HR: 0800h
AN: H51F-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Hydrobiogeochemical Description of Remipede Habitat in a Coastal Karst Cave
AU: * Torres Talamante, O
EM: ulmusacuaticus@hotmail.com
AF: Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM, Circuito Exteriror s/n Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico city, 04510, Mexico
AU: Escobar Briones, E
EM: escobri@mar.icmyl.unam.mx
AF: Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM, Circuito Exteriror s/n Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico city, 04510, Mexico
AB: In anchialine caves, the marine water layer beneath the density interface is usually hypoxic limiting the presence of fauna. Remipede Crustaceans survive under the limiting conditions of the hypoxic marine water mass in addition of being restricted in food supply. The primary objective of this study is to describe the hydrobiogeochemical conditions of the Crustacea anchialine cave system where large numbers of individuals of cave adapted crustaceans occur, increasing our understanding this coastal groundwater habitat and helping conservation strategies by providing basic information to foretell changes by coastal development in the remipede habitat. The Crustacea anchialine cave system is located inland at 1 km from the coast and links 3626 m of surveyed passages with 3 sinkholes. The system is characterized by a two level configuration with a shallow 2 m deep fresh to brackish water (n=40, 16.1±0.0 g/L; n=40, 24.7±0.0°C) passage and an 18 m deep full of salt water (n=11, 35.7±0.1 g/L, n=11, 25.3±0.0°C, pH 7.7±0.0) passage. A halocline (n=7, 25.1±8.6 g/L; n=7, 24.9±0.2°C) occurs at 12 to 14 m depth. These passages are connected by vertical pipes. A preliminary census of the crustacean fauna along the cave main line, identified that shrimps congregate close to the ceiling and the halocline of the deep passages, remipedes are restricted to bottom water mass. Three different types of bacterial mats (brown, orange and white) were recorded to cover the sediment of the passages. Other information is being processed and will be available during the presentation.
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly