Conservation of Cave Fauna, with an Emphasis on Europe and the Americas

Niemiller, Matthew L.; Taylor, Steven J.; Bichuette, Maria Elina

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-98852-8_22

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The problem is new to conservation of subterranean diversity, as hitherto studied hotspots contained also high shares of rare species (Christman et al, ; Niemiller & Zigler, ). All the conservation efforts could have focused on the species richest sites and rare species simultaneously (Niemiller, Taylor, & Bichuette, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contribution of rare and common species to subterranean species richness patterns

Bregović

Zagmajster

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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AimCommon species contribute more to species richness patterns (SRPs) than rare species in most studies. Our aim was to test this hypothesis using a novel model system, species living exclusively in subterranean habitats. They consist of mainly rare species (small ranges), only a few of them being common (large ranges), and challenge whether rare species are less important for the development of SRPs in this environment. We separately analyzed aquatic and terrestrial species.LocationWestern Balkans in southeastern Europe.MethodsWe assembled two datasets comprising 431 beetle and 145 amphipod species, representing the model groups of subterranean terrestrial and aquatic diversity, respectively. We assessed the importance of rare and common species using the stepwise reconstruction of SRPs and subsequent correlation analyses, corrected also for the cumulative information content of the subsets based on species prevalence. We applied generalized linear regression models to evaluate the importance of rare and common species in forming SRPs. Additionally, we analyzed the contribution of rare and common species in species‐rich cells.ResultsPatterns of subterranean aquatic and terrestrial species richness overlapped only weakly, with aquatic species having larger ranges than terrestrial ones. Our analyses supported higher importance of common species for forming overall SRPs in both beetles and amphipods. However, in stepwise analysis corrected for information content, results were ambiguous. Common species presented a higher proportion of species than rare species in species‐rich cells.Main ConclusionWe have shown that even in habitats with the domination of rare species, it is still common species that drive SRPs. This may be due to an even spatial distribution of rare species or spatial mismatch in hotspots of rare and common species. SRPs of aquatic and terrestrial subterranean organisms overlap very little, so the conservation approaches need to be habitat specific.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All the conservation efforts could have focused on the species richest sites and rare species simultaneously (Niemiller, Taylor, & Bichuette, 2018).…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of rare and common species to subterranean species richness patterns

Bregović

Zagmajster

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Furthermore, many of the hotspot caves are protected by some form of designation as park land, or protected area. Even if there is no official designation, there are often laws protecting caves in general [53,54]. However, the efficacy of these regulations and designations is never absolute, and at some level all sites face threats.…”

Section: Protection Of Hotspot Cavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of Subterranean Biodiversity Hotspots

et al. 2021

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“…Effective conservation and management of biodiversity is limited by a lack of knowledge on the distributions of species. This biodiversity knowledge gap known as the Wallacean shortfall [ 1 ] is particularly prominent for fauna that live in groundwater and other subterranean ecosystems [ 2 , 3 ]. This is, in part, because subterranean habitats are extremely challenging to access and survey using traditional approaches, such as visual surveys and trapping (i.e., the Racovitzan shortfall; [ 4 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using environmental DNA methods to survey for rare groundwater fauna: Detection of an endangered endemic cave crayfish in northern Alabama

et al. 2020

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The conservation and management of subterranean biodiversity is hindered by a lack of knowledge on the true distributions for many species, e.g., the Wallacean shortfall. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) as an effective approach to detect and monitor biodiversity, including rare, threatened, and endangered taxa. However, there are few eDNA studies of groundwater fauna. Here we report the results of the development and implementation of an eDNA assay targeting a short fragment of the mitochondrial CO1 locus of a critically imperiled cave crayfish, the Sweet Home Alabama Cave Crayfish (Cambarus speleocoopi), known from just four cave systems in the Interior Plateau karst region of northern Alabama. We detected C. speleocoopi DNA from water samples collected at 5 of 16 sites sampled (caves and springs), including two historical sites as well as three additional and potentially new sites in Marshall County, Alabama. All three of these sites were within 2 km of historical sites. Our study is the first to detect a groundwater crustacean in the Interior Plateau karst region. Additionally, our study contributes to the growing literature that eDNA is a viable complementary tool for detection and monitoring of a fauna that is difficult to survey and study using traditional approaches.

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Conservation of Cave Fauna, with an Emphasis on Europe and the Americas

Cited by 22 publications

References 45 publications

Contribution of rare and common species to subterranean species richness patterns

Contribution of rare and common species to subterranean species richness patterns

An Overview of Subterranean Biodiversity Hotspots

Using environmental DNA methods to survey for rare groundwater fauna: Detection of an endangered endemic cave crayfish in northern Alabama

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