Epikarst--a Promising Habitat: Copepod Fauna, Its Diversity & Ecology: a Case Study from Slovenia (Carsologica)

The study that follows, while modest in tone, makes some real breakthroughs. First, Dr. Pipan describes and utilizes techniques for sampling drips and pools that yield many more individual and species than previous work. Second, she is able to assess how complete sampling is by estimating the number of species remaining to be found, and other measures of sampling completeness.

Third, using canonical correspondence analysis, she begins to make sense of the physical and chemical controls on the distribution of individual species. Fourth, she demonstrates the extreme spatial heterogeneity of epikarst copepod distribution, surely a hallmark of this fascinating habitat. The thesis is filled with insightful and provocative observations.