Cave & Karst Science (ISSN 1356-191X)

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Contents of Cave & Karst Science 41(3)

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Cave and Karst Science (iv + 48pp) (PDF 7.7MB)        Individual articles may be available below

GUNN, John and David LOWE (eds.). (2014). Cave and Karst Science 41(3). Buxton: British Cave Research Association. ISSN 1356-191X. iv + 48pp, A4, with photos, maps and diagrams.
This issue has a cover date of 2014 (December) and was published in December 2014.

The Transactions of the British Cave Research Association

Layman's Summaries

Some of the articles in this issue are explained in a layman's summary. Look for the 'Summary' icons below, or download the article from here: HTML 10KB  

Front cover photo (page i) (PDF 281KB)     

by Paul DEAKIN.
The Great Stalactite in Pol-an-Ionain cave (County Clare, Ireland) is an enormous solitary speleothem that extends 6.5m from the roof of the Main Chamber, with its tip some 3.1m from the inclined cave floor below. For further information see contents page. (Photo: Paul Deakin, FRPS).

 

Notes for Contributors (page ii) (PDF 248KB)     

 

Contents (p97) (PDF 329KB)     

 

Editorial (p98) (PDF 307KB)     

by David LOWE and John GUNN.

 

Vale: Paul Roger Deakin FRPS, 1944-2014 (p98)  For download see previous item

by John GUNN.

 

The aquatic diversity of ostracoda, phytoplankton and zooplankton from freshwater cave habitats in Turkey (pp99-104) (PDF 1.5MB)     

by Okan KÜLKÖYLÜOĞLU, Mehmet YAVUZATMACA, Didem KARACAOĞLU and Murat TELLI.
During this study, a total of 13 ostracod, 2 zooplankton and 43 phytoplankton taxa were recorded from 22 aqueous caves visited between 2010 and 2013 in Turkey. Whereas three ostracods (Candona cf. candida, Eucypris sp., Potamocypris sp.) were new records for caves in Turkey, two others (Ilyocypris cf. gibba and Pseudocandona eremita) were reported for the second time from Turkey. With the inclusion of these taxa, the number of freshwater ostracods reported from caves globally has increased to 68 taxa, although this is probably an underestimate of the total diversity. The records of two zooplankton species (Diacyclops bisetosus, Tropocyclops prasinus) found in Cumayani Cave (Zonguldak) is not surprising because of their cosmopolitan distribution and habitat preference characteristics. Among the phytoplankton, Bacillariophyta had the highest richness with 22 taxa followed by Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta and Euglenophyta with 13, 6 and 2 taxa respectively. The results suggest that each cave has its own unigue biological diversity and species richness that should be recognized and studied in detail.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 26 July 2014; Accepted: 05 November 2014.
Keywords: ostracod, phytoplankton, zooplankton, diversity, caves, Turkey.

Bibliograph: KÜLKÖYLÜOĞLU, Okan; Mehmet YAVUZATMACA, Didem KARACAOĞLU and Murat TELLI. (2014). The aquatic diversity of ostracoda, phytoplankton and zooplankton from freshwater cave habitats in Turkey. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp99-104.

 

History of biological investigations at Batu caves, Malaysia, and consequences for the progress of tropical speleobiology: Part 2 - early 20th century to Present. (For Part 1 see previous issue) (pp105-109) (PDF 842KB)     

by Max MOSELEY.
The history of zoological investigations at the Batu caves and elsewhere in Southeast Asia from the early 20th century to the present is reviewed. Although there were major surveys and Dark Cave at Batu became the most intensively biologically investigated cave in the region, until the 1970s there was little change in the prevailing view that tropical caves had little of speleobiological importance. Key advances in speleobiology in the last half century that have changed this perception and drawn attention to tropical cave biology are briefly discussed, and their possible significance for the research potential of the Batu caves assessed.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 30 January 2014; Accepted: 06 April 2014.
Keywords: Malaysia, Selangor, Batu caves, Dark Cave, history, Dover, McClure, Howarth.

Bibliograph: MOSELEY, Max. (2014). History of biological investigations at Batu caves, Malaysia, and consequences for the progress of tropical speleobiology: Part 2 - early 20th century to Present. (For Part 1 see previous issue). Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp105-109.

