5c. Adaptations
Organisms have evolved very specialised adaptations, often quite bizarre, to the very stable, unchanging cave environment.
General adaptations include:
- a loss of pigmentation (colour)
- partial or total loss of eyes
- extension of sensory hairs or antennae
- elongated legs
- reduced size
- changes to reproductive behaviour such as fewer but larger eggs.
The cave cricket at right has some but not all of these adaptations.
Cave animals are classified as:
- troglobites which spend their whole life in caves
- troglophiles live permanently in caves but can also live successfully in suitable surface habitats
- trogloxenes which return to the surface for food and include animals such as bats
With the absence of plants, most organisms are either detritivores (scavengers) or carnivores. The lack of food energy means animals are never numerous and the total animal biomass of caves is very small when compared to other ecosystems.
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Two
likely adaptations of troglobites are:
