Title
A Chemoautotrophically Based Cave Ecosystem
Files
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Publication Date
June 1996
Abstract
Microbial mats discovered in a ground-water ecosystem in southern Romania contain chemoautotrophic bacteria that fix inorganic carbon, using hydrogen sulfide as an energy source. Analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes showed that this chemoautotrophic production is the food base for 48 species of cave-adapted terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, 33 of which are endemic to this ecosystem. This is the only cave ecosystem known to be supported by in situ autotrophic production, and it contains the only terrestrial community known to be chemoautotrophically based.
Keywords
Chemoautrophically-Based Cave System, Cave, System
Type
Article
Notes
Science, Vol. 272, no. 5270 (1996-06-28).
Publisher
AAAS
Identifier
SFS0072179_00001
Recommended Citation
Sarbu, Serban M.; Kane, Thomas C.; and Kinkle, Brian k., "A Chemoautotrophically Based Cave Ecosystem" (1996). KIP Articles. 929.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/929