Alabama Cave Shrimp - BIO203
Frenemies:
Even though
specific interactions are often unknown about the Alabama Cave
Shrimp, inferences and sightings can be used to explain the
relationships between organisms within the cave.
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One instance is
documented of a southern cavefish, Typhlichthys subterraneus,
consuming an Alabama Cave Shrimp (Cooper and Cooper 2010). Even
though this is the only official documentation of a predator,
many researchers infer that predators may include cave
salamanders, bullfrog's picture shown to the right, raccoons (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997)
and crayfish (Recce 1988).
Predation is typically a beneficial
aspect of a population such as a cat eating a mouse. Unfortunately,
predation on an extremely small population can be detrimental to the species (Jacobson
and Hartfield 1997). The population of Alabama Cave Shrimp is predicted to be
relatively small compared to other species. With this knowledge
it is extremely important to remember that the species is
hard to detect and they have the ability to fit
into small cracks and crevasses; therefore, there may be more Alabama
Cave Shrimp living in the cave than previously predicted (Jacobson and
Hartfield 1997) See
Habitat for more information on Caves.
In the past,
bats were present within the caves. Today, no signs of bat
populations exist; however, changes have been made to try to
allow for bats to enter the cave more easily (Jacobson and
Hartfield 1997). The Alabama Cave Shrimp has been observed
pushing through the silt on the ground of the caves. Researchers
hypothesize that the Alabama Cave Shrimp is eating small
microorganisms such as bat feces. Although this may be the case,
no Alabama Cave Shrimp has been dissected in search for
understanding the digested food content inside the stomach
(Cooper and Copper 2010).
Evidence
shows after years of research on the species the most
destructive species to the Alabama Cave Shrimp are humans
(Jacobson and Hartfield 1997). To begin, human destruction
of land to use for agriculture, urbanization and factories
influence the water levels within the caves (Jacobson and
Hartfield 1997).
By using water from wells to drink and shower,
humans are influencing the amount of water inside of the cave.
Water shortages cause droughts inside and outside of the cave
and the Alabama Cave Shrimp has a difficult time adjusting to the
habitat
(Jacobson and Hartfield 1997). Some months the cave will be completely dry and then in the next
month the cave will be flooded (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997).
More is explained about the different months on the
Form and Function page.
The pollution above the cave goes
hand in hand with the water quality within the cave (Jacobson
and Hartfield 1997). Management plans are essential in making
sure to keep the water within the cave safe for the Alabama Cave
Shrimp (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997).
By formulating a plan to
make sure pollution does not drain within the cave, the
environment within the cave will prosper for not only the
Alabama Cave Shrimp but everything else living within the
entire cave (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997). Pollution can be as
simple as citizens throwing trash into the cave, closing
entrances and changing the normal ways the water would drain
naturally (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997). Certain chemical
components are especially important to monitor for such as
increasing and decreasing levels of cadmium, chromium, and lead
shown to the right
(McGregor et al. 2005).
Also, when humans go into the cave to study the Alabama Cave Shrimp, it is extremely important to make sure not to take any of the little critters along by accident. Sadly, the removal of only one Alabama Cave Shrimp can have an adverse impact on the reproduction success (Jacobson and Hartfield 1997). More information on reproduction can be found on the reproduction page. Without the ability to remove the species, research on the organism is lacking. Scientists looking to study the Alabama Cave Shrimp need to be especially careful and understand how crucial safety measures are to the survival of the species.
All of this information has hopefully been very interesting, but to see some fun facts please visit our next page, Facts.