Ecological and Microgeographical Study of an Epikarstic Fauna in West Virgina (USA)

Za raziskavo epikraške favne so bili v Zahodni Virginiji v 17 jamah pobrani vzorci iz curkov ter luž napolnjenih s preniklo vodo. V lužah je bilo ugotovljenih 20 rodov ceponožcev, med njimi 11 harpaktikoidov in 9 ciklopoidov. Za razumevanje strukturnih ter fizikalnih in kemijskih lastnosti epikrasa je bil poudarek na raziskavi epikraške favne v curkih prenikajoče vode. Izbrana so bila tri vzorčna mesta v Organ jamskem sistemu: Lipps, Sively 2 in Sively 3. V curkih je bilo najdenih 13 rodov ceponožcev, med njimi 8 harpaktikoidov in 5 ciklopoidov. Epikraška favna si je med bližnji curki bolj podobna, kot favna med oddaljenimi curki. Epikraška favna bo pomemben prispevk k pestrosti podzemeljske favne v jamah Apalačev, kot tudi k biodiverziteti ameriške favne.Drip pools and trickles of percolation water in 17 caves in West Virginia were sampled for epikarstic species. A total of 20 genera of copepods were found. 11 different genera of harpacticoids and 9 of cyclopoids were recognized in the samples collected from pools. For understanding of the structure and physico-chemistry of epikarst, the focus was specially on trickles rather than pools. Three sampling sites of the Organ cave system were chosen: the Lipps, Sively 2 and Sively 3 streams. All together in drips 13 genera of copepods, from which 8 of harpacticoids and 5 of cyclopoids have been found. Nearby drips have more similar fauna composition than distant drips. The epikarstic fauna will add significantly to the overall species richness found in Appalachian caves, and likely elsewhere in the U.S. as well

Epikarst – A Promising habitat

The book represents a detailed study of the fauna of drips and drip pools in six caves in Slovenia. Drips and drip pools are important because they are just about the only way of assessing the epikarst community. Using a special sampling device, it was possible to sample individual drips for extended periods of time. A total of 37 species of copepods were found in drips and drip pools. Significant differences in the fauna between drips and pools, presumably because of differential survival and reproduction in pools were found. Somewhat surprisingly it was found that the kind of pool, e.g., mud-bottomed compared to calcite bottomed, made little difference.Monografija Epikarst - a promising habitat (Epikras - obetajoči habitat) je rezultat večletnega sistematičnega proučevanja podzemeljske favne Dinarskega krasa. Predstavlja pregled vzorčenja epikraške favne ter do nedavnega skoraj popolnoma neznan segment življenja v kraškem podzemlju, favno epikrasa

Ecological studies of an epikarst community in Snežna jama na planini Arto – an ice cave in north central Slovenia

Epikarst biodiversity in relation to environmental conditions was studied for the first time in an ice cave, Snežna jama na planini Arto on Mt. Raduha in north central Slovenia. In this alpine cave five sampling sites were monitored for fauna in percolation water in the period of one year. Temperature, conductivity, discharge, pH, total hardness and concentrations of various ions (calcium, chloride, nitrite, sulphate and phosphate) of water were measured. At the entrance of the cave ice is present all year round and the temperature inside the cave rises to a maximum of 4°C. These circumstances are reflected in the fauna found in percolating water. The first sampling site in the permanent ice was without fauna, as did the sampling site in an area with moonmilk. In the other three sampling sites, individuals of ten invertebrate taxa were found, Copepoda being the most abundant. Their abundance was positively correlated with discharge, pH and temperature of percolation water and additionally in the most abundant drip also with conductivity and total hardness. High proportion of immature copepods in drips shows that epikarst is their primary (i.e. source) habitat. Investigations of the alpine epikarst fauna can help to understand better the ecology of the epikarst fauna and its roles within the large range of different shallow subterranean habitats

