Background: Water mites are among the most diverse organisms inhabiting freshwater habitats and are considered as substantial part of the species communities in springs. As parasites, Hydrachnidia influence other invertebrates and play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. In Europe, 137 species are known to appear solely in or near springheads. New species are described frequently, especially with the help of molecular species identification and delimitation methods. The aim of this study was to verify the mainly morphology-based taxonomic knowledge of spring-inhabiting water mites of central Europe and to build a genetic species identification library.Methods: We sampled 65 crenobiontic species across the central Alps and tested the suitability of mitochondrial (cox1) and nuclear (28S) markers for species delimitation and identification purposes. To investigate both markers, distance- and phylogeny-based approaches were applied. The presence of a barcoding gap was tested by using the automated barcoding gap discovery tool and intra- and interspecific genetic distances were investigated. Furthermore, we analyzed phylogenetic relationships between different taxonomic levels.Results: A high degree of hidden diversity was observed. Seven taxa, morphologically identified asBandakia concretaThor, 1913,Hygrobates norvegicus(Thor, 1897),Ljania bipapillataThor, 1898,Partnunia steinmanniWalter, 1906,Wandesia racovitzaiGledhill, 1970,Wandesia thoriSchechtel, 1912 andZschokkea oblongaKoenike, 1892, showed high intraspecificcox1 distances and each consisted of more than one phylogenetic clade. A clear intraspecific threshold between 5.6–6.0% K2P distance is suitable for species identification purposes. The monophyly of Hydrachnidia and the main superfamilies is evident with different species clearly separated into distinct clades.cox1 separates water mite species but is unsuitable for resolving higher taxonomic levels.Conclusions: Water mite species richness in springs is higher than has been suggested based on morphological species identification alone and further research is needed to evaluate the true diversity. The standard molecular species identification markercox1 can be used to identify species but should be complemented by a nuclear marker, e.g.28S, to resolve taxonomic relationships. Our results contribute to the taxonomical knowledge on spring inhabiting Hydrachnida, which is indispensable for the development and implementation of modern environment assessment methods, e.g. metabarcoding, in spring ecology.

Aim: Alpine spring ecosystems have long been considered as highly isolated, island‐like habitats. This presumption, however, is insufficiently supported empirically and conclusions about spring isolation have been based on indirect evidence. Therefore, we investigated the population genomic structure of Partnunia steinmanni Walter, 1906, a strictly spring‐dwelling water mite (Hydrachnidia) species, to shed light on the degree of interconnection among freshwater spring habitats.Location: Protected areas across the Alps, Central Europe.Methods: Partnunia steinmanni populations were sampled by hand‐net from 12 springs. Population genomic structure was inferred with 2263 polymorphic restriction site‐associated DNA (RADseq) loci of 256 individuals. We assessed genomic admixture, the phylogenetic relationship, isolation by distance, contemporary migration, effective population sizes, and genetic diversity among individuals from different springs.Results: We observed strong genetic differentiation between individuals from different springs. Water mites from each spring qualified as well‐delimited distinct populations with only little intra‐spring migration, even when these were located in close geographic proximity. Furthermore, we found subtle shared genetic structure among springs within the same area, and a southwestern genotype associated with the Rhône catchment that extended into eastern populations. Effective population size estimates and standing genetic variation within springs were generally low.Main conclusions: Our findings indicate strong insularity of freshwater springs and headwater areas, likely caused by intra‐alpine Pleistocene isolation and limited dispersal abilities of strictly spring‐bound species like P. steinmanni. Our results support the concept of spring habitat isolation and highlight the importance of alpine protected areas to conserve springs as substantial components of freshwater biodiversity.

Spring ecosystems are diverse transition zones between ground- and surface-water habitats. Due to their characteristics and vulnerable species assemblages, springs are considered indicator systems for monitoring environmental change. In particular, climate change is expected to alter spring-ecosystem features, such as water temperature and discharge, affecting otherwise typically stable biotic and abiotic conditions. However, reliable trend-development recognition and analysis require a uniform methodology and comparable data series over long periods of time. Spring research findings in the Berchtesgaden National Park and the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park have been consolidated to develop methodological recommendations to create lasting societal-added value. The successful transfer of the methodology to the Bavarian Forest National Park and the experienced contribution of the Bavarian Association for the Protection of Nature (Bavarian Climate Alliance) strongly improved method validations. Our resulting, newly developed recommendations for long-term spring monitoring have a focus on climate change impacts and aim at providing a decision-making basis for establishing programs in similar ecological and climatic zones. Uniform site-selection criteria and selected climate-sensitive parameters are indicated. This includes documenting the spring’s environment and structure, measuring abiotic parameters, and determining selected floristic and faunistic groups. We recommend measurement and sampling-survey intervals ranging from 3(4) times yearly to every 5 years, depending on the parameter. We further suggest a database system that integrates all monitoring parameters to ensure consistent data management and storage. Analysing the data resulting from our new holistic spring monitoring methodology should provide critical knowledge about putatively changing ecosystems that can then be used as evidence of climate-change impact on spring ecosystems.

The insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) represents the largest group of organisms with ZW/ZZ sex determination. While the origin of the Z chromosome predates the evolution of the Lepidoptera, the W chromosomes are considered younger, but their origin is debated. To shed light on the origin of the lepidopteran W, we here produce chromosome-level genome assemblies for the butterfly Pieris mannii and compare the sex chromosomes within and between P. mannii and its sister species Pieris rapae. Our analyses clearly indicate a common origin of the W chromosomes of the two Pieris species and reveal similarity between the Z and W in chromosome sequence and structure. This supports the view that the W in these species originates from Z–autosome fusion rather than from a redundant B chromosome. We further demonstrate the extremely rapid evolution of the W relative to the other chromosomes and argue that this may preclude reliable conclusions about the origins of W chromosomes based on comparisons among distantly related Lepidoptera. Finally, we find that sequence similarity between the Z and W chromosomes is greatest toward the chromosome ends, perhaps reflecting selection for the maintenance of recognition sites essential to chromosome segregation. Our study highlights the utility of long-read sequencing technology for illuminating chromosome evolution.