L’aquifère de la source du Lez : un réservoir d’eau… et de biodiversité, 1997, Malard Florian, Gibert Janine, Laurent Roger

The Lez spring is the main source of drinking water for the inhabitants of the city of Montpellier. This spring has been exploited since the eighteenth century but the amount of groundwater pumped has markedly increased over the last 30 years. This karst harbours an extremely diversified community of groundwater species (at least 37 species) that is a several Million-year-old heritage. Overpumping induces a loss of habitats by lowering the water table during periods of low groundwater recharge. It also results in an artificial fragmentation of mesohabitats by increasing the hydraulic disconnection of different regions in the saturated zone. Thus, overpumping may strongly affect the groundwater fauna but few data are available yet to evaluate the potential loss of biodiversity. There is clearly a need to integrate studies of groundwater fauna within the framework of interdisciplinary groundwater monitoring, management and/or protection programmes.

Forest recovery in the karst region of Puerto Rico, 1998, Rivera L. W. , Aide T. M. ,

Widespread deforestation has led to an increase in secondary forest in the tropics. During the late 1940s in Puerto Rico, forest covered only 6% of the island, but a shift from agriculture to industry has led to the increase of secondary forest. This study focuses on the regeneration of forest following the abandonment of pastures and coffee plantations located in the karst region of Puerto Rico. Alluvial terraces and sinkholes were the principal features used for pastures, shifting agriculture, and coffee plantations, whereas mogotes (limestone hills of conical shape) were burned periodically or cut for charcoal or wood production. Abandoned pasture sites had a greater woody species diversity in comparison with coffee sites. The density of woody stems was greater in the abandoned pasture sites and Spathodea campanulata was the dominant species. In coffee sites Guarea guidonia was the most abundant species. There was no difference in basal area between the two land uses. Canonical Correspondence Analysis applied separately to adults and seedlings clearly separated each community according to land use. Seedling composition in coffee sites indicates a resistance to change in terms of the dominant species while in the pasture sites the composition will change as the dominant species S. campanulata is replaced with more shade tolerant species. Patches of forest that remained on the steep sides of mogotes and the presence of bats appears to have enhanced forest recovery, but the land use history of these sites has affected the pattern of regeneration and will continue to affect forest dynamics for many years. The karst area is a critical environment for water resources and biodiversity and its conservation and restoration is essential. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Book Review: Biodiversity and conservation, 1999, Coker P,

Hotspots of Subterranean Biodiversity in Caves and Wells, 2000, Culver, D. C. , Sket, B.

We documented 18 caves and two karst wells that have 20 or more stygobites and troglobites. Crustacea dominated the aquatic fauna. Taxonomic composition of the terrestrial fauna varied, but Arachnida and Insecta together usually dominated. Geographically, the sites were concentrated in the Dinaric Karst (6 caves). Sites tended to have high primary productivity or rich organic input from the surface, be large caves, or have permanent groundwater (phreatic water). Dokumentirala sva 18 jam in dva kraška vodnjaka, iz katerih je znanih 20 ali vec vrst troglobiontov in stigobiontov. V vodni favni preladujejo raki. Taksonomski sestav kopenske favne je raznolik, vendar pajkovci in zuzelke skupaj navadno prevladujejo. Najvec takšnih jam (šest) je v Dinarskem krasu. Nadpovprecno so zastopane jame z lastno primarno produkcijo ali bogatim vnosom hrane s površja, obsezne jame in jame, ki vkljucujejo tudi freatsko plast.

Symposium Abstract: The reasons for high biodiversity in karstic landscapes - An example from the Arkhangelsk Region, Russia, 2001, Semikolennykh A. , Goryachkin S. , Shavrina E. , Zakharchenko J.

Subterranean Fauna of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 2001, Humphreys W. F. , Eberhard Stefan

The subterranean environment of Christmas Island is diverse and includes freshwater, marine, anchialine, and terrestrial habitats. The cave fauna comprises swiftlets, and a diverse assemblage of invertebrates, both terrestrial and aquatic, which includes a number of rare and endemic species of high conservation signicance. At least twelve species are probably restricted to subterranean habitats and are endemic to Christmas Island. Previously poorly known, the cave fauna of Christmas Island is a signicant component of the island's biodiversity, and a signicant cave fauna province in an international context. The cave fauna and habitats are sensitive to disturbance from a number of threatening processes, including pollution, deforestation, mining, feral species and human visitors.

