Abstract: ARPHA Conference s 3: e52687 DOI : 10.3897/aca.3.e52687 Authors : Denis Copilas-Ciocianu : The extreme traits of subterranean organisms have traditionally been considered detrimental in the surface environment, thereby permanently restricting them to the dark, fragmented and relatively stable subsurface. Specifically, the loss of eyes and pigment coupled with stenothermy is thought to be disadvantageous in the dynamic surface environment, especially in the face of competition from epigean counterparts. However, this paradigm has been challenged by several recent studies which indicate that in rare cases, a reversal to surface habitats seems likely. Using the amphipod genus Niphargus as a model, I present environmental, life-history, phylogeographic, phylogenetic, trophic and functional morphological data that supports at least two independent reversals to surface environments. The two studied species, N. hrabei and N. valachicus, have rarely been reported from groundwater, but are common inhabitants of surface rivers, streams and lakes. They have very broad geographical distributions (>1300 km) with modest genetic divergence, indicating wide-scale dispersal and gene-flow via the interconnected surface river network. Molecular phylogenies strongly support their independent origin from groundwater ancestors. In the case of N. valachicus, life-history data further supports an epigean lifestyle due to the strong influence of seasonality, closely matching the patterns observed in surface amphipods. A comparison of functional morphology and trophic niche between this species and two of its most common sympatric surface relatives (Gammarus dacicus and Synurella ambulans) reveals that it occupies a unique predatory niche, indicating little trophic overlap and decreased competitive pressure. It therefore appears that, under certain circumstances, subterranean species do not only recolonize, but also thrive in surface environments. HTML XML PDF PubDate: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 16:00:00 +030
Abstract: ARPHA Conference s 3: e52665 DOI : 10.3897/aca.3.e52665 Authors : Joanna Kocot-Zalewska, Andrzej Woźnica : The research on invertebrates in caves of Poland dates back to the early 20th century (Kocot-Zalewska and Domagała 2020), but there was never a focus on heleomyzid flies (Diptera: Heleomyzidae). The main purpose of this presentation is to compare historical and new data on heleomyzid flies from the Polish caves with remarks on ecological aspects.The first piece of information about heleomyzid flies was given from the caves and mines in the Sudety Mts (Arndt 1921, Arndt 1923). Among four species of the Heleomyzidae family described from this area, one is noteworthy, it’s Oecothea praecox (Loew, 1862) – species considered to be a troglobite (Košel and Woźnica 2019). Unfortunately, there is no specimen in the museum collection as well as no specimen was caught in Polish caves after the Second World War, hence its presence in Polish fauna is questionable (Košel and Woźnica 2019). More information about heleomyzid flies from this area provided Pax and Maschke (1935) and Haduk and Ogorzałek (1970). The next piece on information was given from Tatra Mts (Kowalski 1955, Sobiepanek 1985) and Kraków - Częstochowa Upland (Skalski 1973, Skalski 1981, Papp and Woźnica 1993, Woźnica 2004, Woźnica 2006, Woźnica and Klasa 2009). So far, in the caves of Poland, altogether 17 species were collected, nowadays the list includes 23 species. The new research was conducted on Częstochowa Upland in the years 2014-2017. The six caves were investigated every month. The material of heleomyzid flies is part of the collection from the implementation of the larger project. A total of 179 specimens were collected. Among 16 identified species, 9 were considered as eutroglophiles, 5 species as subtroglophiles and two as trogloxenes.A comparative analysis based on the applied similarities, using on Ward's minimum variance method, in the Heleomyzid fauna of caves from the mountain and other areas showed significant similarities in the species composition in the Tatra and the Sudety mountains and an important difference between the caves in the mountains and Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. HTML XML PDF PubDate: Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:00:00 +030
Abstract: ARPHA Conference s 3: e51897 DOI : 10.3897/aca.3.e51897 Authors : Sunbin Huang, Mingyi Tian, Arnaud Faille : Coleoptera is one of the most successful groups among the subterranean fauna. Within Carabidae, 25 tribes have been reported in subterranean habitats, including the first representative of the tribe Patrobini, just described from Southern China. Amongst them, Trechini is the most diverse and cave-specialized group, and the numerous lineages of this group which have diversified underground make it an excellent model for the study of evolutionary mechanisms.In China, 152 species within 52 genera of Trechini have been described so far. In order to unveil the relationships and origin of this remarkable biodiversity and to understand the evolutionary success of this group, we infer the first phylogeny of the group by using molecular sequence data from four genes (two mitochondrial markers: cox1 and 16S; plus two nuclear: 18S and 28S). We found that the Chinese cave Trechini do not form a monophyletic clade and we identified three main independent subterranean clades. To define the systematic position of the main clades on a worldwide scale, we gathered other Trechini sequence data from different lineages and part of the world. The preliminary results will be presented in this talk. HTML XML PDF PubDate: Mon, 16 Mar 2020 13:00:00 +020
Abstract: ARPHA Conference s 3: e50948 DOI : 10.3897/aca.3.e50948 Authors : Thomas Hesselberg : Biomimetics or biologically inspired design is a relatively new interdisciplinary field that aims to harness the processes and mechanisms in nature that have been optimised over million of years’ evolution to improve our own technology. There are two main approaches to biological inspired design – the problem-driven approach starting with an engineering problem and searching through biological equivalents or the solution-driven approach which starts with a biological example or solution followed by the identification of a suitable engineering application (Lenau et al. 2018). While the former approach is the most popular and is favoured by engineers, the latter remains the most successful and is typically driven by fundamental biological research. However, no biomimetic solutions or concepts have so far been described from subterranean habitats despite the rich potential arising from the wonderfully diverse range of bizarre morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations that have arisen in response to the environmental constraints. In this presentation I give an outline of potential biomimetics examples arising from cave-dwelling animals in three technology fields.Biomaterials – the high humidity, lack of light and stable temperatures may have given rise to novel biomatarials. A promising study on the properties of silk from the Tasmanian cave spider Hickmania troglodytes is currently underway (Piorkowski et al. 2017).Adhesion devices. The high humidity and smooth wet surfaces underground may have given rise to unique morphological adaptations to adhere to and move on these surfaces. Potential target organisms include millipedes, springtails and cave angel fish.Biorobotics.The characteristics of the subterranean habitats potentially offer rich inspiration for the design of exploration robots ranging from flexible movement in constrained spaces, flight in low light conditions and non-visual navigation. The hope is that this presentation will inspire experienced biospeleologists to consider and explore potential novel biomimetic applications in their own study organisms. HTML XML PDF PubDate: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:00:00 +020
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