Life Sciences Commons^™

Two New Phreatic Snails (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Cochliopidae) From The Edwards And Edwards-Trinity Aquifers, Texas, Kathryn E. Perez, Yamileth Guerrero, Roel Castañeda, Peter H. Diaz, Randy Gibson, Benjamin F. Schwartz, Benjamin T. Hutchins

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Edwards and Edwards-Trinity Aquifers of Texas have diverse stygofauna, including fifteen species of snails found in phreatic and hyporheic habitats. These species have the hallmarks of adaptation to subterranean environments including extremely small body size and the loss of pigmentation and eyes. Here we use an integrative taxonomic approach, using shell, radula, and anatomical features as well as mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data, to circumscribe a new genus and two new cavesnail species from Central Texas. Vitropyrgus lillianae gen. et sp. nov. is described from Comal Springs (Comal County) and Fessenden Springs (Kerr County) and distinguished by a glassy, …

Two New Phreatic Snails (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda, Cochliopidae) From The Edwards And Edwards-Trinity Aquifers, Texas, Kathryn E. Perez, Yamileth Guerrero, Roel Castañeda, Peter H. Diaz, Randy Gibson, Benjamin F. Schwartz, Benjamin T. Hutchins

School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Edwards and Edwards-Trinity Aquifers of Texas have diverse stygofauna, including fifteen species of snails found in phreatic and hyporheic habitats. These species have the hallmarks of adaptation to subterranean environments including extremely small body size and the loss of pigmentation and eyes. Here we use an integrative taxonomic approach, using shell, radula, and anatomical features as well as mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data, to circumscribe a new genus and two new cavesnail species from Central Texas. Vitropyrgus lillianae gen. et sp. nov. is described from Comal Springs (Comal County) and Fessenden Springs (Kerr County) and distinguished by a glassy, …

Dna Barcoding Of Springsnails (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda) Endemic To The Trans-Pecos Region Of Texas (Usa), Kathryn E. Perez, Vanessa Saenz, Natalia Salazar-Lozano, Benjamin F. Schwartz, Benjamin T. Hutchins

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In desert environments, unique communities depend on groundwater from springs, including a diverse radiation of small (<5 >mm) snails found in the desert across the southwestern United States. Nearly all springsnail species are considered critically imperiled with their existence depending on maintenance of spring-flows in regions of declining water availability. Extant, endemic springsnails in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas include one species of Pseudotryonia Hershler, 2001, five nominal Tryonia W. Stimpson, 1865 (Cochliopidae) and seven Pyrgulopsis Call & Pilsbry, 1886 (Hydrobiidae). Four of these are classified as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. Surveys for springsnails were conducted at …

Coastal Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems Are Falling Through Policy Gaps, Madeleine Dyring, Melissa M. Rohde, Ray Froend, Harald Hofmann

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Coastal groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), such as wetlands, estuaries and nearshore marine habitats, are biodiversity hotspots that provide valuable ecosystem services to society. However, coastal groundwater and associated ecosystems are under threat from groundwater exploitation and depletion, as well as climate change impacts from sea-level rise and extreme flood and drought events. Despite many well-intentioned policies focused on sustainable groundwater use and species protection, coastal GDEs are falling through gaps generated by siloed policies and as a result, are declining in extent and ecological function. This study summarized then examined policies related to the management of coastal groundwater and connected ecosystems …

Groundwater Governance And Agricultural Sustainability: Examining Farmer Interactions With California’S Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Zachary Matthew Goldstein

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Climate change has exacerbated groundwater depletion globally, and policymakers have struggled to effectively manage groundwater resources. California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in 2014 to restore groundwater to sustainable levels.

The first paper of this thesis examines the drivers associated with uptake of groundwater conservation practices in agriculture. While a rich body of research has explored farmers’ conservation practice adoption, understanding of groundwater conservation practices is more limited. This study explores how information sources influence the actual and intended adoption of groundwater management practices in California. Using survey data from farmers (n = 553) in three largely agricultural …