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How Hydrogeology has Shaped the Ecology of Missouri's Ozark Cavefish, Amblyopsis Rosae, and Southern Cavefish, Typhlichthys Subterraneus: Insights on the Sightless from understanding the Underground

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Abstract

Two troglobitic fishes of conservation concern that inhabit Missouri are the Ozark and southern cavefishes, Amblyopsis rosae and Typhlichthys subterraneus, respectively. These species inhabit the groundwater of karstified bedrock in the Springfield and Salem plateau regions of the state, respectively. These two areas differ substantially – geographically, geologically, and hydrologically. This paper explores how these differences interact in shaping (1) the habitat in which these two species dwell, (2) the resulting ecological constraints that the fishes face, (3) how their ecologies and populations reflect these constraints, and (4) how conservation and management efforts may need to be tailored to best compliment the unique challenges that each species presents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri-Columbia, 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO, 65211-7240, U.S.A.

    Douglas B. Noltie

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, 101 Geology Building, Columbia, MO, 65211-1380, U.S.A.

    Carol M. Wicks

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Noltie, D.B., Wicks, C.M. How Hydrogeology has Shaped the Ecology of Missouri's Ozark Cavefish, Amblyopsis Rosae, and Southern Cavefish, Typhlichthys Subterraneus: Insights on the Sightless from understanding the Underground. Environmental Biology of Fishes 62, 171–194 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011815806589

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