Caves and cave-dwelling biota have fascinated scientists for centuries. Nevertheless, there is a considerable lack of information on subterranean realms and the ecosystems they host. Nematoda, for example, is a group of invertebrates that plays an important role in the functioning of epigean ecosystems, but whether or not the same is true for subterranean ecosystems remains unknown. For this reason it was decided to conduct an in-depth review of all reports related to cave-dwelling nematodes in order to provide a sound basis for future studies. A literature survey of 41 scientific works from over the last 138 years revealed 295 unique taxa reported from 78 different cave systems. The historical trends in cave nematology, peculiar findings from important studies and an ecological classification system are discussed. Lastly, the trophic distribution of the reported taxa is presented, whilst nematodes from other (non-cave) subterranean environments are also considered.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
Abolafia J. (2005). Algunos nematodos troglófilos encontrados en la provincia de Jaén. Espeleo 17, 11-12.
Abolafia J. (2008). Variedad morfológica de Pelodera strongyloides (Schneider, 1860) Schneider, 1866 (Nematoda, Rhabditida) en cuevas de Jaén y Málaga. Espeleo 20, 46-48.
Abolafia J. (2010). Nematodos de la cueva del Jabalí, Santiago-Pontones (Jaén). Monografías Bioespeleológicas 5, 9-16.
Abolafia J. (2013). Los nematodos (Nematoda) subterráneos de Jaén. In: Pérez-Fernández T., Pérez-Ruiz A. (Eds). Los invertebrados de hábitats subterráneos de Jaén. Jaén, Grupo de Espeleología de Villacarrillo, pp. 31-46.
Abolafia J., Iglesias García M. (2011). Nematodos cavernícolas de Andalucía Ortiental. Monografías Bioespeleológicas 6, 16-25.
Abolafia J., Peña-Santiago R. (2006). Description and SEM observations of Stegelletina coprophila sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditida) from caves of Andalucía Oriental, Spain. Journal of Nematology 38, 411-417.
Abolafia J., Peña-Santiago R. (2011). Ablechroiulus spelaeus sp. n. and A. dudichi Andrássy, 1970 from Andalucía Oriental, Spain, with a discussion of the taxonomy of the genus Ablechroiulus Andrássy, 1966 (Nematoda, Rhabditida, Rhabditidae). Zootaxa 2922, 1-17. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.205409
Abolafia J., Arbea J.I., Garcia L., Hernando C., López-Rodríguez M.J., Mauriès J.-P., Pérez T., Peris-Felipo F.J., Prieto C.E., Ribera C. et al. (2016). Invertebrados de interés en cuevas y simas de la Sierra de Segura (Jaén, Andalucía, España). Actas Espeleo Meeting Ciudad de Villacarrillo, 1-6.
Abolafia J., Silva A.C., Alberto-Silva A.C. (2014). Dos especies raras de nematodos de los géneros de Aulolaimus de Man, 1880 y Aprutides Scognamiglio, Talame’ and s’Jacob, 1970 en la provincia de Jaén, España. Monografías Bioespeleológicas 8, 1-6.
Altherr E. (1938). La faune des mines de Bex, avec étude spéciale des nématodes. Revue Suisse De Zoologie 45, 567-720. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.part.117923
Altherr E. (1971). Contribution à la connaissance des nématodes cavernicoles de Roumanie. Bulletin de la Société Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles 71, 23-46. DOI: 10.5169/seals-276288
Andrássy I. (1959). Nematoden aus der Tropfsteinhöhle “Baradla” bei Aggtelek (Ungarn), nebst einer Übersicht der bisher aus Höhlen bekannten freilebenden Nematoden-Arten. Acta Zoologica Hungaricae 4, 253-277.
Andrássy I. (1965). Nematodes and their role in caves. In: Rapoport E.H. (Ed.). Progressos en biologia del suelo: Actas del primer coloquio latino americo de boilogia del suelo en la Universidad Nacional del Sur Bahia Blanca (Argentina). Montevideo, UNESCO, pp. 303-312.
