Progress of research on aquatic fauna in epikarst
LIU Wei
ZHOU Cuiying
YUAN Aihua
BRANCELJ Anton
Abstract：This paper presents the latest progress of research on epikarstic aquifer fauna.The epikarst is not only an essential part of karst formations,but also the most active zone of karstification.It is also the ideal habitat for numerous living things in the karst aquifer.Most faunal samples are taken from percolating water in cave ceilings,water pools within the cave or fissures.The majority of species collected from epikarst are Copepods,as well as some other species,such as Amphipods and Ostracods.These are mainly stygobiont,and also some other terrestrial species.For instance,in the studied Slovenian caves,there are nine stygobiotic copepod species on average in each cave.In order to adapt the epikarstic condition,some parts of their bodies evolve properly.Several geological factors of epikarst,such as the thickness of cave ceiling,the connection between habitats and their size and hydrological factors,including hydrodynamic and hydrochemical characteristics,can impose impacts on the faunal composition and distribution.Although the uniqueness and importance of epikarst has been described by many geologists and biologists,some urgent questions remain unanswered.For example,how to explain the difference between the adjacent communities and how to evaluate the indicators of the copepods in the vadose flow are still expecting more scientific efforts.
Keywords：epikarstfreshwater crustaceanscave drip watercave environmental factors
Publication Date：2016-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 712-719 )