Abstract
BackgroundTerrestrial isopods (Oniscidea) are the most diverse group of troglobionts in caves of continental Portugal. They occur in all karst regions of Portugal, play a major role in decomposition of organic matter in caves and may act as umbrella species for the conservation of all other cave-adapted invertebrates.New informationWe present the IUCN Red List profiles for the cave-adapted terrestrial isopods from continental Portugal, based on recent distribution data from caves.
Highlights
Terrestrial isopods (Oniscidea) are the most diverse group of troglobionts in caves of continental Portugal
We present the IUCN Red List profiles for the cave-adapted terrestrial isopods from continental Portugal, based on recent distribution data from caves
Cave-adapted terrestrial isopods are key species for cave ecosystem conservation: i) they are the most diverse group of cave-adapted species in continental Portugal, ii) they have several single cave endemics that are under threat and require specific protection measures, iii) they are basal in the trophic chains in caves and serve as a food source for several other zoological groups; iv) they play a vital role on the decomposition of organic matter in caves; and v) they are very sensitive to contaminants and climate change (Campos-Filho et al 2014, van Gestel et al 2018, Reboleira et al 2015)
Summary
Terrestrial isopods (Oniscidea) are the most diverse group of troglobionts in caves of continental Portugal. They occur in all karst regions of Portugal, play a major role in decomposition of organic matter in caves and may act as umbrella species for the conservation of all other cave-adapted invertebrates. We present the IUCN Red List profiles for the cave-adapted terrestrial isopods from continental Portugal, based on recent distribution data from caves. Terrestrial isopods (Oniscidea) evolved to be the only truly terrestrial crustaceans (Hornung 2011) They play a vital role on decomposition of organic matter in the soil (Hassall et al 1987), contributing to the biogeochemical cycles on Earth (Ravn et al 2020). We created IUCN Red List profiles for 15 species of cave-adapted isopods from continental Portugal
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