Tag Archives: Amphipods

New paper on the conservation status and biogeography of Bactrurus amphipods

My coauthor Steve Taylor and my paper on the conservation status and biogeography of subterranean Bactrurus amphipods was recently published in the journal Subterranean Biology. The full citation and abstract are below.

Taylor SJ, & Niemiller ML. 2016. Biogeography and conservation assessment of Bactrurus groundwater amphipods (Crangonyctidae) in the central and eastern United States. Subterranean Biology 17: 1–29.

The subterranean amphipod genus Bactrurus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) is comprised of eight species that occur in groundwater habitats in karst and glacial deposits of the central and eastern United States. We reexamine the distribution, biogeography, and conservation status of Bactrurus in light of new species distribution records and divergence time estimates in the genus from a recent molecular study. In particular, we discuss hypotheses regarding the distribution and dispersal of B. mucronatus and B. brachycaudus into previously glaciated regions of the Central Lowlands. We also conducted the first IUCN Red List conservation assessments and reassessed global NatureServe conservation ranks for each species. We identified 17 threats associated with increased extinction risk that vary in source, scope, and severity among species, with groundwater pollution being the most significant threat to all species. Our conservation assessments indicate that five of the eight species are at an elevated risk of extinction under IUCN Red List or NatureServe criteria, with one species (B. cellulanus) already extinct. However, none of the eight species are considered threatened or endangered by any state or federal agency. Significant knowledge gaps regarding the life history, ecology, and demography of each species exist. Given results of our conservation assessments and available information on threats to populations, we offer recommendations for conservation, management, and future research for each species.

21st Annual National Cave and Karst Mangement Symposium

I attended and presented at the 21st Annual National Cave and Karst Management Symposium held October 19-23 in the heart of the south-central Kentucky karst in the Mammoth Cave region. The venue for NCKMS 2015 was the Cave City Convention Center located in Cave City, Kentucky. The theme for NCKMS 2015 was “Hidden Landscapes-Hidden Challenges.” NCKMS 2015 was hosted by Cave Research Foundation, Mammoth Cave National Park, and Western Kentucky University.

I gave a 20-minute presentation titled “Genus-wide assessment of Bactrurus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) informs conservation and management of groundwater habitats” co-authored with Steve Taylor.