Ecologia della Grotte di Frasassi

Gabriele Gentile CAVERNICOLE TROPHIC STRUCTURE Primary source of energy: allochthonous organic matter

Detritivores and Consumers I decomposers Consumers II CAVERNICOLE TROPHIC STRUCTURE Oligotrophic environment

Distribution of cave Branches and chambers organisms: strictly without allochthonous connected to displacement energy input remain of food resources uninhabited

Detritivores and Consumers I decomposers Consumers II MOVILE CAVE Long isolation (500000 years)

No allochthonous energy input

Sarbu et al., 1996 MOVILE CAVE 48 invertebrate (33 endemics)

Chemoautotrophic ecosystem: methane and sulfur oxidising bacteria Sarbu et al., 1996 FRASASSI CAVE Connected to the surface, habitat continuum

Spotted allochthonous organic matter

In the deeper section chemoautotrophic production 67 species (15 in sulfidic areas)

Troglobites and troglophilics

Sarbu et al., 2000 Androniscus dentiger

Most abundant terrestrial invertebrate in the cave, endogean and hypogean Well studied among Italy and within Frasassi cave system (presence of population structure within the cave system. (Gentile and Sarbu, 2004)). Gentile and Sbordoni, 1998; Gentile, 1998; Gentile and Allegrucci, 1999 Population feeding on food indirectly based on photosynthesis are isotopically differentiated Invertebrate communities are based on different trophic sources

Sarbu et al., 2000 Sampling sites BV

Mutually isolated

No connections with Grotta del Fiume CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted high and unespected level of structure in populations of A. dentiger within Grotta del Fiume

Although Grotta del Fiume is an open system, the trophic sources displacement can cause, through stocastic and deterministic microevolutionary processes, the differentiation of populations even in absence of geographic barriers.

The sulfidic areas of Frasassi Cave should be carefully managed to ensure adequate conservation of the microevolutionary processes within the cave. REFERENCES

• Sarbu, S.M., T.C. Kane, B.K. Kinkle. 1996. A chemoautotrophically based cave ecosystem. Science, 272: 1953-1955. • Sarbu, S.M., S. Galdenzi, M. Menichetti, M., G. Gentile. 2000. Geology and Biology of Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves) in Central Italy: An ecological multi-disciplinary study of a hypogenic underground karst system. Pp. 345-378 in H. Wilkens, D.C. Culver, W.F. Humphreys, eds. Ecosystems of the world, vol 30. Subterranean ecosystems. Amsterdam: Elsevier. • Gentile, G. 1998. Gli eventi paleoclimatici del Quaternario in Italia Centrale: il modello biogeografico di Androniscus dentiger (Oniscidea, ). Biogeographia, n.s. 19: 145-156. • Gentile, G., G. Allegrucci. 1999. Geographic variation and genetic relationships in populations of the Androniscus dentiger complex from Central Italy (, Oniscidea, Trichoniscidae). International Journal of Speleology, 26: 47-61. • Gentile, G., S.M. Sarbu. 2004. Trophic sources partition and population genetic structure of the isopod Androniscus dentiger from a chemoautotrophy based underground ecosystem. Subterranean Biology, 2:7-14. • Gentile, G., V. Sbordoni. 1998. Indirect methods to estimate gene flow in cave and surface populations of Androniscus dentiger (Isopoda, Oniscidea). Evolution, 52: 332-342. THANKS