Protocols for the ASsessment and Conservation of Aquatic Life In the Subsurface Fifth EU Framework Programme Key Action 2: Global Change, Climate and Biodiversity 2.2.3 Assessing and conserving biodiversity Contract n°: n°EVK2-CT-2001-00121 PASCALIS D8 DELIVERABLE for Workpackage 7 : Statistical analyses and identification of indicators Report on a set of biodiversity assessment tools including : - a standard protocol for regional biodiversity assessment - a set of indicators and predictors of groundwater biodiversity October 2004 Edited by Fabio Stoch* With contributions by Florian Malard§, Fabiana Castellarini§, Marie-José Olivier§ Under the supervision of Janine Gibert, Project coordinator * UNIVACQ University of l'Aquila, Italy Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali Via Vetoio, Coppito – I-67100 L'Aquila (Italy) § UMR5023-UCBL/CNRS University Claude Bernard of Lyon1/CNRS, France Laboratoire des Hydrosystèmes fluviaux, UMR/CNRS 5023 Equipe d’Hydrobiologie et Ecologie Souterraines, 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918 F- 69622 Villeurbanne cedex (France) TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION : ........................................................................................................................ 4 1 SECTION 1 : OPTIMISATION OF FIELD SAMPLING STRATEGY :.......................................... 6 SUMMARY :................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Introduction :.............................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Materials and methods :.............................................................................................. 7 1.3 Results : ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 General results : ...............................................................................................................................................9 1.3.2 Optimisation of the field sampling strategy for the Walloon Region (Belgium) :.............................13 1.3.3 Optimisation of the field sampling strategy for the Jura Region (France) :........................................18 1.3.4 Optimisation of the field sampling strategy for the Cantabrica Region (Spain) : ..............................22 1.3.5 Optimisation of the field sampling strategy for the Lessinian Region (Italy) : ..................................26 1.3.6 Optimisation of the field sampling strategy for the Krim Region (Slovenia) :...................................30 1.4 Discussion :............................................................................................................... 34 1.5 References :............................................................................................................... 35 1.6 Appendix 1 : Codes of taxa used in the section 1 and 2 analyses :.............................. 36 2 SECTION 2 :BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIPS : ................................. 44 SUMMARY :............................................................................................................................... 44 2.1 Introduction :............................................................................................................ 45 2.2 Materials and methods :............................................................................................ 45 2.2.1 Data sets and statistical methods used in the analysis os species-environment relationships :........45 2.2.2 Data sets and statistical methods used in the analysis of biodiversity patters in habitat units :.......48 2.3 Results and discussion :............................................................................................. 50 2.3.1 Factors driving community structure :.......................................................................................................50 2.3.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :..............................................................................................50 2.3.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : .......................................................................................................51 2.3.4 Species-environment relationships in the meridional Jura :...................................................................52 2.3.4.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................52 2.3.4.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................52 2.3.4.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................53 2.3.5 Species-environment relationships in the Cantabria Region (Spain):..................................................55 2.3.5.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................55 2.3.5.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................56 2.3.5.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................56 2.3.6 Species-environment relationships in the Krim massif : ........................................................................59 2.3.6.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................59 2.3.6.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................59 2.3.6.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................59 2.3.7 Species-environment relationships in the Lessinian Mountains (Italy):..............................................64 2.3.7.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................64 2.3.7.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................64 2.3.7.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................65 2.3.8 Species-environment relationships in the Walloon karst : .....................................................................68 2.3.8.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................68 2.3.8.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................68 2.3.8.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................69 2.3.9 Species-environment relationships in the Roussillon (France): ............................................................72 2.3.9.1 Factors driving community structure : ............................................................................................72 2.3.9.2 Differential habitat preferences of species :...................................................................................72 1 2.3.9.3 Habitat-specific assemblages of taxa : ............................................................................................72 2.3.10 Discussion of species-environment relationships :.............................................................................76 2.3.11 Factors driving stygobiotic biodiversity trends at a regional scale : ...............................................77 2.3.12 Factors driving stygobiotic biodiversity trends at an European scale :...........................................83 2.4 References:................................................................................................................ 89 3 SECTION 3 : PARTITION OF GROUNDWATER BIODIVERSITY : ......................................... 90 SUMMARY : .............................................................................................................................. 90 3.1 Introduction :............................................................................................................ 91 3.2 Materials and methods :............................................................................................ 91 3.2.1 Data sets :........................................................................................................................................................91 3.2.2 Data analysis : ................................................................................................................................................93 3.3 Results : .................................................................................................................... 94 3.3.1 Variation in species richness of aquifers across spatial levels : ............................................................94 3.3.2 Additive partitioning of total richness :.....................................................................................................95 3.3.3 Variation in species composition across spatial levels :.........................................................................96 3.4 Discussion : .............................................................................................................100