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The Snotty and the Stringy: Energy for Subsurface Life in Caves

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Their World: A Diversity of Microbial Environments

Part of the book series: Advances in Environmental Microbiology ((AEM,volume 1))

Abstract

Caves are subterranean environments that support life largely in the absence of light. Because caves are completely or almost completely removed from the photosynthetic productivity of the sunlit realm, most cave ecosystems are supported either by inputs of organic matter from the surface or by in situ sources of inorganic chemical energy. The majority of caves have very low energy and nutrient availability and thus, generally low biological activity and productivity. However, those caves that have abundant inorganic chemical energy or high organic carbon influx represent subterranean oases that support robust microbial communities and diverse animal life. In this chapter, we review the energy resources available to cave microbiota and describe several examples that illustrate the vast diversity of subsurface habits contained within caves.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to extend gratitude to everyone who has assisted and supported our cave microbiology research, especially to Alessandro Montanari for continued logistical support and the use of facilities at the Osservatorio Geologico di Coldigioco and to S. Carnevali, S. Cerioni, S. Galdenzi, M. Mainiero, S. Mariani, and the Gruppo Speleologico C.A.I. di Fabriano for technical support and scientific discussions in Italy. We also thank L. Hose, L. Rosales-Lagarde, I. Schaperdoth, S. Dattagupta, E. Lyon, T. Jones, K. Dawson, and R. McCauley for assistance in the field and lab. Our work has been supported by generous funding from the National Science Foundation, the NASA Astrobiology Institute, the Cave Conservancy Foundation, and the Marche Regional Government and the Marche Speleologic Federation. Special thanks to C. Hurst for organizing and editing this volume.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Daniel S. Jones

  2. Department of Geosciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Jennifer L. Macalady

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  1. Daniel S. Jones
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  2. Jennifer L. Macalady
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Correspondence to Daniel S. Jones .

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  1. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Christon J. Hurst

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Jones, D.S., Macalady, J.L. (2016). The Snotty and the Stringy: Energy for Subsurface Life in Caves. In: Hurst, C. (eds) Their World: A Diversity of Microbial Environments. Advances in Environmental Microbiology, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28071-4_5

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