 

The 1980 visit of Tony Jarratt to southern Africa (pp110-113) (PDF 564KB)     

by Stephen A CRAVEN.
This report records the visit of an experienced English speleologist to southern Africa, and his comments on the caves and rock shelters that he visited.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 14 June 2014; Accepted: 04 November 2014.
Keywords: Jarratt, Lesotho, South Africa, Cango, Echo Cave, Sterkfontein, Sudwala.

Bibliograph: CRAVEN, Stephen A. (2014). The 1980 visit of Tony Jarratt to southern Africa. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp110-113.

 

A cut-marked Neolithic human tooth from Ash Tree Shelter, Derbyshire, UK (pp114-117) (PDF 751KB)     

by Rob DINNIS, Silvia M BELLO, Andrew T CHAMBERLAIN, Charley COLEMAN and Chris STRINGER.
Here we report the recovery of a human tooth, radiocarbon dated to the Neolithic period, from Ash Tree Shelter, near Whitwell in Derbyshire, United Kingdom. The tooth bears scratches on the labial surface of the crown. The morphology and position of these scratches suggest they were produced ante mortem (during the life of the individual) by a stone tool used to process food or other materials held between the jaws. The dating of the Ash Tree Shelter tooth to the Neolithic period adds to the corpus of later prehistoric human remains from caves in the Cadeby Formation. Its Early Neolithic age reveals it to be older than at least some of the prehistoric human remains from the adjacent site of Ash Tree Cave.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 02 June 2014; Accepted: 30 July 2014.

Bibliograph: DINNIS, Rob; Silvia M BELLO, Andrew T CHAMBERLAIN, Charley COLEMAN and Chris STRINGER. (2014). A cut-marked Neolithic human tooth from Ash Tree Shelter, Derbyshire, UK. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp114-117.

 

An unnatural bridge within an artificial limestone environment in the Netherlands (pp118-119) (PDF 569KB)     

by Stephen K DONOVAN.
The surface geology of the Netherlands is mainly Quaternary; it lacks surface rock exposures except in the south and east. In the Haarlemmermeersebos, a public park in Noord Holland and close to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, a series of false limestone exposures have been constructed as an amenity. Slabs of Upper Palaeozoic, presumably Mississippian, limestones are arrayed in 'beds' at the heads of artificial gullies radiating from the southwest corner of a lake. Less convincing are (rare) vertical beds, drill holes and the flow of water from the lake into the gullies, not vice versa. A bridge, similar in appearance to a natural bridge, spans a gully and has partly collapsed. These structures are a welcome addition to a monotonous landscape and expand the uses of Mississippian limestones in a country that has used them in the built environment for over 200 years.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 11 June 2014; Accepted: 20 October 2014.
Keywords: Hoofddorp; urban geology; geomorphology; karst; man-made.

Bibliograph: DONOVAN, Stephen K. (2014). An unnatural bridge within an artificial limestone environment in the Netherlands. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp118-119.

 

An uncertain future for the plants of Gunung Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia (pp120-128) (PDF 2.1MB)     

by Ruth KIEW, Joanne Pei-Chih TAN, Kamarudin SALEH, Kien-Thai YONG and Imin KAMIN.
Gunung Kanthan, an isolated tower karst, was identified in 1991 as one of the four most important karsts in Perak for conservation. Currently the southern part is under threat from quarrying. The plant checklist records 223 species representing about 34% of mosses and 16.2% of vascular plants that grow on limestone in Peninsular Malaysia. Of these, 32 species (14%) are of conservation importance either because they are endemic (19 species, of which 3 species are endemic to Gunung Kanthan), endangered (12 species) or rare (11 species). The most critical areas are the summit ridge and limestone forest, which are the areas targeted for quarrying. They are home to 134 species, 68 of which are found nowhere else on Gunung Kanthan and the ridge itself has the highest proportion of species (61.8%) not found elsewhere on Gunung Kanthan, including two of the three Kanthan endemics, Gymnostachyum kanthanense and Vatica kanthanensis, 7 of the 12 endangered species, 5 of the rare species and a further 4 endemic species. The part of the hill that contains Gua Kanthan (Kanthan Cave) with the Cathedral Chamber and the hyper-endemic trapdoor spider Liphistius kanthan has a less diverse flora (107 species recorded of which 27 were not found elsewhere on Gunung Kanthan), but is important for the Gunung Kanthan endemic Meiogyne kanthanensis, 1 rare species and 1 Perak endemic. Quarrying of karst limestone impacts not only the flora but also threatens the fauna, cave ecosystems and cave temples. It will also obliterate the iconic sheer white cliffs that are such a majestic landscape feature. There is an urgent need to conserve the southern part of Gunung Kanthan in toto.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Paper.
Date: Received: 25 May 2014; Accepted: 13 August 2014.
Keywords: Gunung Kanthan, limestone flora, endemic, threatened, quarry.

