DEFINITIONS
Changes to Ecological Group classifications (February 14, 2016)
There is a long history of efforts to define the ecological associations (ecological groups) of terrestrial cave animals, which have been summarized by several authors including Vandel (1965), Camacho (1992) and Sket (2008). To date the issue seems to not be satisfactorily resolved to the satisfaction of all (Romero, 2009, 2011; Lunghi et al., 2014), but the definitions proposed by Sket (2008) seem to be gaining greater acceptance among biospeleologists. I have adopted the following definitions (modified after Sket, 2008) for use on this website.
Troglobiont - An obligate cave animal, which cannot live outside of the cave environment.
Eutroglophile - A facultative cave animal (population) that is capable of completing its life cycle within caves, but may also do so in similar habitats.
Subtroglophile - An animal that has a proclivity for regularly using caves to meet one or more of its ecological needs, such as food, water, shelter, etc., but must return to the epigean environment to meet some required life cycle need(s).
Trogloxene - An animal that opportunistically uses cave resources that occur within its territory.
Incidental – This term, rather than “accidental”, is applied to animals that randomly enter a cave, and that derive no ecological benefit from their presence in these habitats.
References:
Camacho, A.I., 1992 - A classification of the aquatic and terrestrial subterranean environment and their associated fauna. In: A.I. Camacho (Ed.), The Natural History of Biospeleology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, p. 57-103.
Lunghi, E., Manenti, R. & Ficetola, G.F., 2014 – Do cave features affect underground habitat exploration by non-troglobite species? Acta Oecologica, 55: 29-35.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2013.11.003
Romero, A., 2009 - Cave biology–life in darkness. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 291 p.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511596841
Romero, A., 2011 - The Evolution of Cave Life - New concepts are challenging conventional ideas about life underground. American Scientist, 99: 144-151.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1511/2011.89.144
Sket, B., 2008 - Can we agree on an ecological classification of subterranean animals?, Journal of Natural History, 42 (21-22): 1549-1563.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930801995762
Vandel, A., 1965 - Biospeleology. The biology of cavernicolous animals. Pergamon Press, New York, 524 p.
There is a long history of efforts to define the ecological associations (ecological groups) of terrestrial cave animals, which have been summarized by several authors including Vandel (1965), Camacho (1992) and Sket (2008). To date the issue seems to not be satisfactorily resolved to the satisfaction of all (Romero, 2009, 2011; Lunghi et al., 2014), but the definitions proposed by Sket (2008) seem to be gaining greater acceptance among biospeleologists. I have adopted the following definitions (modified after Sket, 2008) for use on this website.
Troglobiont - An obligate cave animal, which cannot live outside of the cave environment.
Eutroglophile - A facultative cave animal (population) that is capable of completing its life cycle within caves, but may also do so in similar habitats.
Subtroglophile - An animal that has a proclivity for regularly using caves to meet one or more of its ecological needs, such as food, water, shelter, etc., but must return to the epigean environment to meet some required life cycle need(s).
Trogloxene - An animal that opportunistically uses cave resources that occur within its territory.
Incidental – This term, rather than “accidental”, is applied to animals that randomly enter a cave, and that derive no ecological benefit from their presence in these habitats.
References:
Camacho, A.I., 1992 - A classification of the aquatic and terrestrial subterranean environment and their associated fauna. In: A.I. Camacho (Ed.), The Natural History of Biospeleology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, p. 57-103.
Lunghi, E., Manenti, R. & Ficetola, G.F., 2014 – Do cave features affect underground habitat exploration by non-troglobite species? Acta Oecologica, 55: 29-35.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2013.11.003
Romero, A., 2009 - Cave biology–life in darkness. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 291 p.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511596841
Romero, A., 2011 - The Evolution of Cave Life - New concepts are challenging conventional ideas about life underground. American Scientist, 99: 144-151.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1511/2011.89.144
Sket, B., 2008 - Can we agree on an ecological classification of subterranean animals?, Journal of Natural History, 42 (21-22): 1549-1563.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930801995762
Vandel, A., 1965 - Biospeleology. The biology of cavernicolous animals. Pergamon Press, New York, 524 p.
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