Andrássy I. (1967). Die Unterfamilie Cephalobinae (Nematoda: Cephalobidae) und ihre Arten. Acta Zoologica Hungaricae 13, 1-37.
Andrássy I. (1973). Nematoden aus Strand-und Höhlenbiotopen von Kuba. Acta Zoologica Hungarica 193, 233-270.
Ape F., Arigo C., Gristina M., Genovese L., Di Franco A., Di Lorenzo M., Baiata P., Aglieri G., Milisenda G., Mirto S. (2015). Meiofaunal diversity and nematode assemblages in two submarine caves of a Mediterranean marine protected area. Mediterranean Marine Science 17, 202-215. DOI: 10.12681/mms.1375
Baxter C., Rowan J., McKenzie B., Neilson R. (2013). Understanding soil erosion impacts in temperate agroecosystems: bridging the gap between geomorphology and soil ecology using nematodes as a model organism. Biogeosciences 10, 7133-7145. DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-7133-2013
Bonaglia S., Nascimento F.A., Bartoli M., Klawonn I., Brüchert V. (2014). Meiofauna increases bacterial denitrification in marine sediments. Nature Communications 5, 1-9. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6133
Bongers T. (1999). The maturity index, the evolution of nematode life history traits, adaptive radiation and cp-scaling. Plant and Soil 212, 13-22. DOI: 10.1023/A:1004571900425
Borgonie G., García-Moyano A., Litthauer D., Bert W., Bester A., Van Heerden E., Möller C., Erasmus M., Onstott T.C. (2011). Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa. Nature 474, 79-82. DOI: 10.1038/nature09974
Cayrol J. (1967). Contribution a l’étude de la faune nématologique de quelques grottes du sud de la France. Annales de Spéléologie 22, 297-307.
Cayrol J.C. (1973). Fluctuations observées dans les populations de nématodes cavernicoles en fonction de la pluviométrie. Extraits du 96e Congrés National des Sociétés Savantes. Toulouse, Section des sciences, Tome III, pp. 157-164.
Chen Y., Wu L., Boden R., Hillebrand A., Kumaresan D., Moussard H., Baciu M., Lu Y., Murrell J.C. (2009). Life without light: microbial diversity and evidence of sulfur- and ammonium-based chemolithotrophy in Movile Cave. ISME 3, 1093-1104. DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2009.57
Chitwood B.G. (1938). Some nematodes from the caves of Yucatan. In: Pearse A.S. (Ed.). Faunas of the caves of Yucatan. Washington, DC, Carnegie Institute of Washington, pp. 51-66.
Culver D.C., Pipan T. (2009). The biology of caves and other subterranean habitats. Oxford, Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/icb/icp040
Culver D.C., Pipan T. (2014). Shallow subterranean habitats: ecology, evolution, and conservation. Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646173.001.0001
De Coninck L.A. (1939). Les nématodes libres de la Grotte de Han (Han-sur-Lesse, Belgique) Note de biospeleologie. Bulletin du Musée Royal d’Histoire Naturelle de Belgique 15, 1-40.
de Man J. (1929). Fauna of the Batu Caves, Selangor. IX. Nematoda. Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums 14, 352-355.
Delamare-Deboutteville C. (1952). Données nouvelles sur la biologie des animaux cavernicoles. Notes Biospéléologiques 7, 15-20.
Du Preez G.C., Theron P., Fourie D. (2013). Terrestrial mesofauna biodiversity in unique karst environments in southern Africa. In: Filippi, M. & Bosak, P. (Eds). Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Speleology. Brno, Czech Speleological Society, pp. 386-390.
Du Preez G.C., Forti P., Jacobs G., Jordaan A., Tiedt L.R. (2015a). Hairy Stalagmites, a new biogenic root speleothem from Botswana. International Journal of Speleology 44, 37-47. DOI: 10.5038/1827-806X.44.1.4
Du Preez G., Swart A., Fourie H. (2015b). Nematodes of the Wonderfontein Cave (Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa). Nematology 17, 967-980. DOI: 10.1163/15685411-00002917
Durand J., Swart A., Marais W., Jansen van Rensburg C., Habig J., Dippenaar-Schoeman A., Ueckermann E., Jacobs R., De Wet L., Tiedt L. et al. (2012). Die karst-ekologie van die Bakwenagrot (Gauteng). Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie 31, 1-17. DOI: 10.4102/satnt.v31i1.275
Eder R. (1975). Zwei neue Funde von Stenonchulus troglodytes Schneider, 1940 (Onchulidae, Nematoda). Carinthia II (Klagenfurt) 165/85, 291-294.
