The Biology of Caves and Other Subterranean Habitats. David C. Culver and Tanja Pipan.

The dark depths of caves harbor some of the most mysterious, bizarre, and beautiful animals yet discovered. The unique morphologies of these “wrecks of ancient life”, as Darwin (1859) called them, have long drawn the attention of scientists and naturalists, particularly those interested in evolutionary processes. While evolution of cave animals remains a topic of intense interest, recent decades have witnessed a major expansion in the disciplinary diversity of subterranean biology and the types of subterranean habitats studied. “The biology of caves and other subterranean habitats” by David Culver and Tanja Pipan provides a much needed update and synthesis of the breadth of our understanding of the biology of the subterranean world.

This book is part of Oxford Press’ “Biology of Habitats” series that is meant to be a set of concise texts targeted toward a general audience of naturalists, students, and professional scientists who are looking for an entry point into learning about various ecosystems. In this respect, Culver and Pipan have hit the mark. The text is a broad synthesis of subterranean biology that should be easy to follow for readers of varied scientific backgrounds. The chapters build a coherent story that starts with the physical environment of the subsurface and culminates in a discussion of the conservation of these unique habitats. Along the way, the reader is introduced to the sources of energy to and functioning of subterranean ecosystems, a survey of subterranean animals, the biotic interactions occurring within communities, concepts of adaptation and evolution, biogeographical patterns of subterranean diversity, and representative communities of various subterranean habitats. Compared with the book about cave life written by Culver twenty seven years ago (Culver, 1982) that is the historical precursor to this new book, nearly half of these topics is completely novel and the remainder has been thoroughly modernized. As suggested by the title, caves take center stage in this book, but other subterranean systems, such as interstitial habitats and shallow groundwater systems, are considered.

Surveying all of subterranean biology in just 214 pages is ambitious and it means many of the details are missing. The authors compensate for this in most chapters by using in-depth examination of a few well-studied systems to delve deeper into each topic. In addition, the impressive set of references in the book directs the reader to greater detail. It is particularly notable that at least half of the references in the book are from the past decade, but the classic studies are there as well. Students of subterranean biology will want this book for the references alone. In most chapters, the authors do a nice job of setting the historical context to the study of subterranean systems. For example, the chapters dealing with adaptation and evolution start with Lamarck and finish with modern molecular genetics. The authors draw heavily on European and North American systems, which have been most studied, but they incorporate information from other parts of the world, which should appeal to an international audience. Some topics receive limited coverage in the name of brevity, such as microbiology and some non-cave habitats (especially hyporheic systems). These limitations are understandable though, and the sacrifice of some detail is well worth the breadth of coverage this book provides in a concise package.

In general, the book is an enjoyable read and it contains few errors. There is plenty of jargon to confound the reader, but it has been minimized and there is a useful glossary to help. The book is well illustrated with photos and figures that help demonstrate concepts in the text. The book would have benefited from some color photos; even though cave animals mostly lack pigment, black and white photos, and line drawings just do not do them justice. This is a minor criticism, however, and overall the book is nicely assembled.

Whether you are a newcomer who is curious about the subterranean world or someone already well-versed in subterranean biology, this book is an excellent resource.