5.5 million years ago, a cave A place in Romania suffered the fall of a large boulder blocking its entrance and was completely isolated from the world.. Despite this and the toxic air inside making it theoretically uninhabitable, it eventually developed an interesting ecosystem with numerous completely different life forms. People first entered the Movile cave only a few decades ago and discovered a wonderful world.
Located just a few miles west of the Black Sea in Romania, Movile cave was first discovered by humans in 1986. A group of workers search for land to build a nuclear power plant. Today, access to the site has been blocked by the authorities and can only be accessed by special permit, but the central caverns are naturally “protected” by a series of vertical shafts and narrow limestone tunnels.
Once in the depths of the cave, Air contains less than half the amount of oxygen found in the open air and is filled with high levels of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.. Moreover, it is completely dark inside and has not seen a single ray of sunlight for millions of years.
Thanks to this cocktail of extreme conditions, the site has proven to be a goldmine for biologists. One of the first attempts to document this strange ecosystem can be found in an article published in 1996 by three biologists from the University of Cincinnati (USA). Science. Then, new studies confirmed the extraordinary nature of this ecosystem, which is literally from another world.
Scorpions, spiders, snails and never-before-seen species
And life seems to be booming in this hostile environment. Already in the 1996 study, Three scientists identified 48 species, 33 of which are completely unique to this cave. Later studies found spiders, false scorpions, mealybugs, centipedes, as well as leeches, snails and many other species.
Most of the tiny creatures in the cave are blind and non-pigmented. But really, who needs to see in pitch black? They are also a generally skinny-looking group with very long limbs and antennae that help them navigate in the dark.
According to microbiologist J. Colin Murrell of the University of East Anglia, the most normal thing is that the bacteria present in the cave had already lived in the cave long before the cave was isolated. The rest of the insects must have fallen and trapped when the limestone floor collapsed, closing the cave. Later, invertebrates reproduced and adapted to this underground habitat without seeing sunlight until today.. The cave spans an area of about 100 square kilometers, most of which is inaccessible.
As if this cave wasn’t weird enough, was the first terrestrial ecosystem discovered to be based on chemosynthetic bacteria. Most ecosystems require photosynthesis to obtain energy from sunlight. However, since there is no natural light in the cave, bacteria must obtain their energy and carbon directly from chemical reactions such as sulfide oxidation or ammonium oxidation.
Where did the food come from?
Analysis of the lake water showed that no pieces of food were visible. “So the real question was: Where does the food come from to feed all these creatures? The food comes from a foamy film found above the lake water and on the cave walls. This film is like toilet paper and can even tear like toilet paper. “It’s filled with billions of autotrophic bacteria,” he said.
The cave ecosystem was completely dependent on these chemosynthetic bacteria. They can extract carbon without the need for sunlight, and many bacteria use carbon dioxide while others get their carbon from methane. The lake water and the bacterial film on the cave walls is where all nutrients enter the cave ecosystem and is the only known example of such a system. The life cycle can continue while the smaller creatures eat the slime, while the larger creatures eat the smaller ones.
“These bacteria get their carbon from carbon dioxide just like plants do,” says Boden. “The level of carbon dioxide in the cave is about 100 times higher than in normal air. But unlike plants, they cannot use photosynthesis because there is no light.”
A window to the past
Perhaps the ecosystem and unique creatures of Movile Cave can help us understand what life was like in the planet’s primitive past, as well as giving us some tips on tackling greenhouse gases. In the early years of our world, sunlight was blocked by an atmospheric soup containing carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia. It is likely that the first living cells were similar to those found in the cave.
more The ability of the bacteria in the cave to oxidize methane and break down carbon dioxide, both greenhouse gases, is impressive. important in the current climate change process. The researchers believe it will be really interesting to explore how these bacteria oxidize or decompose these two gases to develop a technology that can decompose two gases in our atmosphere to more acceptable levels than are present.
There are many mysteries that lie deep inside the Mobile Cave. Despite knowing its existence for decades, researchers believe there are many more unexplored inhabitants, some of whom may have insights into evolutionary biology and even the nature of life.
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Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.