Eder R. (1979). Zur Nematodenfauna der Hermannshöhle bei Kirchberg am Wechsel. Die Höhle 30, 73-75.
Eisendle-Flöckner U., Hilberg S. (2015). Hard rock aquifers and free-living nematodes – an interdisciplinary approach based on two widely neglected components in groundwater research. Ecohydrology 8, 368-377. DOI: 10.1002/eco.1516
Ferris H., Bongers T. (2009). Indices developed specifically for analysis of nematode assemblages. In: Wilson M.J., Kakouli-Duarte T. (Eds). Nematodes as environmental indicators. Wallingford, CABI Publishing, pp. 124-145. DOI: 10.1079/9781845933852.0124
Ferris H., Bongers T., De Goede R.G.M. (2001). A framework for soil food web diagnostics: extension of the nematode faunal analysis concept. Applied Soil Ecology 18, 13-29. DOI: 10.1016/S0929-1393(01)00152-4
Hnatewytsch B. (1929). Die Fauna der Erzgruben von Schneeberg im Erzgebirge. Zoologische Jahrbücher (Systematik) 56, 173-261.
Hodda M., Eyualem-Abebe (2006). Techniques for processing freshwater nematodes. In: Eyualem-Abebe, Andrássy I., Traunspurger W. (Eds). Freshwater nematodes: ecology and taxonomy. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing, pp. 31-45. DOI: 10.1079/9780851990095.0031
Hodda M., Ocaña A., Traunspurger W. (2006). Nematodes from extreme freshwater habitats. In: Eyualem-Abebe, Andrássy I., Traunspurger W. (Eds). Freshwater nematodes: ecology and taxonomy. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing, pp. 179-210. DOI: 10.1079/9780851990095.0179
Holohan B.C. (2009). Isolation and characterization of free-living nematodes and their trophic symbionts from Kartchner caverns. Tucson, University of Arizona.
Hooper D.J., Hallmann J., Subbotin S.A. (2005). Methods for extraction, processing and detection of plant and soil nematodes. In: Luc M., Sikora R.A., Bridge J. (Eds). Plant parasitic nematodes in subtropical and tropical agriculture. Wallingford, UK, CAB International, pp. 53-86. DOI: 10.1079/9780851997278.0053
Hugo H.J., Malan A.P. (2010). Occurrence and control of plant-parasitic nematodes in irrigation water – a review. South African Journal for Enology and Viticulture 31, 169-180.
Hunt H.W., Coleman D.C., Ingham E.R., Ingham R.E., Elliott E.T., Moore J.C., Rose S.L., Reid C.P.P., Morley C.R. (1987). The detrital food web in a shortgrass prairie. Biology and Fertility of Soils 3, 57-68. DOI: 10.1007/BF00260580
Jansen van Rensburg C. (2010). Nematodes from the Bakwena Cave in Irene, South Africa. M.Sc. Thesis, Ghent, Belgium, Ghent University.
Janssen A., Chevaldonné P., Arbizu P.M. (2013). Meiobenthic copepod fauna of a marine cave (NW Mediterranean) closely resembles that of deep-sea communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 479, 99-113. DOI: 10.3354/meps10207
Jeannel R. (1926). Faune cavernicole de la France avec une étude des conditions d’existence dans le domaine souterrain. Encyclopédie Entomologique. Série A (Travaux généraux), VII (Series editor: Lechevalier P.). Paris, France.
Joseph G. (1879). Ueber die in Krainer Tropfsteingrotten einheimischen, frei lebenden Rundwuermer (Nematoden). Zoologischer Anzeiger 2, 275-277.
