Journal of Cave and Karst Studies - ISSN 1090-6924
Volume 61 Number 1: 3-6 - April 1999

A publication of the National Speleological Society

Estimates of Population Size of Stygobromus emarginatus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) in a Headwater Stream in Organ Cave, West Virginia
Shannon M. Knapp and Daniel W. Fong

Abstract

Population sizes of Stygobromus emarginatus were estimated using mark-recapture data at three sites each in two habitats of a headwater stream in the Organ Cave drainage. The stream channel habitat contained an average of 10 to 14 individuals per meter length and an estimated population size of 3000 to 4200 individuals. The pool habitat yielded very low recapture rates. We argue that the pool habitat represents a window into the epikarstic zone, and the low recapture rates indicate a large hidden population in the epikarst.

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