Moore, John C., Clarke, Jennifer, Heimbrook, Margaret and Mackessy, Stephen. 1996.Survey of Biota and Trophic Interactions Within Wind Cave and Jewel Cave, South Dakota. Final Report 8/15/96.

Summary

This report details the findings of a survey of the biota of Wind Cave and Jewel Cave conducted from June 1992 through December 1995. Apart from biota, attempts were made to identify and quantify major sources of organic carbon inputs into the caves. The study involved intensive sampling at the entrance and along the tour routes of each cave and at pre-selected locations along a grid throughout each cave. Sediments were collected and assessed for bacteria, fungi, Protozoa, nematodes and arthropods. Pitfall traps and agar dishes were used to capture small arthropods. Petri dushes and square cotton sheets were used to collect lint and feces respectively. Visual counts of bats were made along sections of the cave known to serve as a hibernaculum. Rodents were trapped, identified and released.
In both Wind Cave and Jewel Cave the highest concentrations of carbon inputs and biota were at the entrances and along the tour routes.

The distribution of lint input rates was closely coupled to the tour routes. Heterotrophic bacterial and fungal densities in these locations approached those found in soils collected outside the entrances. Beyond the tour routes, lint deposition dropped off markedly in both caves, more so in Jewel Cave than in Wind Cave. Within Jewel Cave, the high bacterial and fungal densisties closely paralleled lint deposition, and mammal activity. This pattern was less apparennt in Wind Cave.

Both caves supported Protozoa, nematode and arthropod populations. While Protozoa were found throughout the caves, nematode and arthropod were largely restricted to the entrances, tour routes and well travelled corridors (e.g., to the Clubroom and The Lakes in Wind Cave). The section of Jewel Cave between Rip Trial (dp39A) through where Hell's Half-Acre crosses Hell Canyon to the Promise Land (DD18A) may possess surface access points due to the collection of rodent feces, nematodes and arthropods at locations along this corridor.

Small mammals and bats were restricted to entrances and small sections of cave. Rodents nested near the entrances of both caves, while bats were limited to the Candle Light Tour section of Jewel Cave.

We concluded that the cave ecosystems are largely detritus-based. There is strong coincidental evidence that human activity has impacted the caves by increasing carbon inputs in the form of lint or by augmenting entrances thereby increasing access to rodents and bats. The increased carbon inputs has facilitated the colonization of several arthropod and nematode species from immediately outside the cave and from accidental introduction by tourists. The increase in species diversity that is coincidental with areas impacted by humans and small mammals is restricted to tour routes and entrances at Jewel Cave, and beyond these areas at Wind Cave.