Are inner cave communities more stable than entrance communities in Lapa Nova show cave?

Pellegrini, Thaís Giovannini; Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes

doi:10.3897/subtbiol.20.9334

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Our study showed a general constancy in both composition and distribution along the cave of the entire faunal community, at least during the seven-year period investigated. Therefore, the starting hypothesis of a low inter-annual variability characterizing subterranean biological communities [2,14,16] was corroborated by our multivariate approach. Consequently, our results seem to extend the hypothesis of low temporal variability of subterranean ecosystems to recently-established biological communities colonizing human-made habitats, in particular those characterized by highly buffered climatic conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…Therefore, the organic basis of the food chain in subterranean ecosystems is provided by active movements of animals that periodically migrate inside the system during external unfavorable periods or is imported as organic debris by gravity, wind, and rainflow from outside [7,8]. Several studies analyzed the influence of seasonal climatic variations on the abundance and distribution of single or few subterranean populations or species (e.g., references [4,[9][10][11][12] or, more in general, on the composition of entire biological communities living in subterranean environments e.g., references [5,[13][14][15]. Concerning the long-term composition of biological cave communities, it is generally assumed that those living in subterranean habitats are characterized by low levels of temporal variability [1,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Variability of A Subterranean Prey-Predator Community in Space and Time

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Subterranean habitats are characterized by buffered climatic conditions in comparison to contiguous surface environments and, in general, subterranean biological communities are considered to be relatively constant. However, although several studies have described the seasonal variation of subterranean communities, few analyzed their variability over successive years. The present research was conducted inside an artificial cave during seven successive summers, from 2013 to 2019. The parietal faunal community was sampled at regular intervals from outside to 21 m deep inside the cave. The community top predator is the cave salamander Speleomantes strinatii, while invertebrates, mainly adult flies, make up the rest of the faunal assemblage. Our findings indicate that the taxonomic composition and the spatial distribution of this community remained relatively constant over the seven-year study period, supporting previous findings. However, different environmental factors were shaping the distribution of predators and prey along the cave. Invertebrates were mainly affected by the illuminance, while salamanders were influenced by both illuminance and distance from the cave’s entrance. The inter-annual spatial distribution of the salamander population was highly repeatable and age specific, confirming a gradual shift towards the deeper parts of the cave with an increasing age. In general, the spatial distribution along the cave of this prey-predator system remained relatively constant during the seven-year study, suggesting that strong selective constraints were in action, even in this relatively recent subterranean ecosystem.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of A Subterranean Prey-Predator Community in Space and Time

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Accordingly, the community in the vicinity of the surface is usually dominated by trogloxenes and troglophiles, whereas troglobionts became progressively more abundant at greater depths (Culver & Poulson, ; Howarth, ; Poulson & White, ; Racoviţă, ; Schiner, ; Tobin et al, ). However, recent studies showed that distributions of taxa in subterranean habitats do not always fit this general pattern (e.g., Novak et al, ; Pellegrini & Ferreira, ). Surface organisms are typically observed even at great depths in caves; for example, surface dipterans have been observed at –2,140 m in the Krubera‐Voronja Cave, Western Caucasus (Sendra & Reboleira, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distributional dynamics of a specialized subterranean community oppose the classical understanding of the preferred subterranean habitats

