Cave & Karst Science (ISSN 1356-191X)

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Contents of Cave & Karst Science 42(2)

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Cave and Karst Science (iv + 48pp) (PDF 6.7MB)        Individual articles may be available below

GUNN, John and David LOWE (eds.). (2015). Cave and Karst Science 42(2). Buxton: British Cave Research Association. ISSN 1356-191X. iv + 48pp, A4, with photos, maps and diagrams.
This issue has a cover date of 2015 (August) and was published in August 2015.

The Transactions of the British Cave Research Association

Layman's Summaries

Some of the articles in this issue are explained in a layman's summary. Look for the 'Summary' icons below, or download the article from here: HTML 14KB  

Front cover photo (page i) (PDF 520KB)     

by Iztok MEDJA.
Beyond the immense cavern known as Velika Gora in Slovenia's Postojnska jama, the excursion route followed by visitors crosses the Russian Bridge, which was built by prisoners-of-war during 1916. The Front Cover image, photographed from the Russian Bridge, shows the first part of the Lepe Jame (Beautiful Caves) section of Postojnska jama, comprising some 500m of generally large and well-decorated passages that were discovered by members of Slovenias first organized speleological exploration group, the Anthron Society. (Photograph by Iztok Medja).

 

Notes for Contributors (page ii) (PDF 248KB)     

 

Contents (p57) (PDF 384KB)     

 

Editorial (p58) (PDF 472KB)     

by John GUNN and David LOWE.

 

(Re)discovery of a major cave entrance at Kents Cavern, Devon, UK (pp59,58) (PDF 536KB)     

by Rob DINNIS and Chris PROCTOR.
Recent reassessment of the early 20th century excavations of the Vestibule area at Kents Cavern has highlighted the Northeast Gallery as an important source of sediment input during the Devensian. However, no major cave entrance has hitherto been recorded in this area. Our 2015 fieldwork demonstrates that the Northeast Gallery's entrance is of significant size, and that it retains a considerable volume of intact deposits. Initial field observations indicate that the entrance's stratigraphy matches that recorded elsewhere in the cave.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: report.
Date: Received: 10 July 2015; Accepted: 12 July 2015.

Bibliograph: DINNIS, Rob and Chris PROCTOR. (2015). (Re)discovery of a major cave entrance at Kents Cavern, Devon, UK. Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp59,58.

 

A forgotten British cave biology pioneer: Andrew Dickson Murray (pp60-62) (PDF 541KB)     

by Max MOSELEY.
Andrew Murray (1812–1878) was a Scottish lawyer who changed career and became a prominent figure in natural history circles in mid-Victorian Britain. His wide-ranging botanical and zoological interests included the blind insects that were being discovered in European and American caves; he was the first person known to have looked for similar animals in the British Isles, and he debated their origins with Charles Darwin. His Christian faith led him to reject evolution by Natural Selection in favour of Special Creation, and he left no significant legacy in cave biology. Nevertheless, he was a pioneer who deserves to be remembered.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: report.
Date: Received: 13 February 2015; Accepted: 04 June 2015.
Keywords: Andrew Murray, Darwin, cave fauna, evolution, Blue John Mine.

Bibliograph: MOSELEY, Max. (2015). A forgotten British cave biology pioneer: Andrew Dickson Murray. Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp60-62.

 

Auto-ecological studies on Niphargus aquilex (Schiödte, 1855) and Niphargus glenniei (Spooner, 1952) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Niphargidae) (pp63-77) (PDF 1.8MB)     

