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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 22(2)

Stygofauna biodiversity and endemism in four alluvial aquifers in eastern Australia

P. J. Hancock A B and A. J. Boulton A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Ecosystem Management, The University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: phancoc2@une.edu.au

Invertebrate Systematics 22(2) 117-126 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS07023
Submitted: 1 June 2007  Accepted: 28 December 2007   Published: 12 May 2008

Abstract

Short-range endemism is common in groundwater fauna (stygofauna), placing many species at risk from anthropogenic impacts such as water abstraction and pollution. Few of the alluvial aquifers in eastern Australia have been sampled for stygofauna. Fauna from two aquifers in Queensland and two in New South Wales was sampled to improve ecological knowledge of stygofauna and the potential threats posed to it by development. Our surveys found stygofauna in all four aquifers, with most taxa collected from bores with low electrical conductivity (<1500 µS cm–1). Taxon richness decreased with distance below the water table. The most taxon-rich bores in each region occurred where the water table depth was <10 m, were associated with the alluvium of tributaries of large regulated river systems, and were near phreatophytic trees. It is possible that tree roots constitute a habitat and source of organic matter in alluvial aquifers as they do in cave streams. It is important to document the biodiversity of particular regions and aquifers so that species can be conserved in the face of increasing groundwater use. For effective resource management, future research should strive to understand the tolerances and ecological requirements of groundwater communities and the ecosystem services they provide.

Additional keywords: biodiversity surveys, stygofauna.


Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council, Ecowise Environmental, and the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water (DNRW). The Queensland samples were collected by PJH while he was working for DNRW. Moya Tomlinson collected the samples near Tamworth. We thank Robert Sorrenson, Michael Conner, and Bill Huxley of DNRW, and Robert Bowen and John Williams of the New South Wales Department of Water and Energy (DWE) for allowing access to monitoring bores. Tom Karanovic and Ivana Karanovic (Western Australia Museum) identified copepods and ostracods from the Pioneer aquifer, and Peter Serov (DWE) identified the bathynellids from this region. This manuscript was improved by comments made by three anonymous reviewers.


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Appendix 1.  Groundwater taxa in four alluvial aquifers of eastern Australia
A1