Hydrogeological and environmental controls on stygofauna distribution in northern Australia

Hydrogeological and environmental controls on stygofauna distribution in northern Australia | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 16 July 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Hydrogeological and environmental controls on stygofauna distribution in northern Australia Authors : Anna E. Edgar , Dylan J. Irvine 0000-0002-3543-6221 [email protected] , Erica Garcia 0000-0002-1186-9700 , Ilka Wallis , and Jenny Davis Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175266010.07616855/v1 247 views 121 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The presence of stygofauna is an important consideration in the approval of groundwater-affecting activities, including mining. Thus, understanding the hydrogeological and environmental factors that are conducive to supporting stygofauna communities is important to inform sampling campaigns. We use commonly available hydrogeological and water quality parameters to quantitatively assess bores for their suitability for stygofauna in northern Australia. The parameters assessed relate to stygofauna habitat requirements or proxies for these requirements, including carbon (food), pore space, oxygen and water chemistry. We perform univariate and multivariate analyses to inform relationships between the presence or absence of stygofauna and various parameters across the Pilbara, Kimberley & Central Australia, Daly/Wiso/Georgina Basin and northern Queensland. Stygofauna presence correlate with shallower bores, shallower water depths and lower water temperatures. These parameters likely act as proxies for food availability, near the surface where organic inputs are higher. Bores with higher flow rates at the time of drilling were correlated with stygofauna presence and assumed to act as a proxy for pore space availability. Higher dissolved oxygen and nitrate concentration and lower manganese concentrations were correlated with the presence of stygofauna, with nitrate and manganese likely acting as proxies for oxygen availability. Evidence of correlations between salinity or pH with stygofauna presence was not found across multiple regions, likely due to a bias in the bores sampled. These results are based on the largest compilation collation of stygofauna data across Australia and can inform the selection of bores for stygofauna sampling programs for research and environmental assessment. Supplementary Material File (edgar at al. manuscript_2025.docx) Download 7.17 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 16 July 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords ecological condition groundwater hydrogeochemistry hydrogeology subterranean fauna Authors Affiliations Anna E. Edgar Flinders University College of Science and Engineering View all articles by this author Dylan J. Irvine 0000-0002-3543-6221 [email protected] Charles Darwin University Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods View all articles by this author Erica Garcia 0000-0002-1186-9700 Charles Darwin University Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods View all articles by this author Ilka Wallis Flinders University College of Science and Engineering View all articles by this author Jenny Davis Charles Darwin University Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 247 views 121 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Anna E. Edgar, Dylan J. Irvine, Erica Garcia, et al. Hydrogeological and environmental controls on stygofauna distribution in northern Australia. Authorea . 16 July 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175266010.07616855/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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