Exposed limestone karst landscapes, especially in the tropics, are often home to distinctive and specialized biotas. Among vertebrates, a particularly large number of karst-associated lizard taxa have been described, but for the vast majority, evidence of specific adaptions to karst is lacking. A number of studies, however, have provided evidence of consistent morphological trends in lizards th...

Septic tanks are the second largest source of groundwater nitrate contamination in Nebraska. In this study, the feasibility of coupling a conventional lateral field with a sulfur/limestone layer to treat nitrate in septic tank effluent was investigated using column reactors to simulate the septic tank soil adsorption system. The effects of different hydraulic loading rates, nitrogen loading rat...

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the effect of limestone powder on the compressive strength, tensile behavior, and micromechanical parameters of a highly ductile cement composite incorporating limestone powder. Four mixtures were determined according to the replacement ratio of cement with limestone powder. A series of experiments including compressive strength, uniax...

Fast pyrolysis of rice husk was performed in a spout-fluid bed to produce water-soluble organics. The effects of mineral bed materials (red brick, calcite, limestone, and dolomite) on yield and quality of organics were evaluated with the help of principal component analysis (PCA). Compared to quartz sand, red brick, limestone, and dolomite increased the yield of the water-soluble organics by 6-...

Limestone hills are now gaining global conservation attention as hotspots for short-range endemic species. Levels of land snail endemism can be high at limestone hills, especially at hill clusters that are geographically isolated. In the State of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, limestone hills have been opportunistically surveyed for land snails in the past, but the majority have yet to be surveyed...

The ASTM C150 standard specification for Portland cement now permits the cement to contain up to 5% of ground limestone. While these and much higher levels of limestone filler substitution have been employed in Europe and elsewhere for many years, changing the ASTM standard has been a slow process. Having computational tools to assist in better understanding the influence of limestone additions...

The fungal pathogen Geomyces destructans, which causes white-nose syndrome in bats, thrives in the cold and moist conditions found in caves where bats hibernate. To aidmanagers and researchers address this disease, an updated and accessible review of cave hibernacula and cave microclimates is presented. To maximize energy savings and reduce evaporative water loss during winter, most temperate v...

Species richness, abundance, distribution and similarity between cave invertebrate communities were compared among seven caves located in the Peruaçu River valley, north of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Such comparisons aimed to determinate the degree of biological complexity in the sampled caves, calculated by the "Index of Biological Complexity in Caves", presented in this manuscript. The prese...

—The eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) is considered one of the most common and widely distributed species of bats in eastern North America, but little published information exists on its natural history. During surveys of numerous small caves in northwest Arkansas, we documented use by eastern pipistrelles and recorded ambient temperature readings in all caves and at roost and hiber...

For large fishes, seagrass canopies typically provide a relatively flat habitat on seabeds, but seagrasses in the genus Posidonia can provide additional habitat complexity by forming organic-rich deposits known as mats. Erosional processes can scour channels through the mats, resulting in the formation of escarpments with caves. Here we report that reef fishes, such as groupers, inhabit the cav...