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Anoxia pp 463–478Cite as

Ophel, the Newly Discovered Hypoxic Chemolithotrophic Groundwater Biome: A Window to Ancient Animal Life

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Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 21))

Abstract

The discovery of the chemolithotrophy-based groundwater ecosystem at Ayyalon in Israel served to propose the new speleological paradigm of the Ophel biome. After briefly dealing with the biota of Ayyalon and their biology, some aspects of possible physiological adaptation of the subterranean crustacean fauna to subterranean hypoxia and anoxia are presented. The extremophily of ophelic crustaceans and its paleo-historical significance is suggested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, National Collections of Natural History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat Ram, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel

    Francis Dov Por

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  1. Francis Dov Por
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Correspondence to Francis Dov Por .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Dept. for Earth and Environmental Resear, Ludwig-maximilians-University, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, Munich, 80333, Germany

    Alexander V. Altenbach

  2. , Geology & Geophysics Department, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole Road 266, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Joan M. Bernhard

  3. Jerusalem, The Hebrew University Of, P.O.Box 1132, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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Por, F.D. (2012). Ophel, the Newly Discovered Hypoxic Chemolithotrophic Groundwater Biome: A Window to Ancient Animal Life. In: Altenbach, A., Bernhard, J., Seckbach, J. (eds) Anoxia. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1896-8_24

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