Post by jonsdigs on Mar 28, 2009 21:28:28 GMT -5
ILLINOIS STYLE: Caverns rich but fragile
Chicago Tribune
By CHRIS YOUNG | The (Springfield) State Journal-Register
March 28, 2009
WATERLOO, Ill. - Deep inside the cave, there's no getting accustomed to the darkness.
It's just dark. No light. None.
And somehow, life continues to find a way to survive -- even thrive -- there.
At Illinois Caverns State Natural Area near Waterloo, not far from St. Louis, dozens of organisms call the cave home.
But adapting to what would seem to be an inhospitable environment for competitors isn't always a safe bet anymore.
That's because the delicate, low-energy cave environment easily can be upset by human behavior on the surface.
Illinois Caverns is in one of Illinois' karst regions, where water drains from the surface into sinkholes and into underground streams.
Full Story
Chicago Tribune
By CHRIS YOUNG | The (Springfield) State Journal-Register
March 28, 2009
WATERLOO, Ill. - Deep inside the cave, there's no getting accustomed to the darkness.
It's just dark. No light. None.
And somehow, life continues to find a way to survive -- even thrive -- there.
At Illinois Caverns State Natural Area near Waterloo, not far from St. Louis, dozens of organisms call the cave home.
But adapting to what would seem to be an inhospitable environment for competitors isn't always a safe bet anymore.
That's because the delicate, low-energy cave environment easily can be upset by human behavior on the surface.
Illinois Caverns is in one of Illinois' karst regions, where water drains from the surface into sinkholes and into underground streams.
Full Story