Shifting Paradigms of the Evolution of Cave Life

The unique morphology of cave animals has interested biologists at least since the time of Lamarck. After a number of non-adaptive explanations for the morphology of cave animals, especially with respect to eye and pigment loss, a neo-Darwinian explanation, emphasizing constructive morphological changes rather than losses, was put forward by Barr, Christiansen, and Poulson in the 1960’s. Emphasizing convergent evolution (troglomorphy), this paradigm has recently been challenged, with evidence of divergent selection and the widespread occurrence of morphologically similar species in other subterranean habitats, including ones with abundant food and relatively strong environmental fluctuations. An emerging paradigm emphasizes the central role of darkness in convergent evolution, and the role of habitat size and interspecific competition in divergent evolution of subterranean species.Sprememba paradigme o evoluciji jamskega življenjaEdinstvena morfologija jamskih živali, predvsem v povezavi z izgubo oči in pigmenta, je zanimala biologe že od časa Lamarcka. Kasneje so bile predstavljene tudi druge, t.im. neodarvinistične razlage, s poudarkom na konstruktivnih morfoloških spremembah namesto izgubah, povzete s strani Barra, Christiansena in Poulsona v 60. letih 20. stoletja. Z novejšimi raziskavami o divergentni selekciji in razširjeni prisotnosti morfološko podobnih vrst v drugih podzemeljskih habitatih, vključno s tistimi, kjer je veliko hrane in z relativno velikimi okoljskimi nihanji, se je zamajala paradigma, temelječa na konvergentni evoluciji (troglomorfija). Novo nastajajoča paradigma poudarja osrednjo vlogo teme v konvergentni evoluciji, ter vlogo velikosti habitata in medvrstne kompeticije v divergentni evoluciji podzemeljskih vrst

Fauna of the Pivka Intermittent Lakes

 Prispevek opisuje vodno favno presihajočih Pivških jezer. Zaradi presihajočega značaja jezer so bili na tem območju najdeni zanimivi predstavniki nižjih rakov, predvsem iz skupin škrgonožcev (Anostraca), vodnih bolh(Cladocera) ter ceponožcev (Copepoda). Petelinjsko jezero je edini kraj na svetu, kjer še lahko najdemo endemne rakce vrste Chirocephalus croaticus. Vrsti ceponožnih rakov Diaptomus cyaneus in Diacyclops Charon sta relativno pogosti vrsti v Evropi, vendar sta Petelinjsko in Veliko Drskovško jezero v Sloveniji trenutno edini znani nahajališči obeh vrst. Vrste so ogrožene zaradi uničevanja njihovih naravnih habitatov.   The present contribution deals with aquatic fauna of the Pivka intermittent lakes. Due to their intermittent character some interesting crustaceans from the groups of fairy shrimps (Anostraca), water fleas (Cladocera) and copepods (Copepoda) are found there. Petelinjsko jezero is the only known location in the world for the endemic species Chirocephalus croaticus. Copepod species Diaptomus cyaneus and Diacyclops charon are relatively abundant in Europe, but Petelinjsko jezero and Veliko Drskovško jezero are the only two locations known in Slovenia for both species. All the species are threatened due to destruction of their natural habitats.  

Climate, abiotic factors, and the evolution of subterranean life

Climate, and more generally the physical conditions in caves and other subterranean habitats have a profound influence on the biota. At longer time scale (centuries), climate change can force and/or isolate species in subterranean habitats. Not only Pleistocene climate changes, but earlier ones as well, suchas the Messinian salinity crisis were important in this regard. While many speleobiologists assume that caves are nearly constant environmentally and withscarce organic carbon, this is not the case, especially in non-cave subterranean habitats. Many shal­low subterranean habitats, suchas epikarst, seepage springs, and talus harbor highly modified organisms, ones without eyes and pigment and withelongated appendages. Yet these habi­tats are highly variable withrespect to temperature and other environmental factors, and often have highlevels of organic carbon. Overall, the role of these shallow subterranean habitats in the evolution and biogeography of subterranean species may be crucial. On smaller spatial scales, environmental differences, suchas differences in chemistry of epikarst water, may be im­portant in allowing large numbers of species to coexist

Organic Carbon in Shallow Subterranean Habitats

subterranean habitatsOrganic carbon is likely to be a limiting factor in shallow subterranean habitats (SSHs). Data on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in three SSHs are reviewed: (1) hypotelminorheic and associated seepage springs (Nanos Mountain, Slovenia), (2) hyporheic zones (Rhône River, France and seepage streams on Nanos Mountain, Slovenia), and (3) epikarst (China, Slovenia, and USA). Hypotelminorheic habitats are superficial groundwater sites less than 1 m below the surface that exit from seepage springs. Hyporheic habitats are the underflow of streams and rivers. Epikarst is the uppermost zone of karst with extensive small cavities and channels. Nanos hypotelminorheic sites that harbored stygobiotic species had organic carbon values averaging 3.4 mg C L−1, and temporal variability was high. For hypoheic sites in the Rhône River basin and on Nanos Mountain, mean values ranged from 1.4 to 3.5 mg C L−1. In the more extensively studied Rhône River basin sites, temporal variability was low. Epikarst DOC ranged from 0.70 to 1.10 mg C L−1 in three caves in China (Shihua Cave), Slovenia (Postojna Planina Cave System) and United States (Organ Cave, West Virginia). These results suggest that organic carbon in aquatic SSHs is lowest in epikarst.Keywords: dissolved organic carbon, epikarst, hyporheic, hypotelminorheic, seepage spring.DOI: 10.3986/ac.v42i2.60

