Root Mats in Ground Water: A Fauna-Rich Cave Habitat

Jasinska, Edyta J.; Knott, Brenton; McComb, A.J.

doi:10.2307/1467802

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Besides offering food resources, the submerged roots are also microhabitats with structures different from those that the sediment offers (Jasinska et al 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The biological transport is made mainly through root growth, animals that transit at the caves or even by the animals that randomly enter there (Howarth 1983, Jasinska et al 1996, Ferreira and Martins 1998.…”

Section: Trophic Dynamics In a Neotropical Limestone Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, studies that relate the balance between the availability and processing of food resources in caves are still scarce (Gibert 1986, Jasinska et al 1996, Graening and Brown 2003, Simon and Benfield 2002, Simon et al 2007, Souza-Silva et al 2007). Such studies, however, are crucial for the understanding of the trophic dynamics and their influence on the maintenance of the underground diversity.…”

Section: Trophic Dynamics In a Neotropical Limestone Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic Dynamics in a Neotropical Limestone Cave

Silva¹,

Martins²,

Ferreira³

2011

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The temporal budgets of the input, retainment and use by invertebrates of detritus and root tufts were evaluated in a short tropical limestone cave (337 m long). Detritus penetrate only through the stream in lower quantities in the dry season, contrary to what happens in the rainy season. However, water transport energies in the rainy season prevent detritus retainment. Roots tufts that emerge from the bottom of the stream provide shelter and food for several species. The abundance (log 10 ) (R 2 = 0.63; P < 0.02) and richness (log 10 ) (R 2 = 0.63; P < 0.01) related positively with the root tuft biomass (log 10 ). in the terrestrial environment (ground), guano is the main secondary resource available for the invertebrates; the constant production of this resource has shown to influence the structure and distribution of invertebrates. unfavorable temperature conditions and, especially low soil moisture, promote low plant detritus consumption rates. Historically, different authors assumed that organic resources imported by water are more available in caves in rainy seasons. it is clear that the importation of organic detritus in the rainy season is higher than in the dry season, but as shown in this work, the stochastic pulse flows continually disturb and remove the previously accumulated resource. So, the food that is truly used by the cave communities is that transported at the end of the rainy season (and during all the dry season) that becomes available for the cave fauna. The cave functionality depends, so, directly of the epigean food resources.

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“…Besides offering food resources, the submerged roots are also microhabitats with structures different from those that the sediment offers (Jasinska et al 1996).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Trophic Dynamics In a Neotropical Limestone Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Trophic Dynamics In a Neotropical Limestone Cavementioning

confidence: 99%

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Trophic Dynamics in a Neotropical Limestone Cave

Silva¹,

Martins²,

Ferreira³

2011

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“…Various relatively small cave systems support limited stygofauna communities (e.g. Jasinska et al 1996;Karanovic, I. 2003;Eberhard et al 2005c;Moulds 2007).…”

Section: Global Signifi Cance Of Pilbara Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hahn (2006) argued that it is hydrological connectivity between the surface and groundwater that controls the negative relationship between stygofauna occurrence and depth. The depth to which tree roots extend may be another important parameter because the roots appear to provide a food source for many species (Jasinska et al 1996; see also Hancock and Boulton 2008). Groundwater recharge in the Pilbara, together with an infl ux of carbon, occurs after heavy monsoonal rainfall events (Dogramaci et al 2012).…”

Section: Factors Affecting Stygofauna Occurrencementioning

confidence: 99%

Pilbara stygofauna: deep groundwater of an arid landscape contains globally significant radiation of biodiversity

Halse¹,

Scanlon²,

Cocking³

et al. 2014

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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-The Pilbara region was surveyed for stygofauna between 2002 and 2005 with the aims of setting nature conservation priorities in relation to stygofauna, improving the understanding of factors affecting invertebrate stygofauna distribution and sampling yields, and providing a framework for assessing stygofauna species and community signifi cance in the environmental impact assessment process.Approximately 350 species of stygofauna were collected during the survey and extrapolation suggests that 500-550 actually occur in the Pilbara, although taxonomic resolution among some groups of stygofauna is poor and species richness is likely to have been substantially underestimated. More than 50 species were found in a single bore. Even though species richness was underestimated, it is clear that the Pilbara is a globally important region for stygofauna, supporting species densities greater than anywhere other than the Dinaric karst of Europe. This is in part because of a remarkable radiation of candonid ostracods in the Pilbara. Ostracods are the dominant stygofaunal group in terms of both species richness and animal abundance. Together, ostracods, copepods, amphipods and oligochates comprised 77% of species and 96% of animals collected.Stygofauna were found in 72% of samples collected and 81% of wells sampled. The average sample (including those without stygofauna) contained 3.2 ± 0.1 species. A feature of the Pilbara is that stygofauna occur across most of the landscape, often where the depth to groundwater is considerable, although yields were low where depth to groundwater was >30 m. Another feature is high endemicity: on the basis of current taxonomy 98% of the stygobites and 83% of the other groundwater species occur only within the region. Few factors affecting stygofauna occurrence could be identifi ed, however. Numbers of specimens and species collected were positively related to well diameter and negatively related to depth to groundwater. Numbers of species declined in inland sub-regions, although variability within sub-regions was high.While a range of freshwater chemistries occurred, 79% of water samples were weakly saline and NaCl dominated. Profi ling and purging of wells suggested that water quality measurements refl ected aquifer conditions in most situations. Water chemistry appeared to have limited infl uence on stygofauna occurrence in the Pilbara. Geology also appeared to have little effect on stygofauna occurrence but this may have been the result of non-random siting of wells; there was a bias towards wells being in transmissive locations that were not necessarily typical of the geology in which each well occurred.No potential reserves for stygofauna are recommended in this paper but nine areas of high stygofauna richness were identifi ed, including the listed Ethel Gorge stygofauna community. Theoretical analysis of species ranges suggested that half of the species found only in the vicinity of development projects will have ranges less than 680 km 2 . Consequently, projects involving ext...

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The invertebrate community of the Peak-Speedwell cave system, Derbyshire, England ? pressures and considerations for conservation management

Gunn

Hardwick

Wood

2000

Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst.

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1. The freshwater ecology of cave ecosystems has been poorly studied when compared with surface (epigean) systems. Most subterranean communities are typified by low abundance and low diversity of fauna due to the absence of primary production and other readily available organic carbon sources.2. The macroinvertebrate community within the inter-connected Peak -Speedwell cave system in the English Peak District was examined over a 2-year period. The communities found in the surface streams which supply recharge to the Speedwell Cavern stream, and the communities in the three springs which discharge water from the cave system, were also examined.3. Changes in the community were strongly associated with seasonal variations and natural hydrological variability. Spatial patterns within the caves reflect differences in water sources (sinking streams or percolation water) and in the ability of the organisms to survive and move through subterranean environments.4. The majority of taxa recorded within the caves were also found at the surface either in the sinking streams or in the springs.5. Threats to cave geo-ecosystems, including quarrying, agriculture, waste disposal, groundwater abstraction and tourism/recreation, are examined and discussed in relation to the management and conservation of subterranean environments.

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Root Mats in Ground Water: A Fauna-Rich Cave Habitat

Cited by 46 publications

References 8 publications

Trophic Dynamics in a Neotropical Limestone Cave

Trophic Dynamics in a Neotropical Limestone Cave

Pilbara stygofauna: deep groundwater of an arid landscape contains globally significant radiation of biodiversity

The invertebrate community of the Peak-Speedwell cave system, Derbyshire, England ? pressures and considerations for conservation management

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