Cave Life, Also known as Fauna comes in many shapes and sizes and
varies greatly from cave to cave.

Terminology:

 Troglobites, (Literally "cave dwellers") Can only complete their life histories in caves.

Troglophiles, (Literally "cave lovers") Can pass their life history either in cool, dark, moist
areas outside the cave or in caves if there is sufficient food.

Trogloxenes,  (Literally "cave guests") Cannot complete their life history in the cave.

Incidentals, Can enter caves only occasionally.

Some Examples Are:

Troglobites -- Flatworms, Isopods, Amphipods, Eyeless cave shrimp, cave crayfish,
bristletails, collembola, booklice(?), eyeless fish, cave beetles

Troglophiles -- Segmented worms, snails, copepods, spiders, phalangids, mites,
pseudoscorpions, millipedes, cave crickets(Hadenoecus), booklice(?)

Troglexenes -- Crickets, bats, pack rats, flies and gnats

Incidentals -- Raccoons, frogs, humans
 
 

First of all, the cave world does not change as rapidly as our sunlit world;
however, change does occur. Each cave has its own cycles and
rhythms of life. The temperature of the cave varies due to air movement near
the entrances, the location (on ridges or in valleys), and the temperature of water
entering the cave. In a sense, the cave has its own weather system. Wind
is created by temperature differences between the entrance and
interior passageways. This causes a "chimney effect,"
resulting in a wind chill factor underground. The chimney effect can
also produce "rain" inside the cave by altering the dew point.
The final contributor to cave weather is the barometric pressure.
Barometric changes affect air movement, humidity levels and dew points.
Subtle weather changes in the cave make it possible for a perceptive caver to
discern outside weather conditions, even though he or she may be hundreds of
feet below the surface.

Caves are different from our world, but the survival of cave life depends on the
surface. Plants, through photosynthesis and through their own decay, release
carbon dioxide that combines with water in the air and in the soil, to form weak
carbonic acid that carves the cave. In addition, plants provide
food and energy for underground animals. No matter how organic
material enters the cave, the web of the cave begins with
the sun.

The lack of light produces stress in caves by limiting the availability
of food. Therefore, cave animals must make behavioral, physiological,
and morphological adaptations to survive. Some animals,
called trogloxenes (or cave visitors), regularly visit or hibernate in caves
but customarily leave caves. By collecting food on the surface and then returning
to caves, trogloxenes play an important role in providing food for cave animals that
never venture outside. Bats, cave crickets, and pack rats are well known trogloxenes.

Cave's are used by large numbers of bats providing a place to live.
As insect eaters and plant pollinators, bats may be among the most beneficial
animals to people and other living things. By consuming huge numbers of insects,
bats work as a "natural insecticide," controlling crop pests and insects that
may spread disease. Little brown bats, one of the common species,
can eat 600 mosquitoes in an hour. In addition, many cultivated plants that we
enjoy -- including avocado's, dates, peaches, bananas, and cashews -- depend
on bats for pollination. Despite their value, many species of bats are needlessly
threatened by direct killing, by vandalism, by disturbance to hibernating and
maternity colonies, by the use of pesticides and by habitat destruction both inside
and outside caves. Consequently, bat populations in the United States and throughout
the world have been declining dramatically.

 Crickets, actually a kind of grasshopper, are trogloxenes too. They spend much of their
life in the cave but depend on night-time forays on the surface to gather food.
Crickets are extremely important in delivering energy, in the form of
droppings, eggs, and carcasses, to other animals in the cave.

Another group of cave animals, the troglophiles (or cave lovers), have evolved a
step closer to cave dependency than the trogloxenes. Troglophiles can survive
for their entire lifetime in caves, but they can also live exclusively on the surface,
where they select cool dark places reminiscent of the cave environment.
Troglophiles include crayfish, springfish, salamanders, and spiders.

Troglobites, the group of cave animals most highly adapted to cave life,
cannot survive outside caves. Many, including eyeless fish and crayfish, illustrate
creative adaptations to their environment. With no need for camouflage or protection
from the sun, many of these animals have lost pigmentation and are white.
Some have no eyes. Most have developed other highly sensitive sensory organs
to detect predators and prey. Because food in caves is scarce, full time cave
dwellers tend to be smaller, with lower metabolism and longer life spans than their
surface counterparts.

The lifestyles of all cave animals highlight the fragility and interconnectedness
of the surface and the cave environments. Ultimately, the energy that feeds
cave animals comes from the surface. In addition, land use practices outside greatly
impact water quality and the life forms in the cave. Even visitors entering the cave impact
the underground world. In commercial caves, lighting, trail construction, building unnatural
entrances, and noise from cave tours, affect the inhabitants of this sensitive and fascinating
underground world.
 

How You Can Help Preserve Cave Life

Well, its really quite easy, Remember that Cave life is very dependent on
our world. The reckless dumping of garbage, drain oil, pesticides ect...
creates extremely toxic water run off which eventually ends up in the cave.
The dumping of such substances should be avoided at all costs!
Get involved with local conservation projects such as the Bruski sink clean up.
Also, whenever in a cave do not leave garbage rather remove more than you
came in with. Pick up and take with you any garbage you happen across.
Many times one can find discarded batteries, beer cans, paper and plastic
items and stuff of that nature in non commercial caves.
Set an example for others and encourage others to help to keep the caves clean.
Remember what your Mom always said? Actions speak louder than words!