by Lee R F D KNIGHT and Tim JOHNS.
Whereas extensive auto-ecological studies have been undertaken on Niphargus species in Europe, little work has been done on British populations. This paper summarizes what was known about the auto-ecology of British populations of Niphargus aquilex and the British endemic Niphargus glenniei prior to 2010 and goes on to describe a series of experiments into their phototactic and temperature responses. These experiments were conducted in a small experimental aquarium set up in Joint-Mitnor Cave in the Higher Kiln Quarry SSSI at Buckfastleigh, Devon, with the assistance of a grant from the British Cave Research Association as part of its Cave Science and Technology Research Initiative. As predicted by similar experiments on Niphargus in Europe, both species were tolerant of a wide range of temperature from 1 to 26°C and were clearly eurythermic, disproving the early misconception that cave animals are stenothermic (tolerant of narrow temperature ranges). Although they could survive temperatures down to 1°C, N. glenniei entered a state of torpor at 4°C and N. aquilex at 2°C.
The phototactic responses of both species were tested using a lamp producing 70 lumens, an ultra-violet lamp and exposure to daylight. It has been suggested by experiments on other species that Niphargus is generally negatively phototactic (i.e it will move away from light) and there are various ecological factors that suggest negative phototaxis would be advantageous, not least the risk of damage from ultra-violet radiation to fragile creatures that lack the protection of pigment in their cuticles. The results of the experiments were mixed but suggested that there was little phototactic response, either positive or negative in N. glenniei and a weak negative phototaxis in N. aquilex, although this was more pronounced when this species was exposed to ultra-violet light. The paper also summarizes observations on the locomotion, habits, substrate preference and interactions of both species undertaken during the course of the experimental work.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: paper.
Date: Received: 25 March 2015; Accepted: 01 May 2015.
Keywords: Niphargus aquilex, Niphargus glenniei, auto-ecology, phototaxis, temperature, cave aquarium, substrate preference, habits, locomotion, feeding, species interactions.

Bibliograph: KNIGHT, Lee R F D and Tim JOHNS. (2015). Auto-ecological studies on Niphargus aquilex (Schiödte, 1855) and Niphargus glenniei (Spooner, 1952) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Niphargidae). Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp63-77.

 

Cave micro-climate and tourism: towards 200 years (1819–2015) at Postojnska jama (Slovenia) (pp78-85) (PDF 1.5MB)     

by Stanka ŠEBELA, Janez TURK and Tanja PIPAN.
Modern tourism at Postojnska jama (the Cave of Postojna) is approaching its 200th anniversary. Besides being an iconic trademark of destination tourism, the cave has a rich history of karstological and speleological investigations, and is also known as the cradle of speleobiology. Since 2009 systematic studies of cave microclimate and biology have been taking place to help provide guidelines for sustainable use of the cave and to mitigate the side effects of long-term tourism. Natural and anthropogenic impacts on cave micro-climate are being evaluated. The entrance to the cave used by tourists was artificially opened in 1866, and this has caused the cave to be well ventilated deep inside. This has both positive and negative influences on the cave environment, allowing the outside climate to impose a strong influence on the cave micro-climate. Statistical comparisons between historical cave air temperature (1852; 1933–1937) and the results of modern monitoring (2009–2013) show that the former average daytime cave air temperature for the inner part of the cave of between 7.5–8.4°C was about 2°C lower than present temperatures. The increase is mostly attributed to changes in natural climatic conditions, because the mean annual exterior air temperature has been increasing for several decades. To a lesser degree the cave air temperature increase can also be attributed to the higher number of tourist visits, when cumulative effects were observed. Successful management of the show cave must combine communication and interaction between researchers, cave owners, cave managers, the public and the State government.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: paper.
Date: Received: 25 March 2015; Accepted: 01 May 2015.
Keywords: Postojnska jama, sustainable use, cave tourism, speleobiology, cave climatology, Slovenia.

Bibliograph: ŠEBELA, Stanka; Janez TURK and Tanja PIPAN. (2015). Cave micro-climate and tourism: towards 200 years (1819–2015) at Postojnska jama (Slovenia). Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp78-85.

 

Karst geomorphology along the Nam Ou, northern Lao PDR (pp86-94) (PDF 1.8MB)     

by Kevin KIERNAN.
This paper provides a reconnaissance-level geomorphological overview of the visually spectacular but poorly-documented karst and caves along the Nam (River) Ou in northern Laos. It has been compiled as a contribution towards development of the environmental understanding and data base that will be essential if environmentally sustainable development is to be achieved in this economically and socially disadvantaged area. The broad pattern of mountains and valleys in this part of Laos has resulted from incision along strongly-developed structural lineaments, notably major faults. The limestone mountains and the principal underground drainage routes through them are generally elongate along the strike of the limestone beds. Along the main axis of the Nam Ou drainage corridor active cave stream passages are generally confined within about 10m of the present river level, but relict stream passages are present over 100m higher in some hills, and caves of vadose invasion rift-type are also present higher in the mountains. Large closed depressions are relatively uncommon but there are many smaller sinkholes. The visually conspicuous limestone mountains represent only part of the widespread karst, because many additional areas of more subdued topography are also underlain by limestone. Hence, karst-related soil and aquifer management concerns exist over a significant proportion of the Nam Ou basin. Foreign aid donors have demanded that Laos reciprocate to their largesse by becoming the "Battery of Asia", as a result of which current and planned construction of new hydro-electric dams to supply emerging economies in neighbouring countries is resulting in destruction of karst phenomena, notwithstanding potentially significant impacts upon displaced local people. These karst areas remain unassessed from natural and cultural heritage perspectives.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: paper.
Date: Received: 04 January 2015; Accepted: 21 May 2015.
Keywords: tower karst; caves; limestone; gypsum; Pleistocene alluviation.

Bibliograph: KIERNAN, Kevin. (2015). Karst geomorphology along the Nam Ou, northern Lao PDR. Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp86-94.

 

Fossil birds of the Late Pleistocene Red Hills Road Cave, Jamaica: appraisal and biodiversity (pp95-103) (PDF 1.0MB)     

by Arjan BOOT, Stephen K DONOVAN and Hanneke J M MEIJER.
The Red Hills Road Cave (RHRC), parish of St Andrew, Jamaica, is a karstic feature that has yielded a diverse Late Pleistocene (about 30,000 years B.P.) fauna of terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates. The fossil invertebrates are now well known, but the vertebrates are invariably disarticulated and have largely discouraged detailed investigation, including that of the fossil birds. Indeed, few fossil bird species are known from the Late Quaternary of Jamaica. While there are about 320 known extant taxa, only about ten fossil species were known hitherto from the Late Pleistocene. This study describes two species new to the Pleistocene of the island, namely Corvus? sp. indet. (a crow) and Todus todus Linnaeus (Jamaican tody), as well as the well-known, but extinct, flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus Olson and Steadman. In addition, fossils are described belonging to indeterminate genera from the Trochilidae (hummingbirds), Cuculidae (cuckoos) and Scolopacidae (snipes and sandpipers), three families new to the Pleistocene of the island, and others belonging to the order Passeriformes (perching birds). Based on size and morphology, the fossils are found to represent at least eight and at most 37 species, making the fossil avian biodiversity of the RHRC the most diverse among the recorded fossil bird sites on Jamaica.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 14KB  
Classification: paper.
Date: Received: 06 February 2015; Accepted: 09 June 2015.
Keywords: taphonomy; systematics; Quaternary; extirpation; extinction.

Bibliograph: BOOT, Arjan; Stephen K DONOVAN and Hanneke J M MEIJER. (2015). Fossil birds of the Late Pleistocene Red Hills Road Cave, Jamaica: appraisal and biodiversity. Cave and Karst Science 42(2), pp95-103.

 

Correspondence (p104) (PDF 356KB)     

by Stephen DONOVAN.
Classification: Forum.

 

New Book: Northern Sump Index (3rd Edition) 2015 (p104)  For download see previous item

The long-awaited 3rd Edition of the Cave Diving Group's Northern Sump Index is now published and will be available soon (if not already) via the CDG Online Shop at cavedivinggroup.org.uk/Zen-CDG.
Classification: Forum.

 

Research Fund and Grants (page iii) (PDF 226KB)     

 

Back cover photos (page iv) (PDF 355KB)     

by Peter GEDEI.
The cave system of Planinska jama contains gigantic passages, spectacular speleothem deposits and magnificent streamways. The back-cover images illustrate just some of the notable features of this extensive Slovenian cave. See contents page for list of photos. (Photographs by Peter Gedei).