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Dobrogea: Movile Cave

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Cave and Karst Systems of Romania

Part of the book series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World ((CAKASYWO))

Abstract

Movile Cave (SE Romania) is the first known subterranean chemosynthesis-based ecosystem. Sulfur- and methane-oxidizing, as well as nitrifying microorganisms, form the base of the food web in this peculiar ecosystem. The bacteria use mainly oxygen from the cave’s atmosphere as electron acceptor to oxidize H2S, CH4, and NH4+, which originate from the deep thermomineral aquifer. These microorganisms form microbial mats that cover the water surface and the cave walls adjacent to the water. For cave standards, this is an unusually abundant primary production that allows 51 invertebrates species to thrive here. Of these, 35 are endemic to this ecosystem and display advanced troglomorphy. Numerous aquatic and terrestrial species graze on the rich microbial mats present in the lower sections of the cave, while others predate on protozoa and smaller invertebrates. Speleogenesis in the Movile Cave area was initiated in the Late Miocene and continues today by the action of the sulfuric acid resulted from the oxidation of sulfide in the lower part of the cave. The cave was sealed off during the Quaternary by thick and impermeable layers of clays and loess.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of this chapter thank GESS Group for permanent support during the field trips that represented the beginning of every study included herein. The effort of the specialists that have identified the specimens of the various invertebrate species is highly appreciated. Their names appear in the species list included in this chapter, followed by ‘personal communication’ (pers. comm.) for each identified species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. “Emil Racoviță” Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Frumoasă 31, 010986, Bucureşti, Romania

    Serban M. Sarbu & Cristian Lascu

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, USA

    Serban M. Sarbu

  3. “Emil Racoviță” Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Clinicilor 5, 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Traian Brad

Authors
  1. Serban M. Sarbu
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  2. Cristian Lascu
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  3. Traian Brad
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Serban M. Sarbu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Groundwater Assessment Program, Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA

    Gheorghe M. L. Ponta

  2. School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Bogdan P. Onac

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Sarbu, S.M., Lascu, C., Brad, T. (2019). Dobrogea: Movile Cave. In: Ponta, G., Onac, B. (eds) Cave and Karst Systems of Romania. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90747-5_48

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