Consecutive earthquakes temporarily restructured the zooplankton community in an Alpine Lake

Two consecutive earthquakes temporary changed a zooplankton community in a high-mountain Lake Krn (altitude 1383 m a.s.l.). It was dominated by the eurytherm copepod, Cyclops vicious, until 1998, when the first earthquake hit the lake (EMS = 5.6). After the earthquake, the population of C. vicious collapsed and the thermophilic cladoceran, Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, took over. After the second earthquake in 2004 (EMS = 4.0), C. vicious became untraceable. In 2008, few copepods reappeared and by 2010 they became the sole dominant again. Only Secchi-disc depth showed a statistically significant increase over time, while P,, and temperature showed an increasing trend, yet the relationship was insignificant. To compare multi-parameter properties of the water column, the studied period was divided into Period 1 (before the first earthquake). Period 2 (between earthquakes) and Period 3 (after the second earthquake). A Hotteling T-2 test confirmed a statistically significant difference between Periods 1 and 2 & 3 (P 0.1). During simple laboratory experiment, specimens of C. vicious were covered with a thin layer of sediment, to mimic the earthquake's effect on their survival. A hypothesis was that the timing of both earthquakes had been crucial for decimation of C. vicious population as they re-suspended sediment with hibernating copepodites. As these became subsequently buried they were deprived of a re-activation signal and exposed prolonged anoxic conditions there. C. quadrangula temporary filled the void left by the copepod, which needed 6 years to regain its dominance

Hydrochemical response of cave drip water to snowmelt water, a case study from Velika Pasica Cave, Central Slovenia

More accurate interpretations are required in order to understand the processes of hydrological movement and hydrochemical variation of water flow in epikarst. A drip VP1 from the Velika Pasica Cave (Central Slovenia) was studied during a period which occurred at the end of a long wet, cold winter. The sources of the percolation water in the cave were both from rain water and snowmelt water. The discharge was continuously monitored during study period in one hour intervals. Each hour a water sample from the drip was taken for measurements of pH, electric conductivity and major ions concentrations. Because of the specific climatic condition in the shallow cave, the dilution effect is the dominant mechanism in the hydrochemical processes, determining drip water properties. The effect of CO2 corrosion and prior calcite precipitation (PCP) was weakened with that condition; Mg2+ varied slightly more significantly than Ca2+, which was reflected by the high correlation between Mg2+, Ca2+ and micro-variation of Mg/Ca ratio. The variation of pH followed closely to the changes of other parameters, which is rarely noted in other works

Jama Velika Pasica = The Cave Velika Pasica

This bilingual scientific monograph with many illustrations presents the Velika Pasica cave, located on the outskirts of the Gornji Ig village on the Krim massif, around 20 km south of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The book presents ecological, taxonomical and biodiversity studies, as well as morphological and historical facts referring to the cave. The cave is small for Slovenian standards, as it is only 105 metres long. On the basis of the specimens collected in the cave, 13 new species from terrestrial and aquatic habitats have been described so far. A considerable number, even on the global scale. The cave was first renowned for the rare cave-dwelling beetles, snails as well as other species. In 2000, a rich community of aquatic animals was discovered, which were not expected to be present there. Since 2006, there have been regular measurements of ecological parameters as well as sampling of fauna from four permanent drips. Fauna was washed-out from a thin layer of dolomite, from which the cave roof consists. The measurements include water and air temperature as well as discharge, measured in one hour intervals. Furthermore, 88 analyses of drip water and an equal number of fauna sampling were conducted. The measurements in the cave were being conducted simultaneously with the measurements of the meteorological parameters on the surface, in the immediate vicinity of the cave entrance.Dvojezična, bogato ilustrirana znanstvena monografija je prikaz jame Velika Pasica na Gornjem Igu, na pobočju Krima. V knjigi so poleg nekaterih morfoloških in zgodovinsko zanimivih podrobnosti predstavljene zlasti ekološke, taksonomske in biodiverzitetne študije. Jama je za slovenske razmere majhna, saj je dolga le 105 m. Na podlagi primerkov iz te jame je bilo doslej opisanih kar 13 novih vrst kopenskih in vodnih podzemnih živali, kar je izjemno tudi v svetovnem merilu. Jama je bila najprej poznana kot nahajališče redkih vrst jamskih hroščev in polžev, kasneje pa tudi drugih vrst. Leta 2000 je bila v jami odkrita bogata združba vodnih živali, ki jih tam ne bi pričakovali. Od leta 2006 v jami potekajo redne meritve ekoloških razmer in odvzem bioloških vzorcev iz štirih curkov vode, ki prenikajo iz tanke plasti v jamskem stropu. Meritve obsegajo temperaturo vode in zraka in pretok, in sicer v enournih intervalih, narejenih pa je bilo tudi 88 analiz prenikle vode in bilo odvzeto prav toliko vzorcev vodnih živali. Meritve v jami so potekale vzporedno z meritvami meteoroloških razmer na površju, v neposredni bližini jamskega vhoda

First representatives of the genus Fierscyclops Karanovic, 2004 (Copepoda, Cyclopidae) from South East Asia

