Simposium 7: Subterranean life
The depths of the earth below our feet contain a wealth of organisms, from microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi) to animals and plants. Speleologists were among the earliest witnesses of this richness: it is from their first discoveries that the study of organisms in subterranean habitats emerged. Subterranean habitats are not only caves in different geological substrates, but encompass also a variety of terrestrial and aquatic subterranean habitats, including networks of fissures in the rocks and groundwater in sediments. The combined study of the diversity of subterranean organisms, their distribution, their biology, their evolution and their ecology offers new perspectives not only for understanding how subterranean ecosystems function, but also for addressing fundamental questions in other scientific fields, as diverse as human health or environmental changes.
This symposium will welcome proposals for papers on a variety of topics on subterranean life including methods for sampling subterranean organisms; inventory, description, biology, morphology, physiology, genetics and behavior of subterranean organisms; cave ecology; distribution patterns of organisms and evolution of their biodiversity from genes to communities; management, protection and conservation of subterranean biodiversity and habitats.
More info and submissions:
https://uis2021.speleos.fr/symposium-7