Kozel

Pipan

Mammola

et al. 2019

Invertebrate Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Troglobionts are organisms that are specialized for living in a subterranean environment. These organisms reside prevalently in the deepest zones of caves and in shallow subterranean habitats, and complete their entire life cycles therein. Because troglobionts in most caves depend on organic matter resources from the surface, we hypothesized that they would also select the sections of caves nearest the surface, as long as environmental conditions were favorable. Over 1 year, we analyzed, in monthly intervals, the annual distributional dynamics of a subterranean community consisting of 17 troglobiont species, in relation to multiple environmental factors. Cumulative standardized annual species richness and diversity clearly indicated the existence of two ecotones within the cave: between soil and shallow subterranean habitats, inhabited by soil and shallow troglobionts; and between the transition and inner cave zones, where the spatial niches of shallow and deep troglobionts overlap. The mean standardized annual species richness and diversity showed inverse relationships, but both contributed to a better insight into the dynamics of subterranean fauna. Regression analyses revealed that temperatures in the range 7–10°C, high moisture content of substrate, large cross section of the cave, and high pH of substrate were the most important ecological drivers governing the spatiotemporal dynamics of troglobionts. Overall, this study shows general trends in the annual distributional dynamics of troglobionts in shallow caves and reveals that the distribution patterns of troglobionts within subterranean habitats may be more complex than commonly assumed.

show abstract

“…These include, among others, small emerging drainages (hypotelminorheic habitats), cracks in the karstified rock (epikarst), lava tubes, deep soil and litter strata, air-filled space in taluses and dry riverbeds (Milieu Souterrain Superficiel; MSS) (Culver and Pipan, 2014). In a typical subterranean habitat, such as a cave, it is generally observed that the abundance and diversity of organisms progressively decrease, going from the highly populated and energy-rich twilight zone area to the energy-deprived and poorly populated deeper parts (but see Novak et al 2012 andPellegrini andFerreira 2016 for counterexamples). All the air-and water-filled subterranean spaces representing habitats for subterranean species.…”

Section: Stable Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A classical schematic representation of a cave. In a typical subterranean habitat, such as a cave, it is generally observed that the abundance and diversity of organisms progressively decrease, going from the highly populated and energy-rich twilight zone area to the energy-deprived and poorly populated deeper parts (but see Novak et al 2012 andPellegrini andFerreira 2016 for counterexamples). The existence of gradients in the abiotic and biotic conditions from the surface toward the deepest subterranean sectors, enhance the possibility to use caves as models for ecological studies, e.g.…”

Section: Stable Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding answers in the dark: caves as models in ecology fifty years after Poulson and White

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of semi-isolated habitats such as oceanic islands, lakes and mountain summits as model systems has played a crucial role in the development of evolutionary and ecological theory. Soon after the discovery of life in caves, different pioneering authors similarly recognized the great potential of these peculiar habitats as biological model systems. In their 1969 paper in Science, 'The cave environment', Poulson and White discussed how caves can be used as natural laboratories in which to study the underlying principles governing the dynamics of more complex environments. Together with other seminal syntheses published at the time, this work contributed to establishing the conceptual foundation for expanding the scope and relevance of cave-based studies. Fifty years after, the aim of this review is to show why and how caves and other subterranean habitats can be used as eco-evolutionary laboratories. Recent advances and directions in different areas are provided, encompassing community ecology, trophicwebs and ecological networks, conservation biology, macroecology and climate change biology. Special emphasis is given to discuss how caves are only part of the extended network of fissures and cracks that permeate most substrates and, thus, their ecological role as habitat islands is critically discussed. Numerous studies have quantified the relative contribution of abiotic, biotic and historical factors in driving species distributions and community turnovers in space and time, from local to regional scales. Conversely, knowledge of macroecological patterns of subterranean organisms at a global scale remains largely elusive, due to major geographical and taxonomical biases. Also, knowledge regarding subterranean trophic webs and the effect of anthropogenic climate change on deep subterranean ecosystems is still limited. In these research fields, the extensive use of novel molecular and statistical tools may hold promise for quickly producing relevant information not accessible hitherto.

show abstract

Are inner cave communities more stable than entrance communities in Lapa Nova show cave?

Cited by 17 publications

References 21 publications

Variability of A Subterranean Prey-Predator Community in Space and Time

Variability of A Subterranean Prey-Predator Community in Space and Time

Distributional dynamics of a specialized subterranean community oppose the classical understanding of the preferred subterranean habitats

Finding answers in the dark: caves as models in ecology fifty years after Poulson and White

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About