Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.
This site is maintained by jrfep
The subterranean lithic biome includes non-aquatic lithic systems beneath the earth’s surface. Sunlight is absent or of insufficient intensity to sustain photosynthesis. There is no standing water and moisture is supplied primarily by seepage through the substrate, and may be lost by slow diffusion through the atmosphere to cave openings or by vertical or lateral seepage through the substrate. These systems exhibit characteristically low levels of environmental variability and physical stability, with the exception of rare mass movements. Subterranean ecosystems have truncated trophic structures with no photoautotrophs and few predators. Heterotrophic microbes and invertebrates dominate the biota, while chemoautotrophs are the primary energy assimilators. Most have low metabolic rates and prolonged life histories in response to resource limitations, resulting in low overall productivity of the system. The subterranean biome includes dry caves and endolithic systems distributed throughout the earth’s crust. Incursions of fresh or marine waters generate transitional biomes (SF, SM).