Springtails (Collembola) of the Karkonosze Mountains (Poland)

Brain organization in Collembola (springtails).

Arthropoda is comprised of four major taxa: Hexapoda, Crustacea, Myriapoda and Chelicerata. Although this classification is widely accepted, there is still some debate about the internal relationships of these groups. In particular, the phylogenetic position of Collembola remains enigmatic. Some molecular studies place Collembola into a close relationship to Protura and Diplura within the monop...

Mercury accumulation in the surface layers of mountain soils: a case study from the Karkonosze Mountains, Poland.

The study was aimed to examine total concentrations and pools of Hg in surface layers of soils in the Karkonosze Mountains, dependent on soil properties and site locality. Soil samples were collected from a litter layer and the layers 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm, at 68 sites belonging to the net of a monitoring system, in two separate areas, and in three altitudinal zones: below 900 m, 900-1100 m, and...

Neutral colonisations drive high beta-diversity in cavernicole springtails (Collembola)

The theory of island biogeography predicts the effects of habitat isolation and size on species richness, community assembly, and the persistence of species. Various studies showed that habitat conditions and the ecology of species are also of relevance in explaining community assembly. Geographically isolated habitats like caves with rather constant environmental conditions provide models to t...

Biological identification of springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) from the Canadian Arctic, using mitochondrial DNA barcodes

We evaluated sequence diversity in the mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase I (COI; EC 1.9.3.1) gene as a tool for resolving differences among species of Arctic springtails. The Collembola examined in this analysis were collected from Igloolik, Cornwallis, and Somerset islands and included representatives from all major families found in the Arctic. Members of 13 genera and 19 species were examin...

SPRINGTAILS (COLLEMBOLA) FROM NESTS OF PONERINAE (HyMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) ANTS IN BRAZILIAN CACAO PLANTATIONS