Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.
This site is maintained by jrfep
The Anthropogenic subterranean voids biome includes a single functional group of ecosystems that owe their genesis to excavation by humans. They include underground mines, transport tunnels, tombs, defence and energy installations and other infrastructure. Most are very young ecosystems constructed with earth-moving machinery during the industrial era, but some were constructed manually up to several millennia ago. Productivity is low and energy generally comes from allochthonous sources via connections to the surface, either by atmospheric diffusion or seepage, but some energy is contributed by chemoautotrophic microbes. While sunlight is absent or highly diffuse, some active voids are artificially lit, and this may provide sufficient energy to sustain algal autotrophs. The trophic webs are simple, however, and dominated by opportunistic microbes and invertebrates introduced on machinery or directly by humans, or else colonising spontaneously through openings to the surface. The latter may include small mammals that use the voids as refuges or breeding sites. Microbes from external and endolithic sources rapidly colonise newly exposed lithic surfaces and create biofilms that support detritivores and enhance substrate weathering. The stability of artificial subterranean voids varies depending on their substrate and management, with some prone to collapse and structural change after active use ceases.