@article{
author = "Oro, Violeta and Pisinov, Boris and Trkulja, Nenad and Stanisavljević, Rade and Belošević, Svetlana and Tabaković, Marijenka and Sekulić, Zoran",
year = "2023",
abstract = "“Devil’s Town” is a natural park dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees, and made up
of two rare natural phenomena in the world: earthen statues, as specific forms of relief, and two
springs of highly acidic water with high mineralization. Devil’s Town is a “biodiversity star” with a
unique ambient, flora, fauna, and microbiome. The research aimed to: investigate the concentration
of chemical parameters in the soil of the natural park, identify nematodes that can survive in extreme
conditions, explore feeding habits of nematodes, and infer phylogenetic relationships of nematodes
based on 28S rRNA sequences. Soil samples were collected from two sites, designated Soil under
vegetation and Saxon mine soil, from which nematodes were discovered. Phylogenetic analyses were
performed with 28S rRNA gene primers, using Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The
presence of minerals and heavy metals, combined with high acidity created extreme environmental
conditions in which specific nematode species can survive. These circumstances favored fast-moving
species with teeth and spears, such as mononchids and dorylaimids, enabling them to adopt predatory
feeding behavior. In contrast, Acrobeloides, Prismatolaimus, Rhabditis spp. etc., are saprobionts adapted
to specific chemical pollutants, and they tolerate high levels of Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu, Cd and As.",
publisher = "MDPI Basel",
journal = "Forests",
title = "Nematofauna of the Natural Park “Devil’s Town”",
number = "11",
pages = "2241",
volume = "14",
doi = "10.3390/f14112241"
}
