Caves Of The Organ Cave Plateau

The focus of this book is on the more than 2000 caves of the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia of which the 14 with lengths greater than 10 km have an aggregate length of 639 km. The major caves form the core part of sub-basins which drain to big springs and ultimately to the Greenbrier River. Individual chapters of this book describe each of the major caves and its associated drainage basin. The caves are formed in the Mississippian Greenbrier Limestone in a setting of undulating gentle folds. Fractures, lineaments and confining layers within the limestone are the main controlling factors. The caves underlie an extensive sinkhole plain which may relate to a major erosion surface. The caves are habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms which are cataloged and described as are the paleontological remains found in some of the caves. The sinkhole plain of the Greenbrier karst and the underlying complex of cave systems are the end result of at least a ten million year history of landscape evolution which can be traced through the evolving sequence of cave passages and which is described in this book.

Groundwater has long been an object of intense scrutiny. Only recently have methods become available that permit ecologists, hydrologists, and environmental scientists to assess the biotic and abiotic status of these all-important aquifers. The dynamics of water movement through complex subterranean ecosystems The biological organization and the factors that constrain these ecosystems Alluvial and karst ecosystem functions Contamination, management, and remediation

Their work reveals the advantages of caves for studying natural selection: the highly simplified habitats found underground serve as a natural laboratory for the evolutionary biologist, and the distinctive morphological features of cave fauna provide a wealth of data on evolutionary history and natural selection.

Groundwater Ecology and Evolution, Second Edition is designed to meet a multitude of audience needs. The state of the art in the discipline is provided by the articulation of six sections. The first three sections successively carry the reader into the basic attributes of groundwater ecosystems (section 1), the drivers and patterns of biodiversity (section 2), and the roles of organisms in groundwater ecosystems (section 3). The next two sections are devoted to evolutionary processes driving the acquisition of subterranean biological traits (section 4) and the way these traits are differently expressed among groundwater organisms (section 5). Finally, section 6 shows how knowledge acquired among multiple research fields (sections 1 to 5) is used to manage groundwater biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of future groundwater resource use scenarios. Emphasis on the coherence and prospects of the whole book is given in the introduction and conclusion. Provides a modern synthesis of research dedicated to the study of groundwater biodiversity and ecosystems Bridges the gap between community ecology, evolution, and functional ecology, three research fields that have long been presented isolated from each other Explains how this trans-disciplinary integration of research contributes to understanding and managing of groundwater ecosystem functions Reveals the contribution of groundwater ecology and evolution in solving scientific questions well beyond the frontiers of groundwater systems

"This is a family story of America's most famous cave explorer who was trapped and died in Sand Cave in 1925. That story has been told many times, but never before has the complete life of Floyd Collins been presented. Floyd's younger brother Homer tells how Floyd was fascinated with caves from his childhood, of his discovery of the famous Crystal Cave on the home property, and of the rescue attempts from the viewpoint of a brother so devoted that his extraordinary efforts to save Floyd were rewarded by his being removed from the premises while others inexperienced in working in caves carried on the unsuccessful attempt. It is a warm story of a man whose love in life was exploring caves, a man who endured his grim death with dignity and pride in his vocation."--Page 4 of cover

The Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science contains 350 alphabetically arranged entries. The topics include cave and karst geoscience, cave archaeology and human use of caves, art in caves, hydrology and groundwater, cave and karst history, and conservation and management. The Encyclopedia is extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and tables, and has thematic content lists and a comprehensive index to facilitate searching and browsing.