Onesnaženje z mikroplastiko v ranljivem kraškem okolju: primer slovenskega klasičnega krasa

Since the start of mass production of plastic materials more than a century ago, the problem of accumulating plastic waste in the environment has reached epic proportions. Recently, the problem of smaller plastic particles (microplastic, MP) in the environment has become a widely studied topic, but the amount and types of MP in karst environments are still poorly known. Thus, the objective of this study was to collect and analyse samples from various karst habitats and to try and determine the scope of pollution in karst springs that are in part used as sources for drinking water. Of the potential pollution sources, we sampled rainwater, two discharges from wastewater treatment plants, and a leachate from a landfill. We conducted polymer analyses of potential MP particles using FTIR-ATR. The results showed that eight samples from the Postojna region (Postojna–Planina Cave System, rainfall sample and surface streams) contain up to 444 MP particles per m3. However, 32 samples taken from the Škocjan–Kačna–Jama 1 v Kanjaducah Cave System contain up to 60,000 MP particles per m3, with the bulk of particles found in the sediment samples from Škocjan Caves – Kačna Cave System. Samples from Postojna region contained mostly PET, PU and PA polymers, with a minor inclusion of polymers of plastic sponge used for cleaning. Samples from Škocjan region contained mostly PP, PET and PE polymers, with some of PA and PU polymers. Sediment samples contained much less MP particles compared to water samples, which indicates fast transport through karst aquifer.Z začetkom proizvodnje plastičnih polimerov pred več kot stoletjem se je pojavil pereč problem kopičenja plastičnih odpadkov v okolju. V zadnjih letih se problematika majhnih delcev plastike (mikroplastike, MP) pospešeno proučuje, kljub vsemu je malo znanega o količinah in vrstah MP v kraškem okolju. Namen te raziskave je bil odvzeti in analizirati vzorce iz kraških habitatov ter poskusiti določiti onesnaženje z mikroplastiko v kraških izvirih, ki se uporabljajo kot viri pitne vode. Od potencialnih virov onesnaženja smo vzorčili deževnico, izpust očiščene vode iz dveh komunalnih čistilnih naprav in izcedne vode iz smetišča. Analize polimerov potencialnih MP delcev smo opravili z metodo FTIR-ATR. Rezultati so pokazali, da osem vzorcev s postojnskega območja (Postojnsko-planinski jamski sistem, vzorec deževnice in vzorci površinskih voda) vsebuje do 444 MP delcev na m3. Po drugi strani 32 odvzetih vzorcev iz jamskega sistema Škocjanske jame: Kačna jama ‒ Jama 1 v Kanjaducah vsebuje do 60.000 MP delcev na m3, z najvišjo koncentracijo vlaken MP v jamskem sistemu Škocjanske jame: Kačna jama. Rezultati polimerne analize so pokazali, da vzorci s postojnskega območja vsebujejo največ PET, PU in PA polimere, z majhnim deležem polimerov, ki imajo podoben spekter kot plastična gobica za čiščenje. Vzorci s škocjanskega območja so vsebovali večinoma PP, PET in PE polimere, z manjšim deležem PA in PU polimerov. Vzorci sedimenta so vsebovali precej manj MP delcev kot vodni vzorci, kar kaže na hiter prenos onesnaženja skozi kraški vodonosnik

What Does the Distribution of Stygobiotic Copepoda (Crustacea) Tell Us About Their Age?

Geographic distribution of stygobionts is often used to estimate age of a group by assuming vicariant speciation with little or no subsequent dispersal. We investigated the utility of using distributional data for Slovenian stygobiotic copepods by assuming that dispersal is a way to measure age of a species. We list some species of Copepoda that, on the basis of their range and frequency of occupancy within their range, should be older. Body size is not predictor either of range or frequency of occupancy