Les karsts de Nouvelle-Zélande, 2002, Salomon, Jeannoël

Karsts of New-Zealand - New-Zealand presents numerous karsts developed as well in ancient rocks (Palaeozoic) as in recent ones (Oligocene). The stretching in latitude of the land, the high vegetal biodiversity and the strong rainfalls explain the importance of the karst development and the variety of the morphologies. Endokarsts are well developed, but many are still to explore. The polygonal karst of the King Country (North Island) in one hand, and the karsts of the Marble Mountains (South Island) in another one, are the most interesting. The possibilities of crossing of numerous datings (dendrochronology, speleothems, volcanism, etc.) and the location of these karsts in the south hemisphere provide to these last exceptional paleo-environmental recording systems.

Palaeokarst in the Noondine Chert in Southwestern Australia: Implications for Water Supply and the Protection of Biodiversity, 2002, Appleyard, Steve

In southwestern Australia, karst features occur in geological formations other than the coastal calcarenites of the Tamala Limestone. The Noondine Chert was formed by the silicification of carbonate rocks and contains relict carbonate textures and palaeokarst features such as intense brecciation and the presence of subsurface voids. This geological formation is an important aquifer to the east of the Perth Basin where groundwater resources are otherwise limited, and the aquifer is highly vulnerable to contamination from agricultural land use. The Noondine Chert may also contain a rich stygofauna. This has not been taken into account in groundwater protection policies, and needs to be assessed as a matter of urgency

Palaeokarst in the Noondine Chert in Southwestern Australia: Implications for Water Supply and the Protection of Biodiversity, 2002, Appleyard, Steve

In southwestern Australia, karst features occur in geological formations other than the coastal calcarenites of the Tamala Limestone. The Noondine Chert was formed by the silicification of carbonate rocks and contains relict carbonate textures and palaeokarst features such as intense brecciation and the presence of subsurface voids. This geological formation is an important aquifer to the east of the Perth Basin where groundwater resources are otherwise limited, and the aquifer is highly vulnerable to contamination from agricultural land use. The Noondine Chert may also contain a rich stygofauna. This has not been taken into account in groundwater protection policies, and needs to be assessed as a matter of urgency.

Faune aquatique souterraine de France : base de données et eléments de biogéographie, 2003, Ferreira David, Doleolivier Mariejosé, Malard Florian, Deharveng Louis, Gibert Janine

SUBTERRANEAN AQUATIC FAUNA OF FRANCE: DATABASE AND BIOGEOGRAPHY - Many data exist on the aquatic subterranean fauna of France but they are scattered. Thus, large-scale patterns of ground water biodiversity are still poorly documented due mainly to the lack of synthesis. Since 2002, we are currently gathering existing information on the distribution of stygobite species in France. A first inventory is presented in this paper. The present database contains 381 species and subspecies corresponding to more than 5700 records. This diversity indicates that the stygobite fauna of France is among one of the richest ground water fauna in Europe. Our current knowledge of groundwater biodiversity varies markedly among zoological groups and regions. We are currently implementing the present data set in order to provide a distribution pattern as complete as possible of stygobite richness in France. The database will be used for delineating hot spots of biodiversity (specific richness, endemism), for identifying priority areas for conservation and for formulating and testing hypotheses on the origin and drivers of groundwater biodiversity.

Pattern of karst landscape of the Cracow Upland (South Poland), 2003, Alexandrowicz Stefan Witold, Alexandrowicz Zofia

The relief of the Polish Jura Chain developed since Paleogene under climatic conditions changing considerably. Their main components are a peneplain crowned by numerous monadnocks, generated as hard-rocks on Upper Jurassic massive limestones (bioherms, carbonate buildups) surrounded by less resistant platy and bedded limestones of the same age. After the Miocene tectonic phase and following karstification deep valleys dissected the top surface of the plateau and cave levels connected with rocky terraces had been formed. During the Pleistocene the periglacial climate accelerated the congelifraction and relaxation of monadnocks. The modification of landforms and the environment in last ten thousand years, indicated by assemblages of molluscs was controlled by both climatic and anthopogenic factors. The geo- and biodiversity closely related to one another are still under the nature protection.

