The blurred line between photic and aphotic environments: a large Mexican cave with almost no dark zone

Mejía-Ortíz, Luis M.; Pipan, Tanja; Culver, David C.; Sprouse, Peter

doi:10.5038/1827-806x.47.1.2155

Cited by 15 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Measuring traces of light in a cavern with commercial instruments can be challenging. Mejía-Ortiz et al 29 implemented an elegant solution by using long exposure photographs to show trace light at different depths in a dry cavern. Automated light quantification, however, is needed to determine whether light intensity triggers diel behavior in Typhlatya .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution patterns, carbon sources and niche partitioning in cave shrimps (Atyidae: Typhlatya)

Chávez-Solís

Solı́s

Simões

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cave shrimps of the Typhlatya genus are common and widespread in fresh, brackish and marine groundwater throughout the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). These species are ideal models to test niche partitioning within sympatric species in oligotrophic systems. Nevertheless, their food sources remain unidentified, and despite their frequency and functional importance, distribution and abundance patterns of these species within caves have not been fully recognized. Here, we describe the abundance of three Typhlatya species in different temporal and spatial scales, investigate changes in water conditions, and potential sources of carbon as an indication of food origin. Species composition and abundance varied markedly in space and time revealing patterns that differed from one system to another and in relation to environmental parameters. Isotope analysis showed that each species reflects a particular δ 13 C and Δ 14 C fingerprint, suggesting they feed in different proportions from the available carbon sources. Overall, our findings suggest a niche partitioning of habitat and feeding sources amongst the three Typhlatya species investigated, where environmental characteristics and physiological differences could play an important role governing their distribution patterns.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution patterns, carbon sources and niche partitioning in cave shrimps (Atyidae: Typhlatya)

Chávez-Solís

Solı́s

Simões

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first obvious feature of subterranean habitats is the almost complete absence of solar irradiation (but see Badino 2000, Mejía-Ortíz et al 2018. The permanent darkness is the primary factor conditioning the ecology of subsurface habitats and the evolution of their inhabitants Pipan 2009, 2015), determining the absence of daily darklight cycles and a reduced environmental cyclicity.…”

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

“…The cave, with an elevation of 7 m at the entrance, is less than 2 km from the Caribbean Sea. It was originally chosen for study by Mejía-Ortíz et al [33] because of its extensive twilight zone and extremely small aphotic zone. There were seven monitoring points in the cave.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

What’s the temperature in tropical caves?

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hourly temperature was measured for approximately one year at 17 stations in three caves in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Thirteen of these stations were in the extensive twilight zones of all three caves. All seventeen stations showed seasonality in temperature with a 3°C drop during the Nortes season. Two of the caves, Muévelo Sabrosito and Muévelo Rico, showed greater variability during the winter months while in Río Secreto (Tuch) variability was greatest during the rainy season. Río Secreto is less open to the surface than the other two. All sites also showed a daily temperature cycle, although it was very faint in some Río Secreto (Tuch) sites. While temperature variability is diminished relative to surface variation, its temporal pattern is worthy of further study.

show abstract

The blurred line between photic and aphotic environments: a large Mexican cave with almost no dark zone

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Distribution patterns, carbon sources and niche partitioning in cave shrimps (Atyidae: Typhlatya)

Distribution patterns, carbon sources and niche partitioning in cave shrimps (Atyidae: Typhlatya)

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

What’s the temperature in tropical caves?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About