Forty years of epikarst: what biology have we learned? (original) (raw)

The epikarst habitat Wherever there is soil covering base rock, there is a zone of contact between the rock and the soil, typically consisting of an unconsolidated layer of rock mixed with soil-the regolith. This zone often has spaces larger than the soil above. When the base rock is water soluble at the pH of water in the area, these spaces are greatly enhanced by the dissolution of rock into small channels and cavities. It is the shallow part of karst areas, where stress release, climate, tree roots, and karst processes fracture and enlarge rock joints and cracks, creating a more permeable and porous zone over the carbonate rock in which only a few vertical joints and cracks occur (Bakalowicz, 2012).