Longterm ecosystem and socioecological research in karst

In science, caves have long been used as model systems for the study of evolution and ecology of subterranean species. Standard cognition which is used uncritically has become ossified and cannot be used any more for the progress in speleobiology. In order to understand the potential selective pressures in different subterranean environments, habitat characterization and comparison of shallow habitats (epikarst,
hypotelminorheic, interstitial) with deep subterranean habitats is necessary. A total of five for each of the aquatic shallow habitat types will be sampled. Sites will be chosen in the prominent area of the Dinaric karst of Slovenia and in the karst region of West Virginia, USA.