Stygal

In geology, the Stygal is the cavity through which groundwater flows in the rocks in the subsurface below the soil . Specifically, these are the intergranular space between porous and permeable loose sediments and solid rock , especially of sands and sandstones as well as gravel and gravel or conglomerates , and the crevice space of dense solid rock such as claystone / slate or granite (see also aquifer ). In ecology , Stygal describes the corresponding habitat in the groundwater. The name is derived from the Styx ( old Gr . Στύξ), the river of the underworld in Greek mythology . In the transition area to the surface water closes under and beside running waters , the Hyporheal and in headwaters the Krenal to the Stygal on.

The Stygal community is called Stygon . The encountered here organisms is called troglofauna if they live exclusively in groundwater Stygophile if they live mainly in the groundwater, and Stygoxene if they rarely occur in groundwater. In the case of the Stygobionta, a further distinction can be made between groundwater microbes and groundwater animals (stygofauna). The number of individuals and species decreases with increasing depth and decreasing oxygen saturation, but Stygobionta have been detected at a depth of more than 2000 m. Geographical and / or geological differences in the specific composition of the Stygon or parts of it can be recorded by mapping and categorized by listing the corresponding Stygon regions .

swell

Michael Lüttgen: Ecology of the interstitial micro and meiofauna - A glossary on the ecology and investigation methodology of mesopsammon and hyporheon. Microcosm. 96th year, issue 4, 2007, pp. 207–216 ( online at ZOBODAT , complete issue for download).

Dirk Matzke, Andreas Fuchs, Sven Berkhoff, Hans Jürgen Hahn: Survey and evaluation of the groundwater fauna of Saxony-Anhalt. Monitoring reference measuring points for groundwater fauna 2010-2012. Institute for Groundwater Ecology Landau on behalf of the State Office for Flood Protection and Water Management Saxony-Anhalt, Landau / Pfalz 2012 ( PDF 1.4 MB).

Hans Jürgen Hahn, Heide Stein, Sven Berkhoff, Dirk Matzke: Stygoregions - an ecologically sensible structure of groundwater ecosystems. Presentation as part of the conference Groundwater Ecosystems - discover-evaluate-preserve. Helmholtz Center Munich - German Research Center for Health and Environment, November 9, 2010 ( PDF 3 MB).

Individual evidence

↑ The record holder is the nematode Halicephalobus mephisto with a depth of 3.6 km , see Gaetan Borgonie, Antonio García-Moyano, Derek Litthauer, W. Bert, Armand Bester, Esta van Heerden, Christelle Möller, Mariana Erasmus, Tullis C. Onstott: Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa. In. Nature. Volume 474, No. 7349, pp. 79-82, doi: 10.1038 / nature09974 .

[1] The record holder is the nematode Halicephalobus mephisto with a depth of 3.6 km , see Gaetan Borgonie, Antonio García-Moyano, Derek Litthauer, W. Bert, Armand Bester, Esta van Heerden, Christelle Möller, Mariana Erasmus, Tullis C. Onstott: Nematoda from the terrestrial deep subsurface of South Africa. In. Nature. Volume 474, No. 7349, pp. 79-82, doi: 10.1038 / nature09974 .