ABSTRACT
Current standardized laboratory test protocols use model species that have limitations to accurately assess native species responses to stressors. We developed and tested a novel acute in situ protocol for testing field-collected organisms. We used Asellus aquaticus and NaCl as a reference toxicant to test for the effects of location (laboratory vs. in situ), medium (synthetic vs. field water), substrate (presence vs. absence), and protocol replicability. We further tested the protocol using groundwater-adapted isopods: Proasellus assaforensis for the effect of location, P. cavaticus of medium and P. lusitanicus of substrate. Our results showed that A. aquaticus lethality obtained with the novel acute in situ protocol did not significantly differ from those from laboratory testing. However, laboratory tested P. assaforensis showed a higher sensitivity, suggesting that its acclimation to laboratory conditions might have pernicious effects. A. aquaticus and P. cavaticus showed a higher mortality using synthetic medium insitu and under laboratory conditions, which overestimated the stressor’s effect. Besides, substrate use had no significant effect. The novel acute insitu protocol allows the use of native species under realistic scenarios. It is particularly well adapted for assessing the risk of groundwater ecosystems but it can be applied to a wide range of ecosystems.

Reference: Castaño-Sánchez A., Malard F., Kalčikova G. & Reboleira A.S.P.S. (2021). Novel Protocol for Acute In Situ Ecotoxicity Test Using Native Crustaceans Applied to Groundwater Ecosystems. Water, 13(8): 1132. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081132

2021 is the International Year of Caves and Karst, and we are happy to offer a series of (online) seminars about cave science. Join the “The Cave Show” from your own home.

On March 31 (Wednesday), 8:30pm (WET) join us for the webinar ‘Bats: biology, ecology and diversity of the iconic inhabitants of caves’, by Dr. Maria João Pereira, Assistant Professor at the Zoology Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Bats are the iconic inhabitants of caves and karst! They are the only true flying mammals, and flight has enabled them to occupy almost every terrestrial environment on Earth. During this talk we will discuss several aspects of the extraordinary bat diversity and biology, their socio-economic importance and the services they provide for ecosystems and ultimately to us, humans. We will also discuss their incredible resistance to aging and disease, making them excellent models for research on human health. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of the over 1400 extant bat species is threatened by human actions. Our travel across the bat world will focus mostly on the neotropical region, where we find the most ecologically diverse bat assemblages.
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“The Cave Show” is a series of (online) seminars about why are caves important, why it is important to study and protect caves, but also about our passion for caves, which drive much of our research activities. It is included in the celebrations of the International Year of Caves and Karst. Stay tuned to know about the next Cave Show seminars!

The webinar will takes place on YouTube, HERE: https://youtu.be/YUIUAss_x3Q

ABSTRACT
Diplura is the sister group to insects and one of the three basal hexapod groups with unique entognathan mouthparts. The order is divided into 10 families, which include 1008 species in 141 genera, with a high proportion of monotypic genera. They are ubiquitous in soils and subsurface terrestrial habitats, as well as have an important role in overall biogeochemical cycles.
We present the first comprehensive review of the global biodiversity and ecology of Diplura. We highlight four aspects of this basal hexapod group: diversity in morphological body plans and sizes; ecology in terrestrial environments from soil to caves; food preference and trophic levels, and their biogeographical and paleobiogeographical significance.
Diplura depends on high humidity and moderate temperatures. They are presumably very sensitive to anthropogenic pressures and climate change, and therefore are a suitable model for ecophysiological studies and evident priority targets for conservation.
We conclude that the future efforts should focus on establishing a molecular phylogeny to clarify the relationships between and within families, as well as to reveal global biogeographical patterns. This will require an increase in sampling effort in several regions of the globe, especially in tropical regions.

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Reference: Sendra A., Jimenez-Valverde A., Selfa, J. & Reboleira A.S.P.S. (2021). Diversity, ecology, distribution and biogeography of Diplura. Insect Conservation and Diversity. http://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12480

Our paper "Decomposition of Organic Matter in Caves" was selected as 2020 Editor’s Choice articles for Models in Ecology and Evolution section in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Articles chosen by Chief Editors are those of outstanding quality and interest.