Leruth R. (1939). La biologie du domaine souterrain et la faune cavernicole de la Belgique. Bruxelles, Musée royal d’histoire naturelle de Belgique.
Majdi N., Traunspurger W. (2015). Free-living nematodes in the freshwater food web: a review. Journal of Nematology 47, 28-44.
Majdi N., Threis I., Traunspurger W. (2017). It’s the little things that count: meiofaunal density and production in the sediment of two headwater streams. Limnology and Oceanography 62, 151-163. DOI: 10.1002/lno.10382
McSorley R. (2003). Adaptations of nematodes to environmental extremes. Florida Entomologist 86, 138-142. DOI: 10.1653/0015-4040(2003)086[0138:AONTEE]2.0.CO;2
Meleg I.N., Moldovan O.T., Iepure S., Fiers F., Brad T. (2011). Diversity patterns of fauna in dripping water of caves from Transylvania. Annales de Limnologie – International Journal of Limnology 47, 185-197. DOI: 10.1051/limn/2011014
Moens T., Traunspurger W., Bergtold M. (2006). Feeding ecology of free-living benthic nematodes. In: Eyualem-Abebe, Andrássy I., Traunspurger W. (Eds). Freshwater nematodes: ecology and taxonomy. Wallingford, UK, CABI Publishing, pp. 105-131. DOI: 10.1079/9780851990095.0105
Moseley M. (2009). Size matters: scalar phenomena and a proposal for an ecological definition of ‘cave’. Cave and Karst Science 35, 89-94.
Muschiol D., Traunspurger W. (2007). Life cycle and calculation of the intrinsic rate of natural increase of two bacterivorous nematodes, Panagrolaimus sp. and Poikilolaimus sp. from chemoautotrophic Movile Cave, Romania. Nematology 9, 271-284. DOI: 10.1163/156854107780739117
Muschiol D., Marković M., Threis I., Traunspurger W. (2008). Predatory copepods can control nematode populations: a functional-response experiment with Eucyclops subterraneus and bacterivorous nematodes. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 172, 317-324. DOI: 10.1127/1863-9135/2008/0172-0317
Muschiol D., Giere O., Traunspurger W. (2015). Population dynamics of a cavernicolous nematode community in a chemoautotrophic groundwater system. Limnology and Oceanography 60, 127-135. DOI: 10.1002/lno.10017
Ortiz M., Legatzki A., Neilson J.W., Fryslie B., Nelson W.M., Wing R.A., Soderlund C.A., Pryor B.M., Maier R.M. (2014). Making a living while starving in the dark: metagenomic insights into the energy dynamics of a carbonate cave. ISME 8, 478-491. DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.159
Poinar G.O. Jr, Sarbu S.M. (1994). Chronogaster troglodytes sp. n. (Nemata: Chronogasteridae) from Movile Cave, with a review of cavernicolous nematodes. Fundamental and Applied Nematology 17, 231-237.
Riess W., Giere O., Kohls O., Sarbu S.M. (1999). Anoxic thermomineral cave waters and bacterial mats as habitat for freshwater nematodes. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 18, 157-164. DOI: 10.3354/ame018157
Romero A. (2009). Cave biology: life in darkness. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511596841
Sandulli R., Semprucci F., Balsamo M. (2014). Taxonomic and functional biodiversity variations of meiobenthic and nematode assemblages across an extreme environment: a study case in a Blue Hole cave. Italian Journal of Zoology 81, 508-516. DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2014.952356
Sarbu S.M., Kane T.C., Kinkle B.K. (1996). A chemoautotrophically based cave ecosystem. Science 272, 1953-1955. DOI: 10.1126/science.272.5270.1953
Schneider W. (1940). Neue freilebende Nematoden aus Hoehlen und Brunnen. I. Nematoden aus jugoslawischen Hoehlen. Zoologischer Anzeiger 132, 84-94.
Schroeder F., Muschiol D., Traunspurger W. (2010). Fluctuating food availability may permit coexistence in bacterivorous nematodes. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 178, 59-66. DOI: 10.1127/1863-9135/2010/0178-0059
Schuurmans Stekhoven J. (1943). Nématodes recueillis dans des grottes et des sources en Belgique. Bulletin du Musée Royal d’Histoire Naturelle de Belgique 19, 1-20.
