Water Business

摘要

Subterranean fauna consists of very small animals and microbes that live below the Earth's surface in groundwater and caves. Communities of subterranean animals in groundwater aquifers are termed 'Stygofauna'. Stygofauna are animals that are totally dependent on groundwater and comprise crustaceans of many types as well as other groups such as fish, worms, snails, arachnids, mites and insects. Stygofauna are slow-growing, long-lived, and have few young. These attributes make them very efficient bioaccumulators, slow to recover from environmental perturbation, and difficult to study. Stygofauna, as a consequence, are often locally endemic but are potentially excellent indicators of ecosystem health.