First data on the biological richness of Mediterranean springs

Abstract

First data on the biological richness of Mediterranean springsThe taxonomic richness of the main biological groups in springs in the Mediterranean biogeographical region has been investigated for the first time. This work has focused on two mountainous areas of mainly limestone substrata: the Montsant massif (south of the Catalan pre-coastal ranges, NE Iberian Peninsula) and the Serra de Tramuntana (north of the island of Mallorca). The taxa of macroalgae, diatoms, bryophytes, cormophytes, aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates have been analysed in ten springs of each area, and a total of 500 taxa have been identified in Montsant (ranging between 82-152 taxa per site) and 363 taxa in Serra de Tramuntana (ranging between 55-119 taxa per site). Depending on each spring, the biological groups showing the greatest richness value are either cormophytes, diatoms or invertebrates. The resulting biological richness, which is reported for the first time in Mediterranean crenic systems, is similar to the values found in other published works on springs in the Euro-Siberian biogeographic region, showing their role as outstanding biodiversity hot spots also in Mediterranean environments. The similarity analysis showed that the springs shared a low number of taxa, resulting in a low value of similarity. In conclusion, the results suggested that each spring could represent a unique, unrepeatable community.

Mediterranean springs: Keystone ecosystems and biodiversity refugia threatened by global change

“…For example, Pascual et al. (2020) found similar plant species richness in springs in the mountains of Mallorca and Catalan pre‐littoral mountains compared to springs in the Alps.…”

Ubiquitous but Ignored? A Case of Water Beetle in Southeastern Europe

“…Based on the fact that water beetles, and even freshwater springs, are almost completely ignored from a conservation and protection point of view in Southeastern Europe, studies such as ours greatly improve the overall knowledge about endangered and specific habitats and their fauna. Even more, E. bosnica inhabits springs and cold, clear fresh waters also in the Mediterranean part of Europe, which is defined as a "biodiversity hotspot" but is under severe anthropogenic pressure [4,5,102]. This area is one of the richest in terms of total number of species and especially endemic species, so a higher proportional loss of species in absolute terms will lead to even greater losses [1].…”

“…Southeastern Europe (SE), especially the Mediterranean part, is exposed to strong anthropogenic pressures, due to its long history of overpopulation and the increasing demand for water resources every year [2]. Various studies [2][3][4][5] have already highlighted the importance of freshwater habitats, especially springs, as they serve as refugia for plants and animals and are hotspots of biodiversity. The water there is constantly available and contrasts with an often completely different environment.…”

“…This territory is characterized by diverse morphological, hydrological and hydrogeological formations [25][26][27]. Karst freshwater habitats, especially springs, are nowadays under particular anthropogenic pressure [2,5,28,29], mainly due to their specific hydrology based on a combination of high rock solubility and well-developed fissured porosity, as well as water consumption, diversion of spring water or climate change [30,31]. Gaston and David [32] have identified the Dinaric Mountain system (the Dinaric Karst) in Southeastern Europe as a hotspot of European biodiversity.…”

Intra‐Alpine Islands: Population genomic inference reveals high degree of isolation between freshwater spring habitats

“…As interface ecosystems between groundwater aquifer and surface streams (Manenti & Piazza, 2021;Stevens et al, 2021), springs show highly heterogenous microhabitat structures and steep environmental gradients on a small spatial scale (Di Sabatino et al, 2021;Reiss et al, 2016;Spitale et al, 2012). Species richness in springs is fostered by this high biological niche availability and is, among other taxa, extensively described for Hydrachnidia (Blattner et al, 2019;Gerecke et al, 2018;Pozojević et al, 2020), Diptera (Lencioni, Marziali, & Rossaro, 2011, Ostracoda (Rosati et al, 2017), diatoms Lai et al, 2020;Pascual et al, 2020), and fungi (Wurzbacher et al, 2020).…”