The theory of island biogeography predicts the effects of habitat isolation and size on species richness, community assembly, and the persistence of species. Various studies showed that habitat conditions and the ecology of species are also of relevance in explaining community assembly. Geographically isolated habitats like caves with rather constant environmental conditions provide models to t...

Marine caves are widely acknowledged for their unique biodiversity and constitute a typical feature of the Mediterranean coastline. Herein an attempt was made to evaluate the ecological significance of this particular ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea, which is considered a biodiversity hotspot. This was accomplished by using Porifera, which dominate the rocky sublittoral substrata, as a refer...

Caves are not colonised by all taxa present in the surface species pool, due to absence of light and the tendency to food limitation when compared to surface communities. Under strong species sorting during colonisation and later by the restrictive environmental filter, traits that are not adaptive in subterranean habitats may be filtered out. We tested whether cave communities were assembled b...

Three techniques for treating fish ponds with agricultural limestone were evaluated in ponds with clayey soils in Brazil and in ponds with sandy soils in South Africa. Amounts of agricultural limestone equal to the lime requirement of bottom soils were applied by the following methods to each of three ponds: (1) direct application over the pond surface; (2) spread uniformly over the bottom of t...

Dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) are singlecelled, eukaryotic, phagotrophic bacterivores usually present and often abundant in terrestrial ecosystems (Raper, 1984). These organisms represent a normal component of the microflora in soils and apparently play a role in maintaining the natural balance that exists between bacteria and other microorganisms in the soil environment. Fo...

The kinetics of calcination of a high calcium type of limestone was studied. Ukpilla limestone found in the central region of Nigeria was studied. The limestone composition shows that the limestone has 51.29% calcium oxide and 41.53% loss on ignition and magnesium oxide content of 2.23%. The following parameters were determined; diffusion coefficient of lime layer, and mass transfer coefficient...

Worldwide, lava caves host colorful microbial mats. However, little is known about the diversity of these microorganisms, or what role they may play in the subsurface ecosystem. White and yellow microbial mats were collected from four lava caves each on the Azorean island of Terceira and the Big Island of Hawai'i, to compare the bacterial diversity found in lava caves from two widely separated ...

Although seagrass meadows form a relatively homogenous habitat, escarpments, which three-dimensional structures and originate from the erosion of peat, can provide important habitat for reef fishes. Here, we compare fish assemblages structural complexity among Posidonia australis escarpments canopies, as well limestone habitats, to understand role in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The total numb...

Indirect indicators are critically important for recognizing hypogene karst that is too deep-seated to have explorable caves. We suggested in previous publications an extensive network of non-tectonic synclines otherwise flat-lying Eocene limestone Egypt might be such indirect indicator. proposed formed by sag layers overlying a zone today remains deep below the surface and speleogenesis result...