Speleothems in magmatic rock caves and associated microorganisms
- Autores: Juan Ramón Vidal Romaní, L. González López, María José López Galindo, Jorge Sanjurjo Sánchez, Marcos Vaqueiro Rodríguez
- Localización: Avances de la Geomorfología en España 2012-2014 / coord. por Susanne Cecilia Schnabel, Álvaro Gómez Gutiérrez, 2014, ISBN 978-84-617-1123-9, págs. 498-501
- Idioma: inglés
- Títulos paralelos:
- Espeleotemas en cuevas de rocas magmáticas y microorganismos asociados
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Resumen
At first, these speleothems had been considered to be caused by the rock weathering s.l. originated by water, but later scanning electron microscopy showed their direct relation with the troglobiontic activity, hence the name of biospeleothems. They have three types of components: inorganic, due to physicochemical disaggregation of the rock by water; biological, formed by the troglobionts incorporated in the sediment; and biomineral, authigenic minerals related to the reaction of the mineral substratum with the metabolic products derived from the organic activity. These speleothems are micro ecosystems where bacteria, fungi, algae, testate amoebae, mites, collembolan and arachnids live, develop and die. They form a trophic net where bacteria, which disaggregate the minerals and the organic matter from the rest of microorganisms, prevail. Neither the cave’s lithology nor the climatic zone where the cave is located affects the troglobionts as to the dimensions or the chemical-mineralogical composition of the speleothems.
