An ecological study of Cueva de los Roques lava tube (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Abstract

Several aspects of the ecology of Cueva de los Roques were studied: the survey initiated by other speleologists was completed; the flora at the entrance to the cave was studied; and the fauna of the whole cave was analysed by sampling on two occasions three months apart, using a combination of visual searching and baited trapping. The most striking result was the difference in both physical conditions and biology between the two branches of the cave. Branch A has several entrances and thus appreciable air movements, with the result that it is inhabited only by trogloxenes and a few troglophiles. In contrast, branch B is a blind tube with constant high humidity and stable temperature, here there is a community of troglobites. We have found a total of 27 species of invertebrates; these include nine troglobites, of which seven are already known from other lava tubes on Tenerife. This suggests the occurrence of dispersal through a network of cracks in the subsoil, as in other volcanic and karst regions.