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Povzetek: Velika Pasica cave is situated in central Slovenia (Europe); it is 105 m long and 12 m deep, at an elevation of 670 m, and only has a 2–7 m thick roof and four permanent trickles from the epikarst zone. The second troglobiotic beetle, Anophthalmus hirtus Sturm, 1853, was described in this cave, twenty years after the first species, Leptodirus hochenwartii Schmidt, 1832, was described from Postojnska Jama cave (Slovenia). In the following decades, nine more terrestrial species and subspecies were described from Velika Pasica cave, which belong to the Mollusca, Pseudoscorpiones, Collembola and Coleoptera groups. After 2000, intensive research of the pools and trickles revealed an abundance of aquatic fauna, resulting in the description of four new species of Copepoda and two not yet determined epibiotic protozoans. A complete list of the terrestrial and aquatic fauna in Velika Pasica cave has never been published. To fill this gap, data from the literature and from intensive field work are presented here. To date, 89 terrestrial and 36 aquatic taxa have been recorded from the cave and the adjacent temporary spring and reservoir. Twenty-nine aquatic (including two epibionts) and 18 terrestrial species are strict cave-dwelling organisms. Thus, Velika Pasica cave ranks among the top global subterranean hotspots for species richness.
Ključne besede: troglobionts, stygobionts, biodiversity, epikarst, habitats, endemics, ecology, subterranean hotspots
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.06.2026; Ogledov: 127; Prenosov: 121
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Povzetek: The Qualita ` Biologica del Suolo (QBS-ar) index provides a rapid, low-cost measure of soil biological quality by assigning arthropods in morphotaxonomic groups named biological forms. Although widely used, its low taxonomic resolution and reliance on expert-defined scores limits its sensitivity to subtle management effects. We therefore evaluated whether DNA metabarcoding can complement and refine QBS-based assessments by analysing soil microarthropod communities across seven agricultural treatments differing in tillage intensity and production system. Using COI metabarcoding, we compared α- and β-diversity patterns between molecular and QBS datasets, evaluated different QBS index variants in relation to DNA amplicon sequence variant (ASV) richness, and explored potential for a preliminary DNA-derived index based on QBS-like trait scoring. DNA metabarcoding resolved clear community separation among production systems and treatments that the QBS only partially detected and revealed indicator taxa characteristic of reduced-disturbance and organic management. The QBS indices distinguished major production systems but were less responsive to within-system variation. Correlations between ASV richness and QBS-ar varied among production systems, indicating contextdependent index performance. The experimental DNA-derived QBS index (QBS-DNA) retained a QBS-like trait signal, showing positive treatment-mean correlations with morphology-based QBS-ar and QBS-ar_BF, but it did not significantly distinguish treatments. These results support QBS-DNA as a proof-of-concept framework for translating trait-based soil-quality indicators into molecular biodiversity assessments. As molecular tools and trait databases expand, metabarcoding enables the development of next-generation soil biodiversity indicators based on explicit, species-level functional traits, moving beyond the constraints of classical QBS formulations while retaining their ecological intent.
Ključne besede: Mesofauna, Soil quality index, Microarthropods, Microarthropod biodiversity, COI, Molecular bioindicators, Environmental DNA, Soil biodiversity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 11.05.2026; Ogledov: 218; Prenosov: 197
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Povzetek: Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot with high endemism and ancient phylogenetic diversity. We here report the discovery of Osmooka aphana gen. nov., sp. nov. from Marojejy National Park. Phylogenomic analyses place Osmooka as sister to the Australian Paraplectanoides Keyserling, 1886, and this doublet is sister to Nephilidae Simon, 1894. When proposed, Paraplectanoididae Kuntner, Coddington, Agnarsson & Bond, 2023 was exclusively Australian and monogeneric, but was predicted to contain additional, undescribed taxa. The discovery of Osmooka and its phylogenetic placement in Paraplectanoididae supports this prediction. We present a taxonomic treatment of Osmooka and Paraplectanoides, and a reappraisal of Orbipurae morphological homologies. With this new discovery, we revalidate Paraplectanoididae, Nephilidae, and Phonognathidae Simon, 1894, ranks resurrected as exclusive, monophyletic, and well-diagnosed families, whereas Araneidae Clerck, 1757 requires further redefinition. Finally, we test the hypothesis of East Gondwanan vicariant origin of Osmooka and Paraplectanoides. This scenario would predict an ancient age of their ancestor, predating the 130 Ma breakup of Gondwana. Divergence dating refutes this hypothesis by estimating their common ancestor at 57 Ma. Rather than through vicariance, the disjunct distribution of Osmooka and Paraplectanoides is best explained through Cenozoic intercontinental dispersal and/or extinctions. Potential discovery of additional paraplectanoidid diversity might better elucidate the timing, modes, and trajectories of historic dispersal and extinction events.
Ključne besede: Madagascar, biodiversity, Osmooka aphana gen. nov., sp. nov., Paraplectanoididae, spiders
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.03.2026; Ogledov: 234; Prenosov: 281
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Ključne besede: soil biodiversity, soil microarthropods, DNA metabarcoding, Nevesinje Field, mesofauna, Upper Horizons projec
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 06.03.2026; Ogledov: 268; Prenosov: 191
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Povzetek: Purpose of Review While 38% of tree species are at risk of extinction worldwide, their inventory and occurrence at ecologically and biogeographically meaningful scales is lacking in many parts of the world, including the biodiversity-rich Mediterranean region. Here, we provide presence/absence, extinction risk, biogeography and genetic diversity data of trees in 39 climatically and ecologically Mediterranean territories (so-called “botanical territories”) in North Africa, Western Asia and Southern Europe. Recent Findings The inventory includes 496 species and 147 subspecies from 50 families and 111 genera, including 48 species and 8 subspecies previously not considered as trees. We show that native tree species distribution is highly skewed across the tree of life with a few species-rich families such as the Rosaceae and the majority with less than 1% of all species. Endemism was not evenly distributed among botanical territories and neither was extinction risk, an assessment of which was lacking in almost half of the species. While no geographic trends were detectable, species richness was found to be positively correlated with botanical territory area and, when standardized by area, with habitat heterogeneity. Information on genetic diversity was lacking in two thirds of the species inventoried and mostly focused on species with economic importance. Summary Our data are open access and can be used by researchers and stakeholders for a wide range of purposes, including conservation and restoration. Our findings identified major native tree richness hotspots as well as key knowledge gaps and biases related to extinction risk and genetic diversity. Our findings also emphasize the importance of increased collaboration to support the conservation of Mediterranean forest trees.
Ključne besede: biogeography, biodiversity, natural variation in plants, plant ecology, seed distribution, tree biology, conservation strategies, Mediterranean plant biodiversity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.02.2026; Ogledov: 397; Prenosov: 287
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