ARACHNOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR GLACIAL REFUGIA IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS
MUSTER C.: Arachnological evidence for glacial refugia in the Bavarian Alps. In GAJDOS P., PEKAR S. (eds): Proceedings of the 18th European Colloquium of Arachnology, Stara Lesna, 1999. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 19, Supplement 3/2000, p. 181-192. According to geomorphological conclusions some regions of the Bavarian Alps remained free of ice during the Pleistocene glaciations. The current concepts of phytogeography acknowledge plant survival during cryocratic periods in Bavarian massifs de refuge as well as on the nunatak system. Hitherto in zoogeography, little proof has been offered in support of these assumptions. According to recent investigations the distribution areas of the arachnids Cryphoeca lichenum nigerrima (Hahniidae) and Megabunus lesserti (Phalangiidae) suggest continuous inhabitation of Bavarian refugia since interglacial times. Especially in the Ammergau refugium the persistance of animal life during the last glaciation could be confirmed.
Pleistocene survival on central Alpine nunataks: genetic evidence from the jumping bristletail Machilis pallida
Mechanisms of survival during the Pleistocene glaciation periods have been studied for more than a century. Until now, molecular studies that confirmed animal survival on Alpine nunataks, that is, ice‐free summits surrounded by glaciers, were restricted to peripheral areas. Here, we search for molecular signatures of inner‐Alpine survival of the narrow endemic and putatively parthenogenetic Alpine jumping bristletail Machilis pallida combining mitochondrial and AFLP data from its three known populations. The mitochondrial data indicate survival on both peripheral and central nunataks, the latter suggesting that refugia in the centre of the Alpine main ridge were more widespread than previously recognized. Incongruences between mitochondrial and AFLP patterns suggest a complex evolutionary history of the species and may be explained via parallel fixation of parthenogenesis of different origins during the last glacial maximum. We suggest that the inferred parthenogenesis may have been essential for central nunatak survival, but may pose a serious threat for M. pallida in consideration of the present climatic changes.
Rote Liste der Webspinnen Deutschlands (Arachnida: Araneae)
List of endangered spider species of Germany (Red Data Book) (Arachnida: Araneae)