You can read our paper here:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.554651

And the entire Chief Editor's selection here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/books/Frontiers_in_Ecology_and_Evolution_2020_Highlights

ABSTRACT
Groundwater is an indispensable resource for humankind and sustainable biomes functioning. Anthropogenic disturbance threatens groundwater ecosystems globally, but to which extent groundwater organisms respond to stressors remains poorly understood. Groundwater animals are rare, with small populations, difficult to find and to breed in the lab, which poses a main challenge to the assessment of their responses to pollutants. Despite the difficulties, assessing the toxicity of a large spectrum of stressors to groundwater organisms is a priority to inform towards appropriate environmental protection of these ecosystems. We tested the sensitivity to CuSO4, diclofenac, and NaCl of a groundwater population of the copepod Diacyclops crassicaudis crassicaudis and compared its sensitivity with the model organism Daphnia magna. We ranked its sensitivity using a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) approach using the feasible data available for groundwater and surface crustaceans. Our results show that the most toxic compound was CuSO4 for which higher amount of data was recorded and wider variability in response was observed. It was followed by diclofenac, largely lacking data for groundwater-adapted organisms, and the least toxic compound was NaCl. The differential sensitivity between D. crassicaudis and D. magna was contaminant-dependent. As a general trend D. crassicaudis was always distributed in the upper part of the SSD curves together with other groundwater-adapted organisms. Our results highlight that the widespread groundwater populations of the D. crassicaudis species complex, which can be successfully breed in the lab, may provide a reasonable approach to assess the ecological effects of anthropogenic stressors in groundwater ecosystems.

Reference: Castaño-Sánchez A., Pereira J.L., Gonçalves F. & Reboleira A.S.P.S. (2021). Sensitivity of a widespread groundwater copepod to different contaminants. Chemosphere. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129911
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2021 is the International Year of Caves and Karst, and we are happy to offer a series of (online) seminars about cave science. Join the “The Cave Show” from your own home.

Our first talk took place Tuesday, January 26, at 8:30pm (WET) about Caves and Karst: Their Importance to Science and the World, by Dr. George Veni, Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) and President of the International Union of Speleology (UIS).
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Online event, on YouTube! In HERE: https://youtu.be/js1pEcMOkZY 

Numerous species live deep in the underground and how they are affected by human activities remains poorly studied. Subterranean species are among the most unknown and unprotected natural resources of our planet. Cave-adapted species have morphophysiological adaptations to life in the underground, and short-range distributions. This biota plays a key role in regulating the whole suite of ecosystem functions directly related to groundwater dependent ecosystems, as springs and rivers. However, legal initiatives address only the need to achieve a good physicochemical status of groundwater, neglecting its endemic biodiversity. Our research aims to understand the ecological functioning of subterranean ecosystems and how they are impacted by anthropogenic activities. We use an array of multidisciplinary approaches to generate a framework for future ecological assessment and sustainability of subterranean biodiversity. Our results show that subterranean species respond differently than surface species to stressors, which has profound consequences in ecosystems management and conservation​. We will present an overview about life in subterranean ecosystems, their ecological features, how we study them and how they are endangered by anthropogenic stressors.

Watch Sofia's talk on Encontros Scientia, organised by the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change.

Reference: Sendra A. & Reboleira A.S.P.S. (2020). Euro-Mediterranean Fauna of Campodeinae (Campodeidae, Diplura). European Journal of Taxonomy, 728: 1-130. (Monograph). https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.728.1181

ABSTRACT
Diplurans (Hexapoda) are considered the ‘ideal cavernicolous animal’ having one of the highest ratios of cave-adapted vs. non-cave-adapted species. They are successful colonizers of subterranean habitats, thriving in all cryptic, dark, terrestrial environments. Diplurans play an important role in the decomposition of organic matter below the ground and are sensitive to anthropogenic pressures. We present the first comprehensive review about cave Diplura diversity, ecology, evolution, distribution and biogeography. We provide a roadmap for research questions regarding the ecology, aimed at stimulating the pursuit of new studies on this fascinating group. Filling these current knowledge gaps will contribute to conservation efforts for cave ecosystems.

Reference:
Sendra A., Palero F., Jimenez-Valverde A. & Reboleira A.S.P.S. (2020). Diplura in caves: diversity, ecology, evolution and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa116