Cave Biology

Cave biology studies organisms that live in caves and other subterranean environments, including their adaptations, ecology, and evolutionary history.

Troglobite: An animal restricted to subterranean habitats and adapted to life there. Troglobites are the organisms most closely associated with cave adaptation.
Cave adaptation: Heritable traits that improve survival and reproduction in cave environments. It connects cave conditions to the traits seen in resident organisms.
Cave conservation: The protection and management of caves and their ecological and geological features. Protecting cave habitats is central to preserving their often restricted species.
Olm: A blind, aquatic salamander native to caves in the Dinaric Alps. Its long life and sensory adaptations make it a celebrated cave vertebrate.
Cave biodiversity assessment: The inventory and measurement of species diversity in cave environments. Many caves remain poorly surveyed, making biodiversity estimates incomplete.
Troglophile: An animal that can maintain populations in caves but also lives in suitable surface habitats. Troglophiles occupy caves without being wholly dependent on them.
Troglomorphism: A suite of traits often associated with cave animals, including reduced eyes and pigmentation and enhanced nonvisual senses. These conspicuous traits illustrate evolutionary responses to subterranean conditions.
Groundwater ecology: The study of organisms and ecological processes in water beneath Earth's surface. Aquatic cave communities connect cave biology with the ecology of groundwater.
Texas blind salamander: A permanently aquatic, eyeless salamander endemic to groundwater near San Marcos, Texas. It exemplifies a highly specialized vertebrate from a restricted aquifer habitat.
Cryptic species complex: A group of closely related species that are difficult to distinguish by appearance alone. Cryptic diversity can cause cave species to be overlooked or miscounted.

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