Groundwater Ecology and Evolution

Groundwater Ecology and Evolution, second edition covers the basic attributes of groundwater ecosystems, the processes shaping patterns of species diversity, the evolutionary forces driving the acquisition of subterranean biological traits, the way these traits are differently expressed among groundwater organisms, and the role of organisms in maintaining biogeochemical processes. The final sections show how knowledge acquired among multiple research fields (sections 1 to 5) is used to manage groundwater biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of future groundwater resource use scenarios. Emphasis on the coherence and prospects of the whole discipline is made in the introduction and in the conclusions of the book. This book is primarily intended for an audience of graduate students, post-graduate students and academic researchers involved in the study of groundwater ecosystems.

Section 1: Setting the scene: groundwater as ecosystems
1. Hydrodynamics and geomorphology of groundwater environments
2. Groundwater biodiversity and constraints to biological distribution
3. Functional habitat classification

Section 2: Diversification and dispersal in groundwater
4. Models and tools for the study of diversification in groundwater
5. Diversity patterns from global to regional scales
6. Phylogenies reveal diversification dynamics
7. Dispersal in groundwater

Section 3: Principles of evolution during groundwater colonization
8. Models and tools for the study of trait evolution during colonization of groundwater
9. Developmental and genetic basis of troglomorphic traits in the teleost fish Astyanax mexicanus
10. Developmental and genetic basis of troglomorphic traits in the isopod crustacean Asellus aquaticus
11. Genomics and transcriptomics of groundwater colonization

Section 4: Functional trait ecology in groundwater
12. Models and tools for the study of biological traits in groundwater organisms
13. Habitat specialization in groundwater
14. Trophic specialization
15. Physiological tolerance among groundwater organisms

Section 5: Role of groundwater organisms in biogeochemical cycles
16. Models and tools for studying the role of groundwater organisms
17. Microbial diversity and processes in groundwater
18. Groundwater food webs
19. Role of organisms in ecosystem processes and services

Section 6: Biodiversity conservation and management of groundwater ecosystems
20. Existing framework for the conservation of groundwater biodiversity and ecosystem services
21. Predictive scenarios of groundwater resources and uses
22. New concepts for conserving groundwater biodiversity
23. Assessing groundwater ecosystem health, status and services
24. Environmental biotechnology and water management: niches for groundwater ecology