ABSTRACT

Inland marine caves have served as biological refugia and, as such, frequently contain unique assemblages of taxonomically significant relict populations known only from a single cave or cave system. However, the absence of photosynthesis in this totally lightless environment and the presence of a highly stratified water column and long residence times for cave waters, characteristically result in depleted dissolved oxygen levels. Under such circumstances, organic pollution, even at low levels, can produce anoxic conditions and may consequently result in the extinction of entire species of cavernicolous fauna. The authors present data on the normal environment of marine caves in Bermuda and cite as an example a cave which has become grossly polluted as a result of indiscriminate dumping.


 

Thomas M. Iliffe, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, P.O. Box 1675, Galveston, Texas 77553, USA.
E-mail: iliffet@tamug.edu

Keywords: organic pollution; caves; anchialine; Bermuda; anoxia.