First data on the biological richness of Mediterranean springs

The taxonomic richness of the main biological groups in springs in the Mediterranean biogeographical region has been investigated for the first time. This work has focused on two mountainous areas of mainly limestone substrata: the Montsant massif (south of the Catalan pre-coastal ranges, NE Iberian Peninsula) and the Serra de Tramuntana (north of the island of Mallorca). The taxa of macroalgae, diatoms, bryophytes, cormophytes, aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates have been analysed in ten springs of each area, and a total of 500 taxa have been identified in Montsant (ranging between 82-152 taxa per site) and 363 taxa in Serra de Tramuntana (ranging between 55-119 taxa per site). Depending on each spring, the biological groups showing the greatest richness value are either cormophytes, diatoms or invertebrates. The resulting biological richness, which is reported for the first time in Mediterranean crenic systems, is similar to the values found in other published works on springs in the Euro-Siberian biogeographic region, showing their role as outstanding biodiversity hot spots also in Mediterranean environments. The similarity analysis showed that the springs shared a low number of taxa, resulting in a low value of similarity. In conclusion, the results suggested that each spring could represent a unique, unrepeatable community.