Carroll Cave Conservancy

Biology Project

2003 Annual Summary Report

This past year provided the Biology Project a good introduction to the inhabitants of Carroll Cave and their physical environment.  Our five Project trips were focused on surveying the cave's biota and contemplating our priorities.  We have traversed Thunder River from the Round Room to DL7, and Carroll River from its headwaters to the Lunch Room.

Some highlights from the year in review:

·         Carroll Cave may have the state's largest (accessible) population of Southern cavefish.

·         Our gray bat colonies have not been enumerated but appear significant.

·         A potentially rare flatworm has been sighted on two occasions.

·         The Carroll River Passage, from T-Junction to the Lunch Room, has undergone a complete bioinventory.

·         Correspondence with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has been established, offering identification of our invertebrates and assimilation of our data.

·         A manifesto of policies and standards has been produced.

Carroll Cave is a huge biospeleological laboratory that could provide immeasurable opportunities for professional scientific study.  However, due to the onset of human visitation and the Biology Project's lack of resources, monitoring changes in at-risk animal populations must be our first objective.  Trail-building will minimize caver impact, but that exploring the cave without disturbing its fertile waterways is usually impossible poses a serious challenge to us as caretakers.

Considerations and priorities for the year 2004 include:

·         Develop and implement a methodology for monitoring isopod numbers in Thunder River.

·         Identify riffle sites and perform population size estimates.

·         Investigate "best" sampling technique(s); make improvements as soon as possible.

·         Compare high-traffic sites with control sites.

·         Perform another cavefish census, corresponding with one of those performed in 2003.

·         Prepare for unfavorable stream conditions (turbidity, flooding) with alternative objectives:

·         Locate and identify terrestrial species.

·         Implement pit-trapping or some other program to examine population sizes.

·         Conduct thorough bioinventories in new areas of the cave.

·         Make use of our new microscope and send specimens to MDC for verification.

·         Explore collaboration with non-member experts and/or students.

Assistance is always welcome, in the field or otherwise.  Please contact the Project Manager for more details or visit the Carroll Cave Conservancy website for specific Biology trip reports.

Lawrence Ireland, Project Manager