Schuurmans Stekhoven J., Mawson P. (1954). Free-living nematodes, mostly from Asia. Arkiv for Zoologi 7, 273-279.
Shahack-Gross R., Berna F., Karkanas P., Weiner S. (2004). Bat guano and preservation of archaeological remains in cave sites. Journal of Archaeological Science 31, 1259-1272. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2004.02.004
Sket B. (2008). Can we agree on an ecological classification of subterranean animals? Journal of Natural History 42, 1549-1563. DOI: 10.1080/00222930801995762
Sorensen J.P.R., Maurice L., Edwards F.K., Lapworth D.J., Read D.S., Allen D., Butcher A.S., Newbold L.K., Townsend B.R., Williams P.J. (2013). Using boreholes as windows into groundwater ecosystems. PLoS ONE 8, e70264. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070264
Stammer H.J. (1935). Desmoscolex aquaedulcis n. sp. der erste suesswasserbewohnende Desmoscolecidae aus einer slowenischen Hoehle (Nemat.). Zoologischer Anzeiger 109, 108-126.
Stammer H.J. (1936). Die aquatile Fauna der Reyersdorfer Höhle. Mitt. Höhl. Karstforsch 1936, 125-129.
Todaro M.A., Leasi F., Bizzarri N., Tongiorgi P. (2006). Meiofauna densities and gastrotrich community composition in a Mediterranean Sea cave. Marine Biology 149, 1079-1091. DOI: 10.1007/s00227-006-0299-z
Torrini G., Mazza G., Carletti B., Benvenuti C., Roversi P.F., Fanelli E., De Luca F., Troccoli A., Tarasco E. (2015). Oscheius onirici sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae): a new entomopathogenic nematode from an Italian cave. Zootaxa 3937, 533-548. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3937.3.6
Van Oevelen D., Soetaert K., Middelburg J.J., Herman P.M., Moodley L., Hamels I., Moens T., Heip C.H. (2006). Carbon flows through a benthic food web: integrating biomass, isotope and tracer data. Journal of Marine Research 64, 453-482. DOI: 10.1357/002224006778189581
Yeates G., Bongers T., De Goede R., Freckman D., Georgieva S. (1993). Feeding habits in soil nematode families and genera – an outline for soil ecologists. Journal of Nematology 25, 315.
Zhou H., Zhang Z.N. (2008). Nematode assemblages from submarine caves in Hong Kong. Journal of Natural History 42, 781-795. DOI: 10.1080/00222930701850448
Zullini A. (1973). Some soil and freshwater nematodes from Chiapas (Mexico). In: Subterranean fauna of Mexico, part 2. Rome, Italy, Quaderni Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, pp. 55-96.
Zullini A. (1977). Some freshwater nematodes of southern Mexico and Guatemala. In: Subterranean fauna of Mexico, part 3. Rome, Italy, Quaderni Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, pp. 75-85.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 1113 | 130 | 14 |
Full Text Views | 308 | 11 | 3 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 85 | 15 | 4 |
Caves and cave-dwelling biota have fascinated scientists for centuries. Nevertheless, there is a considerable lack of information on subterranean realms and the ecosystems they host. Nematoda, for example, is a group of invertebrates that plays an important role in the functioning of epigean ecosystems, but whether or not the same is true for subterranean ecosystems remains unknown. For this reason it was decided to conduct an in-depth review of all reports related to cave-dwelling nematodes in order to provide a sound basis for future studies. A literature survey of 41 scientific works from over the last 138 years revealed 295 unique taxa reported from 78 different cave systems. The historical trends in cave nematology, peculiar findings from important studies and an ecological classification system are discussed. Lastly, the trophic distribution of the reported taxa is presented, whilst nematodes from other (non-cave) subterranean environments are also considered.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 1113 | 130 | 14 |
Full Text Views | 308 | 11 | 3 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 85 | 15 | 4 |