The geomicrobiology of limestone, sulfuric acid speleogenetic, and volcanic caves: basic concepts and future perspectives.

ABSTRACT: Caves are ubiquitous subterranean voids, accounting for a still largely unexplored surface of the Earth underground. Due to the absence of sunlight and physical segregation, caves are naturally colonized by microorganisms that have developed distinctive capabilities to thrive under extreme conditions of darkness and oligotrophy. Here, the microbiomes colonizing three frequently studied cave types, i.e., limestone, sulfuric acid speleogenetic (SAS), and lava tubes among volcanic caves, have comparatively been reviewed. Geological configurations, nutrient availability, and energy flows in caves are key ecological drivers shaping cave microbiomes through photic, twilight, transient, and deep cave zones. Chemoheterotrophic microbial communities, whose sustenance depends on nutrients supplied f

SUBMITTER: Turrini P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10987966 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature