Large branchiopods are globally endangered, mainly due to habitat loss. Their effective conservation depends on information about their distribution and habitat requirements. Although detailed historical records exist on the distribution of 19 species in Slovakia, comprehensive recent data have been lacking to date. Therefore, we investigated over 700 pools in Slovakia, which resulted in 808 records of 17 species. We use these data to examine current species distribution, determinants of species richness, and potential shifts in distribution and phenology by comparison with historical records. Local species richness was positively associated with mean annual temperature and the proportion of pastures, and negatively with distance to a river, proportions of grasslands, and artificial surfaces. While we found three eurythermic species at more sites than before, most species declined in the number of sites. We observed a significant shift in species occurrence toward colder parts of the year, possibly due to climate change. Our results suggest that effective conservation of large branchiopods requires protection of their habitats, particularly temporary wetlands on arable land, pastures, and marshes. This study can contribute to the conservation of large branchiopods by providing updated data on their recent distribution and documenting long-term patterns in distribution and habitat occupancy.

Woodlice (terrestrial isopods) represent an unmissable, often very numerous components of macrosaprophages inhabiting soil, rocky environments, rotting wood and subterranean habitats, as well as the dwellings of various organisms, including humans. The paper provides a comprehensive summary of the literature on woodlice in Slovakia, including a list of species with unpublished data on two exotic species first recorded in Slovakia. Research on Slovakian terrestrial isopods has been documented in 213 papers (from 1794 to 2024) and 25 theses. To date, 48 species from 14 families have been recorded in Slovakia. Of these, 30 species are autochthonous, while 18 species have been introduced into anthropogenic habitats, with eight species found exclusively in greenhouses. The list also includes an analysis of habitat preferences, bioindicator potential, and biogeographic comments. Notably, two species, Buddelundiella cataractae and Reductoniscus costulatus, are recorded in Slovakia for the first time. Carpathian elements are sparsely distributed within the mosaic of well-preserved natural forests. Hyloniscus mariae is likely the only surface-dwelling endemic species in the northern parts of the Carpathian range. Other species, such as Hyloniscus transsilvanicus, Trichoniscus carpaticus and Trachelipus difficilis, have a broader distribution within the Carpathians. Additionally, Mesoniscus graniger, Orthometopon planum and a few other taxa reach their northern distribution limits in Slovakia. Current research is predominantly focused on the fauna of subterranean habitats and urbanized landscapes.

European forests have been influenced by human interventions for millennia. Many formerly traditional forest management practices have been lost due to changes in technology and attitudes. One commonly used practice was charcoal burning, remnants of which have remained in the forests for hundreds of years. We aimed to evaluate the differences between abandoned remnants of charcoal mounds and their surroundings in terms of soil-dwelling fauna and to compare them with old-growth forests in reserves of the Czech Republic. Our primary focus was on four macroarthropod taxa: centipedes, millipedes, terrestrial woodlice and symphylans. We discovered that charcoal mounds did not significantly differ from control forest patches regarding species richness and rigidity but varied in species composition and functional traits. In comparison, forest reserves were significantly richer in species, hosted less adaptable taxa, higher functional traits and exhibited different species compositions with the same number of shared species with charcoal mounds and controls. We found that the addition of charcoal residuals from traditional forest management can enrich pedobiodiversity - old, abandoned charcoal mounds within forests can enhance the biodiversity of relatively species-poor soils. Nevertheless, these residuals cannot match the biodiversity found in undisturbed old-growth forests. However, stand-scale biochar application in plantation forests could be a promising biodiversity strategy that mimics this traditional forest management practice.

Large branchiopods are key biota of temporary pools in Central European lowlands. Due to land use changes, they are among the most threatened aquatic invertebrates in Europe. The lack of information on the main drivers of species distribution hinders effective protection and conservation prioritisation. We selected eight branchiopod species with representative data on their occurrence in the northern Pannonia to identify the most important drivers of their distribution and to predict their distribution in unexplored temporary pools across the Pannonian region of southern Slovakia, south-eastern Czech Republic, and eastern Austria. Data on pool size and isolation, soil characteristics, land use and climate were used to generate species distribution models using five modelling techniques and ensemble predictions. The distribution of species was mainly affected by the proportion of arable land within the pool (e.g. Triops cancriformis, Leptestheria dahalacensis), land use (e.g. Eubranchipus grubii, Lepidurus apus) and distance from the river (e.g. Branchinecta ferox and Chirocephalus carnuntanus). Wetland size and habitat isolation were also important for some species, mainly for Branchipus schaefferi and Imnadia yeyetta, respectively. As we focused on a climatically homogeneous area, climatic conditions only had the most important effect on the distribution of species that have their distribution limit in northern Pannonia (B. ferox, C. carnuntanus, I. yeyetta). Overall, the diversity of large branchiopods increased with pool size, while decreased with distance to a river and habitat isolation. As some distribution patterns emerged repeatedly in the models, the effective protection can be simplified to consider species that require contrasting conditions. Particular attention should be paid to ephemeral wetlands on arable land, crucial habitats for large branchiopods, yet lacking any protection. Our results can contribute to better conservation of large branchiopods by facilitating surveys of species in understudied areas and improving the knowledge on the species environmental niches.

Fragments of woodland represent important natural and semi-natural elements that contribute to ecological stability and biodiversity in a landscape. In the Czech Republic, they are part of the Territorial System of Ecological Stability (TSES), which consists of bio-centers, bio-corridors, and interaction elements. The presence of fragments of woodland is of growing importance in the agricultural landscape, where they provide effective protection against soil erosion and serve as a refuge for many animals, whose presence is crucial in maintaining essential ecosystem functions. A functioning ecosystem is especially important in intensively farmed landscapes, which are exposed to frequent and heavy disturbance. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of certain habitat characteristics of fragments of woodland on the activity-density and species richness of selected groups of soil invertebrates (ground beetles, spiders, harvestmen, centipedes, millipedes, and isopods). The research was conducted in the agricultural landscape of South Moravia (Czech Republic) in the summers of 2016–2017, for which we used pitfall traps to collect soil invertebrates on preselected fragments of woodland. The results highlight a wide range of habitat preferences of individual groups of invertebrates, wherein it is not possible to clearly determine the most favorable environmental conditions for all organisms. Consequently, the priority should be to maintain the highest possible degree of heterogeneity among natural and semi-natural features, including with respect to their surrounding landscape. In addition, we found that due to their small size and width, fragments of woodland that are not included in the concept of bio-centers and bio-corridors can similarly support the activity-density and diversity of soil fauna.

During biospeleological surveys in Slovakia in the past, phorid flies were usually overlooked or ignored. Only one species, Triphleba antricola (Schmitz, 1918), has been reported from some caves in Slovakia. The first more comprehensive study of phorid flies of subterranean ecosystems in Slovakia is herein presented. During the investigation of seven caves and one gallery located in the Malé Karpaty Mts. in 2021 a total of nine species of Phoridae were documented. They represent the three genera Borophaga (1 sp.), Triphleba (2 spp.) and Megaselia (6 spp.). Triphleba antricola , distributed along all depths and environmental gradients between entrances and the deepest parts of the caves and the gallery, represents the most common and abundant troglophilous species. Other species probably represent only temporal visitors of the shallow spaces in caves. The position, dimensions and condition of the cave/mine entrances are probably the limits of the species events of scuttle flies in caves. Megaselia breviterga (Lundbeck, 1920) and Megaselia vernalis (Wood, 1909) are recorded in Slovakia for the first time.

The Ojców National Park (southern Poland) is a small limestone area with outstanding natural values. Until now, there was a lack of information on the spatial distribution of species, their preference of biotopes and microhabitats in the area under study. An interesting question is also the occurrence of native species and the penetration of alien species. Biodiversity can be threatened in such a small, heavily visited by tourists and predominantly forested area, isolated from a similar landscape by agrocenoses and further eroded below the level of the surrounding landscape. Millipedes are soil arthropods, sensitive to calcified soils, stand structure, composition and availability of dead plant biomass, and microclimatic conditions. They are therefore an important reference group of animals for the management of the Ojców NP. In the spring of 2002 and autumn 2004, we carried out detailed inventory research of Diplopoda in the most typical habitats there. We recorded 19 taxa, 2 of which could not be determined to the species level. Together with literature data, a total of 23 species (ca 25% of Polish millipede fauna) are listed here. The occurrence of the moisture- preferring Carpathian mountain species Polydesmus tatranus Latzel, 1882 deserves attention. As important species, bound to preserved deciduous and mixed forests with plenty of dead wood, we consider Glomeris pustulata (Fabricius, 1781) and Nemasoma varicorne C. L. Koch, 1847. The retreat of rare native species as well as invasive aliene species were not recorded. The issue of the unclear nomenclature of the representatives of the genus Trachysphaera (Gervaisia) Heller, 1858 occurring in this area and accumulated throughout history is addressed.

The change in tree species composition is an important process influencing forest biodiversity worldwide. Therefore, it is important to reveal its actual impacts on forest biodiversity. We selected three animal groups (birds, beetles and soil macroinvertebrates) with different dispersal abilities to answer the following scientific question: how does the replacement of a native tree species, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), by the non-native red oak (Q. rubra) affect the species richness and compositions of the analyzed animal groups? We selected ten lowland woodlands surrounding the city of Pardubice (Czech Republic). In total, forty patches with twenty in mature native oak and twenty in mature non-native oak were studied in the 2017 vegetation season. We found that the effect of the tree species on the species richness was mainly negative for both oak species. The samples with the highest species richness coincided with stands containing mixed native and non-native oak trees. The species composition results indicated that several species avoided red oak, but highly similar numbers of species indicated the same avoidance of the native oak. The results of our study revealed that the effect of non-native vegetation was not as profound as expected, compared to the effect of native vegetation. Neither native nor non-native vegetation significantly affected even flightless fauna. Nevertheless, the extensive planting of non-native trees is not advantageous for many known reasons (e.g., invasibility). An important approach when using non-native trees like red oak in forests is to plant these species admixed or interspersed. In these cases, the impacts of non-native species on the biota are not necessarily negative.

Geoglomeris subterranea Verhoeff 1908 is a small (2-3 mm), blind, and depigmented representative of the order Glomerida, with a predominantly Western European distribution. Towards Central Europe (the Czech Republic, Austria), the species is found only sporadically, and its occurrence is documented by a small number of individuals. Recently, we documented this species in three orographic units of Slovakia (Slovenske stredohorie mountain range, Slovak Karst, and Pieniny Mountains), always on limestone bedrock. These findings represent the easternmost documented occurrence of the species. Analysis of the mitochondrial COI gene confirmed the identity as the species G. subterranea from Western Europe. The circumstances of the findings in Slovakia were very surprising: At the first two localities, living individuals were repeatedly collected from the bottom of karst springs, together with stygobiont fauna. This expands our knowledge of semiaquatic millipedes and proves to be unique to the order Glomerida. In a subsequent study, we found a close association of this species with the rhizosphere within soil saturated by water at karst springs, in humid to wet habitats. Nonetheless, using detailed morphological study, no morphological adaptations to the aquatic environment were found.

Winter activity of saprophagous soil macrofauna is a phenomenon not sufficiently studied yet. Shifts in the life cycle and activity during the cold, wet period of the year can be expected, especially in the context of climate change. During the winter of 2017 - 2018, 47 leaf litter samples and humus were obtained from upland forest fragments in South-Eastern Slovakia to analyze the community composition of Oniscidea and Diplopoda. 72% of samples contained terrestrial isopods; 613 individuals were assigned to 13 species, representing about one-third of species native to Slovakia. Common autochthonous Central European species of both groups were documented. Predominantly, Porcellium collicola (habitat generalist) and Protracheoniscus politus (strict forest dweller) were found. 85% of samples contained millipedes, with 647 specimens collected. Altogether 13 species from 5 orders and 10 families were determined; all were representatives of small-size forms of millipedes. Haplogona oculodistincta (Chordeumatida) was the dominant species; the most frequent was Polyxenus lagurus (Polyxenida). The representatives of the hemispherical morphotype (Glomerida) were completely absent. In general, large or large developmental stages of larger species were not present in the millipede material. Order Chordeumatida was the most diverse; five species found made up 36% of all collected millipede individuals. Nine species of millipedes belonged to the typical regional fauna in lowland forests, while four remaining species represented fauna rarely documented in Central Europe. A qualitative comparison of the species showed apparent differences in body size. Species active predominantly in the warm period are larger, while smaller body dimensions characterize the species collected in winter.

