Post by L Roebuck on Feb 12, 2006 10:26:32 GMT -5
What's up below Wekiwa Springs?
Researchers dive into Central Florida cave water and an ecosystem that lives in darkness.
Steven D. Barnes | Special to the Sentinel
February 12, 2006
Space may be considered by many as the final frontier, but there are unexplored corners of the universe just a short distance from the urban landscape of Central Florida.
Below the feet of unsuspecting passers-by lies the mostly undiscovered watery world that supplies Floridians with the majority of their drinking water. And this dark, isolated environment is more alive than many suspect.
To open a window on the life forms found deep within the springs, the Friends of the Wekiva River is playing host to a presentation Thursday by NASA researcher and Cambrian Foundation scientific adviser Rima B. Franklin.
"Microorganisms of the Spring Caves" will focus on the life forms that may make up the base of the food web in this inhospitable environment.
Franklin, who is doing postdoctoral research for NASA that includes using microbes to recycle waste on long-duration human space voyages, is also a key member on the Cambrian Foundation's exploration of Florida's springs.
Franklin could not be reached for comment, but Cambrian Foundation colleague Amy Giannotti said the research is exciting because so much of it is new.
"It's kind of cool," she said. "It's really a unique ecosystem in many ways."
Giannotti said researchers think the food web that exists deep within the springs is both isolated and self-supporting. Its foundation is thought to be based on bacterial colonies that grow into stringy, slimy strands, which in turn provide food for creatures such as tiny crustaceans, of which three potentially new species were recently discovered in Central Florida springs.
The bacteria, which live in total darkness, use energy derived from manganese, iron and other substances in the rock and, through a process known as chemosynthesis, convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, she said. In some areas, the bacteria also create sulfuric acid, which could contribute to the formation of the underground caverns, thus expanding their habitat.
The tiny crustaceans and other creatures that feed on the bacteria also are unusual. Some of the pigment-free cave crayfish, which have no eyes, are thought to live as long as 100 years, Giannotti said. Their surface-water cousins generally live one to seven years.
What makes the creatures even more unusual, she said, is that they live in an environment that receives no light, is generally low in nutrients and is subject to continuously strong currents pushing up from the aquifer as the water makes its way to the surface.
The harsh conditions also make exploration difficult. Specially trained divers with the Cambrian Foundation must squeeze through narrow tunnels as they make their way "upstream" from the spring heads. Many of the passages are so constricted that divers must push their tanks ahead of them as they wiggle through against the current.
Friends of the Wekiva member and Cambrian Foundation volunteer Bob Giguere, who takes part in some of the dives, said the research is fascinating because so much remains to be discovered.
"So much of it is unknown," he said. "It's kind of like the days of Columbus, when you were afraid to go off the edge of the map and fall off."
Giannotti said the research is important in establishing a baseline for future studies that could indicate changes in nutrient levels emerging from the springs. Large changes brought about by human activities could have a profound effect on the water supply for humans and other animals that rely on them.
"It's a very important system overall, and the entire basin is under stress," she said. "It's critical to know what's going on underground."
Although some of the group's findings are technical, Giannotti said, Franklin is adept at breaking down the information in a way that makes it easy for lay people to understand.
"She has a real passion for helping other people learn," she said. "She can take a very complex environment and explain it to the general public."
Orlando Sentinel
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-swekiva1206feb12,0,1563929.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-seminole
Researchers dive into Central Florida cave water and an ecosystem that lives in darkness.
Steven D. Barnes | Special to the Sentinel
February 12, 2006
Space may be considered by many as the final frontier, but there are unexplored corners of the universe just a short distance from the urban landscape of Central Florida.
Below the feet of unsuspecting passers-by lies the mostly undiscovered watery world that supplies Floridians with the majority of their drinking water. And this dark, isolated environment is more alive than many suspect.
To open a window on the life forms found deep within the springs, the Friends of the Wekiva River is playing host to a presentation Thursday by NASA researcher and Cambrian Foundation scientific adviser Rima B. Franklin.
"Microorganisms of the Spring Caves" will focus on the life forms that may make up the base of the food web in this inhospitable environment.
Franklin, who is doing postdoctoral research for NASA that includes using microbes to recycle waste on long-duration human space voyages, is also a key member on the Cambrian Foundation's exploration of Florida's springs.
Franklin could not be reached for comment, but Cambrian Foundation colleague Amy Giannotti said the research is exciting because so much of it is new.
"It's kind of cool," she said. "It's really a unique ecosystem in many ways."
Giannotti said researchers think the food web that exists deep within the springs is both isolated and self-supporting. Its foundation is thought to be based on bacterial colonies that grow into stringy, slimy strands, which in turn provide food for creatures such as tiny crustaceans, of which three potentially new species were recently discovered in Central Florida springs.
The bacteria, which live in total darkness, use energy derived from manganese, iron and other substances in the rock and, through a process known as chemosynthesis, convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates, she said. In some areas, the bacteria also create sulfuric acid, which could contribute to the formation of the underground caverns, thus expanding their habitat.
The tiny crustaceans and other creatures that feed on the bacteria also are unusual. Some of the pigment-free cave crayfish, which have no eyes, are thought to live as long as 100 years, Giannotti said. Their surface-water cousins generally live one to seven years.
What makes the creatures even more unusual, she said, is that they live in an environment that receives no light, is generally low in nutrients and is subject to continuously strong currents pushing up from the aquifer as the water makes its way to the surface.
The harsh conditions also make exploration difficult. Specially trained divers with the Cambrian Foundation must squeeze through narrow tunnels as they make their way "upstream" from the spring heads. Many of the passages are so constricted that divers must push their tanks ahead of them as they wiggle through against the current.
Friends of the Wekiva member and Cambrian Foundation volunteer Bob Giguere, who takes part in some of the dives, said the research is fascinating because so much remains to be discovered.
"So much of it is unknown," he said. "It's kind of like the days of Columbus, when you were afraid to go off the edge of the map and fall off."
Giannotti said the research is important in establishing a baseline for future studies that could indicate changes in nutrient levels emerging from the springs. Large changes brought about by human activities could have a profound effect on the water supply for humans and other animals that rely on them.
"It's a very important system overall, and the entire basin is under stress," she said. "It's critical to know what's going on underground."
Although some of the group's findings are technical, Giannotti said, Franklin is adept at breaking down the information in a way that makes it easy for lay people to understand.
"She has a real passion for helping other people learn," she said. "She can take a very complex environment and explain it to the general public."
Orlando Sentinel
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-swekiva1206feb12,0,1563929.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-seminole