We describe two new species of the genus Fierscyclops Karanovic, 2004, F. tanaosriensis n. sp. and F. solaris n. sp. from western Thailand, which are also the first records of this genus in Southeast (SE) Asia (and also Asia). The two new species share several characters such as: i) presence of lateral sensillum on the caudal ramus in both females and males; ii) one-segmented swimming leg 5 (P5) inserted on the lateral corner of the thoracic somite 5; iii) free segment of P5 with two elements (spine and seta), apical inner spine is robust, insertion distance between the apical spine and apical seta is relatively large; iv) swimming legs 1-4 (P1-P4) rami are two-segmented; v) distal segment of endopod (Endp2) of P4 has two apical spines; vi) spine and seta formula of distal segment of exopod (Exp2) of P1-P4 are 3.4.4.3 and 5.5.5.5, respectively; vii) coxobasis and Endp2 of the antenna have two and 10 setae, respectively. The two new species differ from the Australian type-species of the genus F. fiersi (De Laurentiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 2001) in: i) setation of the antenna; ii) longer inner apical spine on P5; iii) relatively longer genital double-somite in female; iv) relatively shorter caudal rami; v) presence of lateral sensillum on the caudal ramus in both females and males. The Thai species differ from one another in: i) ornamentation of the body integument; ii) shape of the posterior margin of the thoracic somite 2; iii) spinule ornamentation of the syncoxa of the maxilliped; iv) shape of the medial expansion of P2-P4 basis in females

Dolina Triglavskih jezer

In 1924, the Triglav Lakes Valley was designated a protected area, which is today part of the central area of extensive Triglav National Park. The lakes give a special character to the valley, which also stands out for its other natural features. In terms of nonliving nature, this volume presents some of the valley’s geological, geomorphological, and hydrological characteristics, and, in terms of living nature, it presents its vegetation, focusing on botanical characteristics and forest. The volume also discusses the human presence and its impact on the appearance of the landscape.Leta 1924 je bilo v Dolini Triglavskih jezer vzpostavljeno zavarovano območje. Danes je del osrednjega dela obsežnejšega Triglavskega narodnega parka. Dolini dajejo poseben pečat jezera, izstopa pa tudi po drugih naravnih posebnostih. V okviru nežive narave so v knjigi predstavljene nekatere njene geološke, reliefne in vodne značilnosti, v okviru žive narave pa rastje, s poudarkom na botaničnih značilnostih in gozdu. Knjiga predstavlja tudi človekovo prisotnost in njegov vpliv na videz pokrajine

Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem

Groundwater is a vital ecosystem of the global water cycle, hosting unique biodiversity and providing essential services to societies. Despite being the largest unfrozen freshwater resource, in a period of depletion by extraction and pollution, groundwater environments have been repeatedly overlooked in global biodiversity conservation agendas. Disregarding the importance of groundwater as an ecosystem ignores its critical role in preserving surface biomes. To foster timely global conservation of groundwater, we propose elevating the concept of keystone species into the realm of ecosystems, claiming groundwater as a keystone ecosystem that influences the integrity of many dependent ecosystems. Our global analysis shows that over half of land surface areas (52.6%) has a medium‐to‐high interaction with groundwater, reaching up to 74.9% when deserts and high mountains are excluded. We postulate that the intrinsic transboundary features of groundwater are critical for shifting perspectives towards more holistic approaches in aquatic ecology and beyond. Furthermore, we propose eight key themes to develop a science‐policy integrated groundwater conservation agenda. Given ecosystems above and below the ground intersect at many levels, considering groundwater as an essential component of planetary health is pivotal to reduce biodiversity loss and buffer against climate change

Spatial and temporal variability of hyporheic invertebrate community within a stream reach of the River Bača (W Slovenia)

We studied spatio-temporal distribution of hyporheic invertebrate community at the stream-reach scale in the River Bača on three sampling occasions (January, March, May) in 2005. On each sampling occasion, invertebrates were collected from the shallow hyporheic zone (RB1; depth 30-60 cm, 3 replicates), and deeper hyporheic zone (RB2; depth 60-90 cm, 2 replicates) in the river bed, and adjacent gravel bar (GB; depth 60-90 cm, 3 replicates) using Bou-Rouch piston pump. Concurrently, temperature, conductivity and oxygen were measured in the surface water and in hyporheic water at each sampling station. Differences in hyporheic community between dates and habitats were analysed by using two-way ANOVA (dates and habitats as fixed factors) and explored by principal component analysis (PCA). Altogether, 21,657 specimens from 63 taxa were collected. Cyclopoida juveniles, Leuctra sp. (Plecoptera), Chironomidae (Diptera), Acanthocyclops vernalis (Fischer, 1853) and Diacyclops languidus (G. O. Sars, 1863) were the most abundant in the samples. Two-way ANOVA showed significant differences between habitats (RB1 and GB), but no differences between dates when using taxonomic richness as dependent variable. No differences between habitats and dates were calculated when invertebrate densities were applied. PCA of hyporheic invertebrate data showed a gradient in community composition from shallow hyporheic zone (RB1) to deeper hyporheic zone (RB2) and gravel bar (GB). The differences were most probably due to different sediment composition in the studied habitats and less frequent disturbances due to floods in deeper layers and lateral gravel bars