Palaeoenvironments in semi-arid northeastern Brazil inferred from high precision mass spectrometric speleothem and travertine ages and the dynamics of South American rainforests, 2004, Auler A. S. , Wang X. , Edwards R. L. , Cheng H. , Cristalli P. S. , Smart P. L. , Richards D. A.

Understanding past environmental changes in tropical rainforests is extremely important in order to assess the response of such environments to present and future climatic changes and understand causes and the present patterns of biodiversity.
Earlier hypothesis on the origin of biodiversity have stressed the role of past climatic changes in promoting speciation. According to the “refuge hypothesis” (Haffer, 1982), dry periods could have led to forest fragmentation, isolating more humid forested zones (called refuges) within an environment largely dominated by savannas. The refuge hypothesis does not assign timescales for rainforest fragmentation, although recent studies have suggested that speciation could have occurred over timescales of millions of years (Knapp and Mallet, 2003). Although the focus of heavy criticism (Colinvaux, et a., 2000), the refuge hypothesis has generated a large amount of research. In general, pollen studies (Colinvaux, et a., 1996, Haberle and Maslin, 1999) tend to support a continuous forest cover throughout late Quaternary climatic shifts, although large variations in rainfall have also been demonstrated by other pollen and isotopic studies (van der Hammen and Absy, 1994; Maslin and Burns, 2000).
Amazon and Atlantic rainforests are the two major forested zones in South America. Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world, comprise a total original area of 4.1 million km2 and is renowned for hosting the large biodiversity in the world (30% of all the world’s known plant and animal species). Atlantic rainforest, also a biodiversity hotspot, occurs along the coast and has been subjected to heavy deforestation since European arrival. Nowadays only c. 7% of its original forested area of 1.3 million km2 remains. These two rainforests are separated by drought-prone semi-arid northeastern (NE) Brazil. Our study does not address the refuge hypothesis directly although it sheds new light on the dynamics of forest expansion in the past as well as indicates alternative ways of promoting speciation. It has long been hypothesized, due to botanical (Mori, 1989; Andrade-Lima, 1982) and faunistic (Costa, 2003) similarities, that the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests were once linked in the past. Although numerous connecting routes have been postulated (Bigarella, et al, 1975; Por, 1992; De Oliveira, et al, 1999), the timing of forest expansion and their possible recurrence have remained elusive.
The study area lies in the driest portion of NE Brazil “dry corridor”, close to the village of Laje dos Negros, northern state of Bahia. Mean annual precipitation is around 480 mm and potential evapotranspiration is in excess of 1,400 mm/year (Fig.1). Present vegetation comprises a low arbustive scrubland known locally as caatinga. The area contains a well-developed underground karst (Auler and Smart, 2003) with abundant secondary calcite precipitates, both underground (speleothems) and on the surface (travertines).

Biodiversity in Terrestrial Cave Habitats, 2004, Moldovan O.

Biodiversity in Hypogean Waters, 2004, Sket B.

Estimating biodiversity in the epikarstic zone of a West Virginia Cave., 2005, Pipan T. , Culver D. C.

A total of 13 ceiling drips in Organ Cave, West Virginia, USA, were sampled for fauna for three consec­utive 10 day intervals. A total of 444 individuals from 10 copepod genera were found. Incidence func­tions revealed that 90 percent of the genera were found in eight samples, and that estimates of total diver­sity indicated only one or two genera had yet to be found. The overall rate of false negatives for differ­ent drips was 0.39 and the overall rate for different time intervals was 0.31, also suggesting that the sam­pling scheme was sufficient. Compared to nearby pools which serve as collection points for epikarst water, the drip samples were significantly different and more diverse. In addition to copepods, a wide variety of other invertebrates were found in drips, including many terrestrial insects that serve as part of the food base for the cave community. Direct sampling of drips is the preferred method at present for sampling the epikarst fauna.