The area of Slovakia is rich in karst regions and caves, located in the mountainous relief of the western parts of the Carpathian Mountains -the northernmost distributional limit of the obligate cave terrestrial fauna in Europe.Terrestrial isopod fauna in Slovakia comprises 48 species, a third of which lives exclusively in synanthropic habitats.Caves represent prominent undisturbed refugia preserving relict fauna.Despite the long history of Slovak biospeleology, the knowledge about cave terrestrial isopods is scarce.We used the opportunity to prepare a comprehensive study of isopods in Slovak cave environment.We collected and analyzed the complete bibliography, which begins in the 1930s, although the first collections of isopods in our caves are dated to 1913.We used our own field data and the material of isopods from private collections of cave biologists in Czechia and Slovakia including collections from the estates of two deceased zoologists, J. Gulička and V. Ducháč.We gathered 434 samples collected in 111 caves of various types and elevations (from 210 to 1548 m a.s.l.) and one mine gallery, dated from 1948 to present.5658specimens of 25 taxa at species level from 10 families were recognized.Another 3 species are documented by published data.Despite these relatively high numbers, the occurrence of isopods in deeper zones of Slovak caves is rare.Only 4 taxa from the present list are considered closely connected to deeper zones in caves and other subterranean habitats: Mesoniscus graniger, Androniscus cf.dentiger, Trichoniscus cf.pygmaeus, and one undetermined blind species of the family Trichoniscidae.Results indicate sparse populations of cave colonizers, except for Mesoniscus graniger.Two surface species, Cylisticus convexus and Hyloniscus riparius, occasionally inhabit the deeper zones of some caves.In contrast, cave entrances are inhabited by various isopods and represent important refugia of biodiversity, especially in a monotonous environment.Several species seem to prefer cave entrances, e.g.Trachelipus difficilis or Orthometopon planum.

Two decades have passed since the publishing of the last checklist of the millipedes of Slovakia. During this time, several new faunistic records have been added and taxonomic revisions have occurred. The present updated checklist summarises data on all millipede species recorded in Slovakia, including altogether 93 species. For each species, general habitat characteristics, ecological classification and distributional pattern are provided. Ecological classification is presented for the first time for the millipede species occurring in Slovakia and is proposed as a tool for ecological studies and for the nature protection purposes. Special remarks are given to the species newly found for Slovakia, Geoglomeris subterranea Verhoeff, 1908, Brachyiulus lusitanus Verhoeff, 1898, Cylindroiulus britannicus (Verhoeff, 1891), C. parisiorum (Brölemann & Verhoeff, 1896) and Polydesmus burzenlandicus Verhoeff, 1925, as well as to C. arborum Verhoeff, 1928, the species newly confirmed for Slovakia after more than 70 years.

Fragments of woodland fulfil many irreplaceable functions in the agricultural landscape including being the main source of biodiversity of soil invertebrates. Due to intensive farming and land use changes, especially in the second half of the 20th century, fragments of woodland in agricultural landscape almost disappeared. This has led to a decrease in the diversity of invertebrates, especially those for which the presence of these woodland habitats in the landscape is a key element for survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of fragments of woodland (characterised by their area, vegetation structure, the amount of leaf litter layer and soil moisture) on the distribution of centipedes and millipedes (Myriapoda) in the agricultural landscape of South Moravia (Czech Republic). Myriapods were collected using pitfall traps during summer in 2016 and 2017. Results showed that activity-density of myriapods is positively correlated with thickness of the leaf litter layer. Moreover, the species richness of centipedes is positively correlated with increasing size of fragments of woodland although higher centipedes' activity-density was found in rather uniform woodlands in term of diversity of tree species.

A labyrinth of air-filled voids in forested scree slopes represents one of the most common types of terrestrial shallow subterranean habitats in the temperate zone, characterized by relatively strong seasonal fluctuations of temperature and the occurrence of subterranean species of invertebrates.We carried out a year-long study to define the monthly activity dynamics of Collembola communities inhabiting a depth profile (95 cm from the ground surface) of a forested limestone scree in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia.We assessed the response of species sorted into four separate ecological forms, reflecting their affinity to the subterranean environment and to temperature parameters fluctuating over the year.Of the 62 collembolan species identified, 28 were assigned to trogloxenes, 19 to subtroglophiles, 12 to eutroglophiles, and 3 to troglobionts.Fluctuations of activity/numbers during the year were observed in all four ecological forms of Collembola and at all depths.Troglobionts and eutroglophiles, associated predominantly with deeper layers of the scree slope profile, preferred the lower temperature ranges and were typical for the autumn months.Trogloxenes and subtroglophiles were active most of the year near the surface, but specifically during the spring months characterized by higher temperature ranges.The study contributes to the general knowledge of dynamics of invertebrate activity in a forested temperate zone scree slope.

