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Inverli'hniles — Oiii Livifiif Resources 



For further information: 



Ann B. Swcngel 



909 Birch St. 



Baraboo. WI 53913 



to the habitat indicate that ecological degrada- 

 tion has already occurred there, while mainte- 

 nance of these species indicates success in 

 ecosystem conservation. Because we found that 

 management with mechanical cutting or light 

 grazing appears most effective for maintaining 

 both the prairie habitat and its associated spe- 

 cialist insects (seeming to indicate an ecosys- 

 tem adaptation to herbivory), we recommend 

 that these methods should have a primary role 

 in modern prairie management for the conser- 

 vation of biodiversity. There is cause for opti- 

 mism, however, because no known prairie but- 

 terfly species have gone extinct, despite their 

 rarity. Instead, these species have persisted on 

 habitat remnants, showing that appropriate 

 habitat preservation and management should 

 translate into readily measurable conservation 

 successes. 



References 



Bulterllies Under Threat Team. 1986. The management of 

 chalk grassland for buttertlies. Joint Nature Conservation 

 Committee, Peterborough. U.K. 80 pp. 



England. R.E., and A. DeVos. 1969. Influence of animals on 

 pristine conditions on the Canadian grasslands. Journal of 

 Range Management 22:87-94. 



Hulbert. L.C. 1973. Management of Konza Prairie to approx- 

 imate pre-whiteman intluences. Pages 14-19 in L.C. 

 Hulbert, ed. Third Midwest prairie conference proceed- 

 ings. Kansas State University. Manhattan. 



Kirhy. P. 1992. Habitat management for invertebrates: a prac- 

 tical handbook. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 

 Bedfordshire. U.K. 149 pp. 



New. T.R. 1993. Conservation biology of Lycaenidae (butter- 

 flies). lUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 173 pp. 



Risser, PC. B.C. Bimey, H.D, Blocker, S.W. May, W.J. 

 Parton. and J. A. Wiens. 1981. The true prairie ecosystem. 

 Hutchinson Ross F^iblishing Co., Stroudsburg, PA. 557 pp. 



Sauer, C. 1950. Grassland climax, fire and management. 

 Journal of Range Management 3: 16-20. 



Vogl, R.J. 1 974. Effect of fire on grasslands. Pages 1 39- 1 94 in 

 T.T Kozlowski and C.E. Ahlgren. eds. Fire and ecosys- 

 tems. Academic Press, New York. 



Caves and springs tend to be inhabited by 

 a highly specialized and intolerant 

 diversity of vertebrate and invertebrate 

 species. Ongoing research on the aquatic 

 and terrestrial macroinvertebrates and terres- 

 trial veitebrates inhabiting 105 springs and 

 caves in Illinois (Figure) surveyed from 

 1990 to 1993 has verified the uniqueness of 

 this biota and highlighted the very fragile 

 eco.system in which these organisms survive. 

 Data on more than 8,000 invertebrate speci- 

 mens, representing 4 phyla, 1 1 classes, and 

 32 orders, have been collected and the data 

 entered into a data base. More than 2,300 

 specimens and 27 species of vertebrates (3 

 fishes, 7 salamanders, 4 frogs, I turtle, 4 



Figure. Distribution of springs and caves in 

 Illinois. 



The Biota of Illinois 

 Caves and Springs 



by 



Donald W. Webb 

 Illinois Natural History Survey 



birds, I raccoon, and 7 bats) were observed 

 in caves, dominated by the salamanders and 

 bats. 



The water chemistry of the Illinois 

 springs and cave streams was typical of most 

 hardwater springs, although nitrate levels in 

 one spring and one cave stream in the karst 

 region of Monroe County exceeded the 

 Illinois Pollution Control Boards Maximum 

 Contamination Level of 10 mg/L ( 10 ppm), 

 raising concern over the effects of agricul- 

 tural runoff on the biota of Illinois cave 

 streams. The detection of mercury in the tis- 

 sue of amphipods and isopods was noted, 

 although no detectable level of mercury was 

 determined in any of the water samples test- 

 ed. 



Karst limestone regions have sinks, 

 underground streams, and caves. Qualitative 

 collections of invertebrates and observations 

 of vertebrates were made to determine 

 species richness and the spatial distribution 

 of each species. In caves, habitat selection 

 and cave preference (entrance, twilight, and 

 dark zones) were examined for aquatic 

 invertebrates and terrestrial vertebrates and 

 invertebrates. 



The aquatic macroinvertebrates were 

 dominated in abundance and diversity by 

 noninsect arthropods, several of which are 

 currently on federal and state endangered 

 species lists (e.g., the amphipod Gammarus 



achenindytes). In terms of abundance, the 

 amphipods Gammarus minus and G. 

 pseudolimneaus and the turbellarian 

 Phagocata gracilis dominated surface 

 springs, while the amphipod G. troglophilus 

 dominated cave streams. The diversity of 

 oligochaete womis, with 24 taxa, proved to 

 be the most surprising feature of the study, 

 especially because several unidentified taxa 

 of worms were collected that may be new 

 species. Varichaetadrilus angustipenis, 

 although previously collected only rarely in 

 Illinois, was recorded from numerous 

 springs. The collection of AUonais 

 paraguayensis in Old Driver Spring was the 

 most interesting find; this species has been 

 reported only from a locality in Louisiana 

 and an aquarium in New York. The presence 

 of A. paraguayensis in Illinois represents a 

 significant range extension for this species. 

 The occurrence of unidentifiable taxa of 

 Lumbricidae and Lumbriculidae also poses 

 interesting systematic questions. 



Aquatic macrophytes were scarce in 

 nio.st springs examined, although the moss 

 Leplodictvum riparium was abundant in the 

 spring head of Old Driver Spring and the 

 forb Mentha piperita plugged the upper 

 reaches of the outflow channel of Old Driver 

 and Rose springs. 



The terrestrial fauna of the cave was 

 dominated by insects (heleomyzid and 

 mycetophilid flies, collembolans, carabid 

 and staphylinid beetles, and camel crickets), 

 amphibians (seven species), and bats (seven 

 .species). The federally listed endangered 

 gray bat (Myotis grisescens) was observed in 

 one cave, and the Indiana bat (M. sodalis) in 

 six caves. The state-listed endangered south- 

 eastern bat (M. austroriparius) was observed 

 in two caves. The federally listed endan- 

 gered Pleistocene disc snail (Discus 



