Environmental specificity of karst cave habitats evidenced by diverse symbiotic bacteria in Opiliones.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Karst caves serve as natural laboratories, providing organisms with extreme and constant conditions that promote isolation, resulting in a genetic relationship and living environment that is significantly different from those outside the cave. However, research on cave creatures, especially Opiliones, remains scarce, with most studies focused on water, soil, and cave sediments.

Results

The structure of symbiotic bacteria in different caves were compared, revealing significant differences. Based on the alpha and beta diversity, symbiotic bacteria abundance and diversity in the cave were similar, but the structure of symbiotic bacteria differed inside and outside the cave. Microorganisms in the cave play an important role in material cycling and energy flow, particu

SUBMITTER: Zhao L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11080181 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature