Collins New Naturalist Library
Cave exploration has uncovered archaeological finds which have enhanced our understanding of human evolution, and fossil remains, such as woolly mammoths, which reveal something of the Pleistocene animal world. But perhaps most fascinating of all is the living natural history of caves.There are few unexplored places on earth, but caves still offer countless opportunities for discovery. From new passages to whole new cave systems, significant finds are still being made - recent exploration in South Wales revealed Britain's largest passageways.Caves are formed over many thousands of years, as subterranean waters seep slowly through the crevices of the buckled and twisted laters of limestone rocks. These cracks develop into fantastically shaped passages which stretch for miles, huge caverns housing vast, still lakes and deep potholes through which icy waterfalls tumble. Within them form arrays of stalactites and stalagmites, delicately twirling helictites, slender pillars of calcite and crystal pools. And it is these wonders that have encourages the adventurers who have explored and charted this underground world - descending on ropes into gaping pits, crawling and digging their way along tunnels and diving through freezing torrents to do so.Cave exploration has uncovered archaeological finds which have enhanced our understanding of human evolution, and fossil remains, such as woolly mammoths, which reveal something of the Pleistocene animal world. But perhaps most fascinating of all is the living natural history of caves.The study of cave biology is still in its infancy. Speculation and controversy abound, cavernicolous communities remain under-recorded and new species await discovery in most subterranean habitats. But in this book, Philip Chapman has drawn together his expert knowledge of caves and cave life to present an outstanding and cohesive account of what is now known in this extraordinary world, which for so many has remained unknown for so long.
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The New Naturalist Library
A SURVEY OF BRITISH NATURAL HISTORY
CAVES AND CAVE LIFE
Editors
Max Walters, ScD, VMH
Professor Richard West, ScD, FRS
David Streeter, FIBiol
Sarah A. Corbet
Derek Ratcliffe
The aim of this series is to interest the general reader in the wildlife of Britain by recapturing the enquiring spirit of the old naturalists. The editors believe that the natural pride of the British public in the native flora and fauna, to which must be added concern for their conservation, is best fostered by maintaining a high standard of accuracy combined with clarity of exposition in presenting the results of modern scientific research.
A cave spider Porhomma convexum stalks across the floor of GB Cave on Mendip. Above it, a fungus gnat Speolepta leptogaster hangs in a spreading fungal mycelium. (Philip Chapman)
William Collins
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This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2018
© Philip Chapman Philip Chapman asserts his moral rights to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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Source ISBN 9780007308545
Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2019 ISBN: 9780007403974
Version: 2019-01-09
Contents
3. Limestone Caves in Britain and Ireland
The origin and classification of cavernicoles
Terrestrial mud bank community
6. Caves Through the Pleistocene
Pleistocene survivors and recent colonists
Cave conservation and the caver
External threats to caves, groundwater pollution and public safety
Impact of human activity on cave faunas
Conservation of cave-roosting bats
To man, caves are the original shelters, sought since Palaeolithic times hundreds of thousands of years ago. To the adventurous amongst us, they are challenges to be explored, dark passages leading to unknown underground palaces and waterways, sometimes of amazing beauty. To the naturalists amongst us, they arouse our interest by their curious and unique life-forms, selected by the restrictive environments, and by their presence in areas of limestone country of outstanding beauty. Yet, as with other life, the plant and animal communities of caves form a cohesive and interacting collection of organisms, from bacteria to mammals, from lower to higher plants, depending on the varied local environments within the cave systems.
Here, then, is an ideal subject for the New Naturalist, taking into account not only the living natural history of caves, but also their origin, habitat characteristics, and what they tell us of past times. Indeed, as well as their living content of caves, the sediments within them are often the graveyard of past denizens of caves, such as the hyaena, as well as the prey of cave carnivores; and, of course, these sediments reveal past habitation by man through the present of bones and tools. So we have a fourth dimension of time to add to the natural history of caves.
It may be thought that cave communities would be one of the few remaining natural ecosystems surviving in the British Isles, protected by difficulty of access. As with other living communities more apparent and better known to us, this is not the case; they are perhaps more fragile than above ground communities, more easily disturbed and affected by man’s activities. To the natural historian the subject of caves demands a broad multidisciplinary approach. Dr Chapman has extensive experience of the many aspects of cave natural history. He has been able to integrate this variety, dealing with the essential geological and geomorphological background, the historical theme, and the natural history of caves, so presenting the naturalist with an outstanding and cohesive account of a unique and extraordinary ecosystem of wide interest.
