Volume 50, Issue 1 (2021)
Introduction
Dedicated to the: International Year of Caves and KarstIYCK 2021
Stygobitic crustaceans in an anchialine cave with an archeological heritage at Vodeni Rat (Island of Sveti Klement, Hvar, Croatia)
Alessandro Montanari, Nicolas Cerveau, Barbara Fiasca, Jean-François Flot, Diana Galassi, Maurizio Mainiero, David McGee, Tadeusz Namiotko, Stefano Recanatini, and Fabio Stoch
- Archeologic and archeometric assessments of Vodeni Rat cave
- Assessment of the geology of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform and the Croatian karst
- Geologic and environmental analysis of the Vodeni Rat cave area
- Systematic and ecologic assessments of the stygobitic crustacean fauna in the Vodeni Rat cave
- Timing of colonization and partitioning of crustacean species in the neo-anchialine cave of Vodeni Rat
Increased cave use by butterflies and moths: a response to climate warming?
Otto Moog, Erhard Christian, and Rudolf Eis
- The number of lepidopteran species from Austrian caves sharply increased since 2015
- Most of the newly recorded species visit cave mouths by day in the warm season
- Climate warming makes a cave stay on hot summer days more attractive to Lepidoptera
- The inclination to use caves as diurnal retreats can differ between related species
On the genesis of aluminum-rich speleothems in a granite cave of NW Spain
Jorge Sanjurjo-Sanchez, Carlos Arce Chamorro, Juan Ramón Vidal Romaní, Marcos Vaqueiro-Rodríguez, Victor Barrientos, and Joeri Kaal
- Biospeleothems are frequent in granite caves but they have been poorly studied
- The formation of Al-rich speleothem are poorly understood
- Al-rich speleothems in one of Europe's major granite cave have been analyzed
- Study reports the composition, accretion process, age, and growth rate of an Al-rich speleothem
- Al-rich speleothems might be good environmental archives
Microbiological study in a gneissic cave from Sri Lanka, with special focus on potential antimicrobial activities
Ethige Isuru P. Silva, Pathmakumara Jayasingha, Saman Senanayake, Anura Dandeniya, and Dona Helani Munasinghe
- Sthreepura Cave, Sri Lanka, has extreme conditions with close to strong acidic cave-sediments
- Four cave wall-dwelling fungal isolates were identified as the first records in Sri Lanka
- Of eight fungal isolates, three showed antimicrobial activity against at least one human pathogen
- Aspergillus fumigatus strain had good antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus
- Four chemical fractions with antimicrobial activities against S. aureus were identified
Microhabitat selection of a Sicilian subterranean woodlouse and its implications for cave management
Giuseppe Nicolosi, Stefano Mammola, Salvatore Costanzo, Giorgio Sabella, Rosolino Cirrincione, Giovanni Signorello, and Marco Isaia
- The impact of cave tourism on cave-dwelling arthropods is understudied
- We investigated the microhabitat selection of an endemic cave dwelling woodlouse
- Our target species is primarily affected by microclimate alterations
- Monitoring of cave microclimate is recommended
Protura (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) in Slovenian caves
Loris Galli, Franc Janžekovič, Peter Kozel, and Tone Novak
- The fauna of 60 cavities in Slovenia was studied: in 31 proturans were found
- No significant difference was observed between caves with and without Protura
- 286 specimens from 15 caves belonged to 10 species (seven are new for Slovenia)
- Proturans passively colonize caves through accidental introduction from surface
- No species showed specific morphological adaptations to the cave environment
Application of the global SRTM and AW3D30 digital elevation models to mapping folds at cave sites
Mark J. Abolins and Albert E. Ogden
- The global SRTM digital terrain model and AW3D30 digital surface model are used to map and describe folds
- Structural controls on cave passage orientation are revealed
- Discoveries are made in very gently folded strata dipping <5o
- Evaluation site characteristics indicate potential for wide use
Bat guano minerals and mineralization processes in Chameau Cave, Eastern Morocco
Philippe Audra, Vasile Heresanu, Lionel Barriquand, Mohamed El Kadiri Boutchich, Stephane Jaillet, Edwige Pons-Branchu, Pavel Bosak, Hai Cheng, R Lawrence Edwards, and Michel Renda
- Bat guano decay produced leachates resulting in phosphates and sulfates
- Minerals are grouped in precursors and result from reaction with carbonates and phyllosilicates
- Old fluvial deposits have been deeply weathered and phosphatized by guano leachates
- Pure “candy-floss” gypsum piles could be related to specific condensation/evaporation conditions
- Besides dust particles, condensation is an essential factor controlling guano decay in dry caves
