Southwest Caves Reveal New Forms of Life
Fact Sheet
2009-3024
Prepared in cooperation with Northern Arizona University Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management
By: J. Judson Wynne and Charles Drost
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Abstract
Caves in northern Arizona and western New Mexico are being researched and inventoried by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating agencies. Southwestern caves have been little studied, and scientists are now finding that these lightless and nutrient-poor natural systems are home to life forms found nowhere else on Earth. This research has identified unique communities of arthropods (insects, arachnids, and crustaceans) that include 3 new genera, or groups of species, and at least 15 new species - some only known to exist in a single cave. This exciting research is yielding information that will be used by resource managers to better understand and protect fragile and important Southwestern cave ecosystems.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Southwest Caves Reveal New Forms of Life |
| Series title | Fact Sheet |
| Series number | 2009-3024 |
| DOI | 10.3133/fs20093024 |
| Edition | Version 1.0 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
| Description | 2 p. |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |