Short communication, Note
Anchialine cave Špilja u uvali Vidrovača (Krka River estuary, Croatia), preliminary biogeochemical prospection
Marijana Cukrov
orcid.org/0000-0002-4389-867X
; Croatian Biospeleological Society, Demetrova 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Neven Cukrov
orcid.org/0000-0003-3920-6703
; Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for marine and environmental research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Branko Jalžić
; Croatian Biospeleological Society, Demetrova 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Anita Babačić Ajduk
; Public Institute for the Management of Protected Natural Areas and Other Protected Natural Areas in Šibenik-Knin County, Trg Pavla Šubića I 2, 22000 Šibenik, Croatia
Abstract
Špilja u uvali Vidrovača anchialine cave is situated within upper Cretaceous layered limestones, in the upper part of the Krka River Estuary and has a direct connection with estuary water. The main channel of the cave is almost horizontal, 42.2 m long and 8.7 m deep. Salinity in the cave varied from 4 to 17. Total concentrations of trace metals in its water were: Cd 23.8 ng/L, Pb 62.7 ng/L, Cu 387 ng/L, Zn 6731 ng/L, Ni 374 ng/L and Co 56.0 ng/L. The cave fauna consists of very tolerant species, physiologically well adapted to strong salinity variations. In this cave invasive tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus (Fauvel, 1923) showed a tendency to form aggregations.
Keywords
Anchialine cave; Krka River Estuary; Dinaric Karst; trace metals; Ficopomatus enigmaticus
Hrčak ID:
87192
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2012.
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