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Vol. 51 No. 7, 2012
Distribution of Terrestrial Cave-Dwelling Arthropods in Two
Adjacent Prealpine Italian Areas with Different Glacial Histories
Leonardo
Latella1, Nicoletta Verdari1,
and Mauro Gobbi2,*
1Sezione
di Zoologia, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Verona, Lungadige Porta
Vittoria 9, Verona I-37129, Italy.
E-mail:leonardo.latella@comune.verona.it
2Sezione di Zoologia degli Invertebrati e
Idrobiologia, Museo delle Scienze, Via Calepina 14, Trento I-38122,
Italy
Leonardo Latella, Nicoletta Verdari, and
Mauro Gobbi (2012) The aim of this study was to investigate the
distribution of cave-dwelling arthropod communities in 2 adjacent karst
areas with different glacial histories. Endemic and obligate
cave-dwelling faunas were recorded in 60 caves located in 2 adjacent
Prealpine areas (in Veneto, northeastern Italy): the Baldo and Lessinia
Mountain groups were compared. During the last glacial period,
the Baldo Mountain group was completely surrounded and isolated from
the Lessinia group by the Adige glacier, while the Lessinia was only
partially surrounded. The effect of glacial isolation, both
geographically (cave locations) and elevationally (cave elevation), on
the faunal distribution was tested using the number of troglobiont and
endemic species collected in each area. The Lessinia hosts a
higher number of troglobiont species and a lower number of endemic
species compared to those of the Baldo area. Furthermore, results
indicated that the similarity in species assemblages in caves was not
driven by their geographic location, but by colonization patterns
caused by isolation created by the Adige glacier during the last ice
age. This suggests that the geographic isolation of the Baldo
area during Quaternary climatic fluctuations determined the species
which colonized the caves and consequently prevented multiple
colonizations during warm periods. Glacier-induced isolation
during the last ice age can therefore be considered one of the main
factors which determined terrestrial arthropod colonization of caves in
the Prealps area.
Key words: Troglobionts, Quaternary, Glacier,
Endemism, Alps.
*Correspondence: Tel: 39-349-6356319; 39-0461-270372.
Fax: 39-0461-270376. E-mail:mauro.gobbi@mtsn.tn.it
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