Does the world need faunists? Based on rotifer (Rotifera) occurrence reflections on the role of faunistic research in ecology

Abstract

Most faunistic studies of large‐scale patterns concern terrestrial vertebrates, whereas smaller organisms, and in particular, freshwater invertebrates like rotifers receive less attention. As a result, the “rotiferologists” effect”, that is sampling intensity, is among the most influential factors observed, globally or locally, on species richness. Because there are many more small, isolated patches of habitats available to the specialist species, greater specialization has occurred in those forms than in ubiquitous species. This rule also applies to rotifers. Results show that: (a) the total number of rotifer species observed in a lake depends on both the number of samples collected and the type and number of lake habitats involved; and (b) the originality (variability) of rotifer fauna in particular lakes is more pronounced with the more species found in a lake. The important purpose of faunistic studies is the registration of indigenous species. The inflow of alien species is currently one of the greatest threats to the preservation of natural fauna. However, if we do not recognize the composition of natural communities, we will not be able to recognize the invaders. The second most important goal is to enable tracking of long‐term changes in species diversity of rotifer fauna. Rotifers seem to be sensitive enough to climate change and pollution of the aquatic environment. Thus, for the reasons described above, faunistics will be still necessary.

New faunistic data on Diptera (Hexapoda, Insecta) from the Ziarat Juniperus forest ecosystem (Pakistan)

“…The primary objective of faunistic studies are to document and record medical and economic important species of insects ( Ježek et al 2021 , Shehzad et al 2017 ). These studies are crucial for assessing the abundance of species found within a specific geographical area and monitoring the long-term shifts in population trends and diversity ( Ejsmont-Karabin 2019 , Shamna et al 2023 ). This has become particularly important to protected areas like Juniperus Ziarat, which hold immense biodiversity of significance, but has not received sufficient research attention for certain insect groups.…”

Diversity of Rotifers in Small Rivers Affected by Human Activity

“…Rotifers are considered to be a valuable tool in environmental assessments, mainly because they are quite abundant, and thus, are an important part of most non-marine food webs [4,5]. In addition, rotifers are generally cosmopolitan, and their distribution is generally limited by environmental conditions, but may also be limited by biogeographic barriers [6,7]. It is also known that because of their evolutionary adaptations, rotifers segregate according to the specificity of habitats [8,9].…”

Parthenogenomics: insights on mutation rates and nucleotide diversity in parthenogeneticPanagrolaimusnematodes

“…Rotifers, on the other hand can be kept in laboratory cultures. However, they only inhabit aquatic ecosystems (Ejsmont-Karabin, 2019), whereas nematodes can inhabit a variety of ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater, marine) providing a more comprehensive overview on the evolution of asexuality.…”

“…The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by this version posted September 17, 2022. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.15.508068 doi: bioRxiv preprint i i i i i i i i kept in laboratory cultures. However, they only inhabit aquatic ecosystems (Ejsmont-Karabin, 2019), whereas nematodes can inhabit a variety of ecosystems (terrestrial, freshwater, marine) providing a more comprehensive overview on the evolution of asexuality.…”