Four new stygobitic cirolanids (Crustacea: Isopoda) from the Caribbean: with remarks on intergeneric limits in some cirolanids

Four new stygobitic and troglomorphic cirolanids are described from various parts of the Caribbean. Cirolana (C.) troglexuma n. sp. is described from a cave on one of the Exuma Cays, Bahamas; two subgenera are recognized in g.Cirolana: sg. Cirolana including troglexuma as only presently know stygobitic species, and sg. Anopsilana equally well represented by subterranean and by epigean species. Haptolana bowmani n. sp. and H. belizana n. sp. inhabit caves of Yucatan and Belize, respectively; interestingly they are both abundantly different from the Cuban species of this stygobenthic genus, showing more similarity with the species from Somalia and W. Australia. Jamaicalana pleoscissa n.g. n. sp. was discovered in a cave from Jamaica; the new genus has affinities with Anopsilana and Bahalana, but a combination of characters -some of them highly original- renders definition of a new genus necessary. Bahalana mayana Bowman should be removed from that genus, whereas Dodecalana yagerae Carpenter is an interesting species of Bahalana

Two new stygobitic species of Cirolanidae (Isopoda) from deep cenotes in Yucatan

Haptolana yunca n. sp. is the 6th described species of an entirely hypogean-adapted genus. Cirolana (Anopsilana) yucatana n. sp. is the 9th described stygobitic and troglomorphic species in this subgenus. Both were discovered by diving in deep waters of cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula, a region from which five stygobitic cirolanid species were known. Jamaicalana BOTOSANEANU & ILIFFE, 1997, is synonymized with Cirolana (Anopsilana)

A function-based typology for Earth’s ecosystems

As the United Nations develops a post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the Convention on Biological Diversity, attention is focusing on how new goals and targets for ecosystem conservation might serve its vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’1,2. Advancing dual imperatives to conserve biodiversity and sustain ecosystem services requires reliable and resilient generalizations and predictions about ecosystem responses to environmental change and management3. Ecosystems vary in their biota4, service provision5 and relative exposure to risks6, yet there is no globally consistent classification of ecosystems that reflects functional responses to change and management. This hampers progress on developing conservation targets and sustainability goals. Here we present the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology, a conceptually robust, scalable, spatially explicit approach for generalizations and predictions about functions, biota, risks and management remedies across the entire biosphere. The outcome of a major cross-disciplinary collaboration, this novel framework places all of Earth’s ecosystems into a unifying theoretical context to guide the transformation of ecosystem policy and management from global to local scales. This new information infrastructure will support knowledge transfer for ecosystem-specific management and restoration, globally standardized ecosystem risk assessments, natural capital accounting and progress on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Microorganisms and spatial distribution of the sinkholes of the Yucatan Peninsula, underestimated biotechnological potential?

Investigación basada en el potencial bio-tecnológico de las micro-especies que habitan los cenotes de la Península de YucatánAbstract Objective: To detect the spatial distribution of the sinkholes of the Peninsula of Yucatan (SPY) and identify those cenotes where microorganisms have been registered. Methods: The geographic coordinates of the SPYs were obtained from various databases, as well as from scientific publications relating to the terminology ‘sinkholes’, ‘karst systems’ and ‘cenotes’. All coordinates were transformed into the Universal Transverse Mercator reference system (UTM) with datum WGS84. An infrared composite image was created with 432 RGB bands from the Landsat 8 satellite. The points with the location of the cenotes were imported into the Software TerrSet. Results: Total 1026 coordinates of sinkholes were recorded in the Yucatan Peninsula. In 18 sinkholes (<2%), microorganisms have been recovered and identified in various taxonomic levels, and only 6 sinkholes (<0.6%) has their biotechnological potential been evaluated. Conclusions: The microorganisms that inhabit the sinkholes of the Yucatan Peninsula are a reservoir with practically unexplored biotechnological potential.CONACY