Bibliograph: KIEW, Ruth; Joanne Pei-Chih TAN, Kamarudin SALEH, Kien-Thai YONG and Imin KAMIN. (2014). An uncertain future for the plants of Gunung Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp120-128.

 

First record of the genus Aglenus (Coleoptera: Salpingidae) as a cave dweller from Iran (Tadovan Cave) (pp129-131) (PDF 634KB)     

by Saber SADEGHI, Meysam DASHAN and Yaser BAKHSHI.
The family Salpingidae, or narrow-waisted bark beetles, is a low-dispersion group that is distributed mostly in the world's temperate zones; to date most records have been from Australia. Adult Aglenus brunneus from Tadovan Cave in Fars Province is redescribed here as the first record of the family in Iran, and the insect is characterized as a troglophile species. Brief descriptions of the beetle and of its male genitalia are provided.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 30 April 2014; Accepted: 27 September 2014.
Keywords: Palearctic, Aglenus brunneus, cave, fauna.

Bibliograph: SADEGHI, Saber; Meysam DASHAN and Yaser BAKHSHI. (2014). First record of the genus Aglenus (Coleoptera: Salpingidae) as a cave dweller from Iran (Tadovan Cave). Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp129-131.

 

A high-altitude cave as an example of active karstification in the eastern Tibetan Plateau (pp132-137) (PDF 1.3MB)     

by Sebastian F M BREITENBACH, Yanjun CAI, Ola KWIECIEN, Alexander V OSINZEV, Liangcheng TAN and Haiwei ZHANG.
Karstification and cave development on the eastern Tibetan Plateau are generally significantly decelerated or interrupted because of low temperatures and relatively dry conditions. Speleothems deposited in the late Pleistocene and the last thousand years imply active karstification in Tibet during warm and wet interglacials. However, few caves have been surveyed on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, hindering the assessment of the processes influencing, and the degree of, cave and karst development in the region. Here, we present a truncated cave from the eastern Tibetan Plateau that initially developed under phreatic, and was further enlarged under vadose conditions. Xiaosumang Cave is a sub-horizontally multi-level maze cave with active speleothem deposition. Cave air temperature is 7±0.3°C, relative humidity is 96±1.9% and cave air CO2 has been recorded at 622±46 ppm. Due to infiltration and microclimatic conditions and availability of modern speleothems the cave has been selected as a key site for palaeoclimatic studies. Karst springs and caves in the vicinity indicate extensive speleological potential. Spatially extensive speleological exploration and surveying would provide an important database for regional variations in the temporal development of Tibetan karst. U-series dated speleothems from multiple caves will provide detailed information on the Quaternary glaciological, hydrological and thermal history of the World's highest plateau.
Summary: For layman's summary see HTML 10KB  
Classification: Report.
Date: Received: 04 September 2014; Accepted: 26September 2014.
Keywords: Tibet, Himalaya, caves, karst.

Bibliograph: BREITENBACH, Sebastian F M; Yanjun CAI, Ola KWIECIEN, Alexander V OSINZEV, Liangcheng TAN and Haiwei ZHANG. (2014). A high-altitude cave as an example of active karstification in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Cave and Karst Science 41(3), pp132-137.

 

Scientific note: A U-Th age from the Roof Tunnel, West Kingsdale System, North Yorkshire, UK (p138) (PDF 490KB)     

by Phillip J MURPHY, David B BROOK, Dirk L HOFFMANN and David A RICHARDS.
Classification: Forum.

 

Correspondence: Using dispersion to measure electrical ground conductivity (pp138-139)  For download see previous item

by David GIBSON.
Classification: Forum.

 

Abstracts: 25th British Cave Research Association Cave Science Symposium (pp139-144) (PDF 590KB)     

Classification: Forum.

 

Research Fund and Grants (page iii) (PDF 225KB)     

 

Back cover photos (page iv) (PDF 283KB)     

by Paul DEAKIN.
A small selection of photographs chosen from the collection of thousands of images captured by the late Paul Deakin FRPS (see the appreciation by John Gunn, on the Editorial page of this Issue).