The concern about the preservation of biodiversity is due, in part, to a great level of media coverage granted in the last
few years to global warming and consequential climatic changes. However, there are still considerably large gaps in scientific
knowledge regarding the ecological status of many species, which results in an absence of conservation strategy for most of
Earth’s biodiversity in need of it. The extinction of many animal and plant species can have catastrophic consequences on
the ecosystems’ balance and also in human well-being, resultant from the break of ecological services. To exemplify how a
specific group of microscopic animals can be endangered, I have analyzed the case of the phylum Tardigrada. Tardigrades are microscopic animals that inhabit most environments: terrestrial, freshwater and marine. Even though many
species are widespread and the terrestrial ones granted with cryptobiotic skills, they are adapted to each habitat type and,
additionally, to local environmental patterns. This means that these tiny metazoans can be under significant environmental
pressure in the various habitat types they are found in. The potential need of protective and compensatory measures aiming
for appropriate conservation of these life forms is discussed, as is the need of studying for their objective elaboration.
Keywords Biodiversity conservation - Conservation status - Micro-invertebrates -
Tardigrada
- Preventive and protective measures
This work was partially presented at the 11th International Symposium on Tardigrada held in Tübingen, Germany, August 3–6,
2009.