

scholarly journals Arachnids from Araripe Plateau, Ceará, Brazil

Check List ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Azevedo ◽  
Eridiane Da S. Moura ◽  
Adreany S. Lopes ◽  
Leonardo S. Carvalho ◽  
Sidclay C. Dias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Semiarid Region ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Species List ◽  
Orographic Rainfall ◽  
Caatinga Biome

The Araripe Plateau is situated in the states of Ceará, Piauí and Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, in the Caatinga biome, semiarid domain. This region of Brazil is characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall. Nevertheless, due to its high elevation and large amount of orographic rainfall, the Araripe Plateau is an exception as a seasonal semi-deciduous forest with high humidity in the semiarid domain and the Caatinga biome. Herein a species list of Araripe Plateau arachnids is presented from the compilation of data from in situ sampling from January to May 2013, from the literature, and from Brazilian arachnid collections data. A total of 68 species were recorded for the area, of which 53 were spiders, eight harvestmen and seven scorpions. The species richness recorded here is considered significant regarding the known diversity of Arachnida in the semiarid region and contributes to expanding our knowledge of the area.

Asparagus in tropical Australia — the first fifteen years

2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 729 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. T. Bussell ◽  
J. K. Olsen ◽  
C. Robinson ◽  
J. D. Bright
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
High Humidity ◽  
Harvest Time ◽  
Vegetable Crop ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Short Life ◽  
Crop Establishment ◽  
Tropical Australia

Location, climate, soil, crop establishment, cultural practice, and harvest information are given from 13 commercial plantings and 11 replicated trials of asparagus grown in tropical Australia since 1985. Both commercial plantings and trials have had a short life and low yields compared with plantings in subtropical and temperate parts of Australia. The unsuccessful outcomes to date are primarily because of the lack of experience in growing a perennial temperate vegetable crop in a tropical climate with high humidity during the wet season. After carefully considering poor results to date (attributed particularly to unsuitable soil type, insufficient disease control in the wet season, and inadequate carbohydrate reserves at harvest time) and reviewing current practices in relevant places elsewhere (especially the use of drought-induced dormancy), the chances of boosting average yields and having a prosperous industry in tropical Australia are considered good.

Some Representative Subterranean Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 206-225
Author(s):  
David C. Culver ◽  
Tanja Pipan
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Iron Ore ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Edwards Aquifer ◽  
Lava Tubes ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Cave System ◽  
Phreatic Aquifers ◽  
Central Pyrenees

Among shallow subterranean habitats, representative communities of hypotelminorheic (Lower Potomac seeps, Washington, DC), epikarst (Postojna–Planina Cave System, Slovenia), milieu souterrain superficiel (MSS) (central Pyrenees, France), soil (central Pyrenees, France), calcrete aquifers (Pilbara, Western Australia), lava tubes (Tenerife, Spain and Lava Beds National Monument, California), fluvial aquifers (Lobau wetlands, Austria), and iron-ore caves (Brazil) are described. Among non-cave deeper habitats, communities of phreatic aquifers (Edwards Aquifer, Texas), and deep phreatic aquifers (basalt aquifers, Washington) are described. Among cave habitats, representative tropical terrestrial (Gua Salukkan Kallang, Sulawesi, Indonesia), temperate terrestrial (Mammoth Cave, Kentucky), chemoautotrophic (Peştera Movile, Romania), hygropetric (Vjetrenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina), anchialine (Šipun, Croatia), cave streams (West Virginia and U.K.) and springs (Las Hountas, Baget basin, France) communities are discussed.

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