Niphargus-Thiothrix associations may be widespread in sulphidic groundwater ecosystems: evidence from southeastern Romania.

ABSTRACT: Niphargus is a speciose amphipod genus found in groundwater habitats across Europe. Three Niphargus species living in the sulphidic Frasassi caves in Italy harbour sulphur-oxidizing Thiothrix bacterial ectosymbionts. These three species are distantly related, implying that the ability to form ectosymbioses with Thiothrix may be common among Niphargus. Therefore, Niphargus-Thiothrix associations may also be found in sulphidic aquifers other than Frasassi. In this study, we examined this possibility by analysing niphargids of the genera Niphargus and Pontoniphargus collected from the partly sulphidic aquifers of the Southern Dobrogea region of Romania, which are accessible through springs, wells and Movile Cave. Molecular and morphological analyses revealed seven niphargid species in this re

SUBMITTER: Flot JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4282457 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature