{"id":3428,"date":"2019-02-05T14:21:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T21:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nau.edu\/biological-sciences\/?page_id=3428"},"modified":"2023-11-28T19:01:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T02:01:05","slug":"cave-ecology-laboratory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/department-biological-sciences\/cave-ecology-laboratory\/","title":{"rendered":"Cave Ecology Laboratory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nOur laboratory is dedicated to investigating various facets of cave ecology, focusing on four programmatic areas:<\/p>\n
Through research oriented toward conservation, our overarching objective is to enhance our comprehension of cave-dwelling animal communities, how they select habitat, and the consequences of human activities on these populations.<\/p>\n
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Country-Wide Assessment of Cave-dwelling Animals Across Belize<\/strong>: An ongoing endeavor focused on the characterization and management of animal communities using caves throughout Belize, Central America.<\/p>\n Inventory and Monitoring of Cave-Dwelling Arthropods and Bats in the American Southwest<\/strong>: We’re engaged in several projects to catalog and monitor arthropod and bat communities across the southwestern United States.<\/p>\n Conservation of Endemic Insects on Easter Island<\/strong>: An ongoing endeavor focused on the preservation and management of insects exclusive to Easter Island.<\/p>\n First Study to Examine Cave-dwelling Animal Communities in Bhutan<\/strong>: We will acquire data on bats, charismatic megafauna, small mammals, and subterranean-adapted arthropods to gather valuable information for the conservation of vulnerable Bhutanese cavernicoles and their habitats.<\/p>\n NB: We go beyond Earth to explore emerging technologies and conduct comprehensive assessments of caves across the solar system. Presently, an undergraduate student is spearheading a global inventory of caves on Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons.<\/p>\n Cave ecosystems possess distinctive attributes, which include simpler community structures and relatively closed systems compared to surface ecosystems. Nutrients in the subterranean environment originate from the surface through mechanisms including flood detritus, bats, and dissolved organic material\u2014resulting in the formation of intriguing yet elementary communities. Organisms adapted to subterranean habitats often display unique evolutionary modifications, and their movements underground has given rise to some remarkable speciation events. In the aggregate, these factors make caves extraordinary laboratories for investigating these intricate ecological and evolutionary interactions.<\/p>\n Crucially, we highly value our collaborations with international partners and actively engage in educational outreach to strengthen ties with local communities and their natural heritage. Our mission is to inspire and empower local communities to effectively manage and safeguard sensitive cave-dwelling species, along with the vulnerable ecosystems that sustain them.<\/p>\n Jeremy Vandenberg<\/strong>, M.S. student (Biology). Thesis project: Characterizing summer ecology, diet, and year-round activity of cave-dwelling bats in northern Arizona<\/p>\n Liliya Gilroux<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Environmental Science). Research project: Cave Arthropod Diversity of Rapa Nui<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Eliana Pearlman<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Astronomy and Geology, Mount Holyoke College). Research Project: Inventory of Potential Subsurface Access Points on Europa<\/em><\/p>\n Katie Puckett<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Biology). Research project: Cliff-dwelling Arthropod Diversity of Rapa Nui<\/em><\/p>\n Jenelle Roberts<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Biology, University of Belize). Research Project: Analyzing Water Temperature Data to Understand Cave-dwelling Crocodile Thermoregulation<\/em><\/p>\n Samantha Hershaurer<\/strong>, former undergraduate student (Biology). Research Projects: (1) Notes on the arthropods of Salas y G\u00f3mez island, Chile<\/em><\/a>\u00a0 (2) Cave biota of Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, Andaluc\u00eda, Spain<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(3) Genetic evidence of subterranean dispersal of two relict springtail species from Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, Andaluc\u00eda, Spain<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Michelle Kearney<\/strong>, former undergraduate student (Astronomy). Research Project: Robotic exploration potential of Martian caves<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Sofia Langran<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Biology). Research Project: Bat Richness and Activity at Earth Crack Caves, Wupatki National Monument, Arizona<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Quinton Redmond<\/strong>, undergraduate student (Environmental Science). Research Project: Subterranean arthropods of Runaway Creek Nature Reserve, Belize\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nSignificance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Lab Personnel<\/b><\/h2>\n
Lab Alumni<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Student opportunities and past publications<\/b><\/h2>\n\n
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