Microplastic pollution in karst systems is still poorly studied, despite the presence of protected species and habitats, and important water reserves. Vulnerable key species hosted in these habitats could consume or assimilate microplastics, which can irreversibly damage management efforts, and thus ecosystems functionality. This can be particularl...
Adaptations to cave life, such as blindness, depigmentation, and drastically reduced metabolism, are defining traits of stygobiont species that typically limit their survival in surface habitats. However, the olm (Proteus anguinus), a fully stygobiont amphibian, has been observed in spring environments. Our earlier findings revealed that its occurr...
Microplastic (MP) and microfiber (MF) pollution in karst environments is poorly studied. The Classical Karst Region is characterised by the presence of dissolution feature in carbonate rock, protected at European level habitats and species, such as the stygobiont Proteus anguinus. The ecological connections between surface and subterranean karst en...
Cave-dwelling animals might be regarded as dead-end points when it comes to their evolution and habitat exploitation. However, in the past different observations of the olms’ typical troglomorphic populations have been reported for springs of Venetia Giulia, along with a community rich in stygobionts (Bressi et al. 1999; Stoch 2017). The aim of thi...
