The subterranean environment as a refuge for flora

Abstract

The special characteristics of the subterranean environment strongly condition the growth of plants, with light being the main limiting factor for plant life, which is why the flora that grows in subterranean cavities is generally restricted to their entrance areas. However, after analyzing and comparing the environmental factors and the composition of the flora that develops at the entrance of the caves and potholes, it is concluded that it is the potholes that are home to a greater number and better populations, both of rare and threatened species, as well as of relict species, which is probably due to the greater stability of their microclimate. It is the conditions of freshness and humidity offered by its entrances that have allowed the permanence of some plant species currently absent or rare in its environment, finding both relics of previous climatic periods, as well as remains of plant communities that have disappeared outside as consequence of habitat alteration, with bryophytes and pteridophytes being the groups that present the greatest biogeographic and conservationist interest. This evidence highlights the relevance of the subterranean environment as a climate refuge and as a reservoir of plant biodiversity, as well as the need to increase studies on it and adopt measures for its conservation; highlighting it is the main objective of this work.