The shallow underground of rock debris is a unique animal refuge. Nevertheless, the research of this habitat lags far behind the study of caves and soil, due to technical and time-consuming demands. Data on Myriapoda in scree habitat from eleven localities in seven different geomorphological units of the Czech and Slovak Republics were processed. Based on previous studies, as well as knowledge of cave and soil fauna, it was hypothesised that the occurrence of a varied and peculiar fauna would show a pattern of depth distribution with variations due to local specificities. From 2005–2016 (at least one year on each site), macrofauna was collected via sets of three long-term exposed subterranean traps consisting of 110 cm long perforated tube, with ten cups located in a gradient at 5–95 cm below the soil surface. In total, 14 symphylans (not identified to species level), 271 centipedes (23 spp.) and 572 millipedes (32 spp.) were sampled. The overall depth distribution of centipedes and millipedes appeared to have relatively similar pattern, with both groups being found at all depth levels. Nevertheless, this pattern depends on locations. The depth distribution trend lines are mostly in the form of an asymmetric ‘U’, with decreased abundance until the middle of the gradient, followed by increase in the deepest levels. Epigeic species were sporadically distributed along the whole depth gradient, but concentrated at the soil surface, while some subterranean species, such as the centipede Lithobius lucifugus and the millipedes Geoglomeris subterranea, Cibiniulus slovacus and Archiboreoiulus pallidus, were recorded in the deepest parts of the gradient. This characterises the debris community as a mixture of soil and subterranean species with an absence of species exclusively found in caves. The use of different fixation methods in traps had a significant and selective impact on samples; millipedes were either attracted by ethylene glycol or repelled by formaldehyde. Centipedes were also captured more frequently in ethylene glycol; however, the species composition varied in each of the fixatives. Depth distribution of myriapods was similar in both fixative solutions. Traps with these fixatives could be recommended for similar ecological studies.

Macroecologists seek to identify drivers of community turnover ( β -diversity) through broad spatial scales. However, the influence of local habitat features in driving broad-scale β -diversity patterns remains largely untested, owing to the objective challenges of associating local-scale variables to continental-framed datasets. We examined the relative contribution of local- versus broad-scale drivers of continental β -diversity patterns, using a uniquely suited dataset of cave-dwelling spider communities across Europe (35–70° latitude). Generalized dissimilarity modelling showed that geographical distance, mean annual temperature and size of the karst area in which caves occurred drove most of β -diversity, with differential contributions of each factor according to the level of subterranean specialization. Highly specialized communities were mostly influenced by geographical distance, while less specialized communities were mostly driven by mean annual temperature. Conversely, local-scale habitat features turned out to be meaningless predictors of community change, which emphasizes the idea of caves as the human accessible fraction of the extended network of fissures that more properly represents the elective habitat of the subterranean fauna. To the extent that the effect of local features turned to be inconspicuous, caves emerge as experimental model systems in which to study broad biological patterns without the confounding effect of local habitat features.

Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are widespread in subterranean ecosystems worldwide and represent an important component of subterranean trophic webs. Yet, global-scale diversity patterns of subterranean spiders are still mostly unknown. In the frame of the CAWEB project, a European joint network of cave arachnologists, we collected data on cave-dwelling spider communities across Europe in order to explore their continental diversity patterns. Two main datasets were compiled: one listing all subterranean spider species recorded in numerous subterranean localities across Europe and another with high resolution data about the subterranean habitat in which they were collected. From these two datasets, we further generated a third dataset with individual geo-referenced occurrence records for all these species. Data from 475 geo-referenced subterranean localities (caves, mines and other artificial subterranean sites, interstitial habitats) are herein made available. For each subterranean locality, information about the composition of the spider community is provided, along with local geomorphological and habitat features. Altogether, these communities account for > 300 unique taxonomic entities and 2,091 unique geo-referenced occurrence records, that are made available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (Mammola and Cardoso 2019). This dataset is unique in that it covers both a large geographic extent (from 35° south to 67° north) and contains high-resolution local data on geomorphological and habitat features. Given that this kind of high-resolution data are rarely associated with broad-scale datasets used in macroecology, this dataset has high potential for helping researchers in tackling a range of biogeographical and macroecological questions, not necessarily uniquely related to arachnology or subterranean biology.