Speleology. (Senior Division 2002).

Ashley, D. C., (1) P. McKenzie, (2) and T. Aley. (3) (1.) Department of Biology, Missouri Western State College, (2.) Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and (3.) Ozark Underground Laboratory. POPULATION STATUS OF THE TUMBLING CREEK CAVESNAIL (HYDROBIIDAE: ANTROBIA CULVERI). The Tumbling Creek Cavesnail was described in 1971 based on specimens recovered from Tumbling Creek Cave (TCC) in Taney County, Missouri. No specimens of this species have ever been found in any other cave. A stratified sampling scheme was developed in 1996 to monitor the population of this endemic snail. This report details the results of this monitoring study. Snail populations within the transect area in Tumbling Creek Cave have decreased substantially since 1996. No specimens of A. culveri have been seen in the transect area during five successive trips (between Jan 2001 and August, 2001). Populations of several stream crustaceans have remained relatively stable during the course of the study. A freshwater limpet (Ferr issia sp.) experienced a remarkable population increase during the summer of 2001. An isolated population of specimens was found in a region of the cave upstream of the transect area. This study was funded in part by the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service.

Ashley, D. C. Department of Biology, Missouri Western State College. PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF AN EPIGEAN CRAYFISH IN TUMBLING CREEK CAVE. I have been studying a population of the Ringed Crayfish (Orconectes neglectus) in Tumbling Creek Cave (TCC), Taney County, Missouri, since February of 2001. These studies have been conducted in conjunction with my trips to TCC to monitor the endemic Tumbling Creek Cavesnail (Antrobia culveri). During each trip to the cave, I deploy ten traps (modified YellowJacket Traps) within the cave stream. Traps are baited with a portion of chicken wing and examined after a minimum of 10 hours. All crayfish within the traps are measured, weighed and sexed before being released. Five visits to the same stream transect area within the cave have yielded from 8 to 44 crayfish specimens. I have recorded data on 124 specimens thus far. Starting with the most recent visit to the cave, I began marking specimens permanently using a sequentially numbered visible implant tag (Northwest Marine Technologies). This will provide the opportunity to assess movement patterns of individuals and to estimate crayfish populations using Lincoln Peterson calculations. This study was funded in part by the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service.

Elliott, W.R. Natural History Division, Missouri Department of Conservation. THE ZOOGEOGRAPHY AND BIODIVERSITY OF MISSOURI CAVES. The Missouri Biospeleological Database (MBD) was developed to track and analyze Missouri's rich cave fauna. About 800 (14%) of 5,700 caves have biological records, but only 309 (5%) are adequately documented. There are about 67 troglobites (including 40 aquatic species or "stygobites"), 141 troglophiles (12 aquatic), 203 trogloxenes (20 aquatic), 249 accidentals (12 aquatic), and 184 species of uncertain ecology (105 aquatic). In comparison, caves east of the Mississippi River contain a higher diversity of terrestrial troglobites. Troglobites were reported from 390 Missouri sites, but 21 troglobites occur at single sites. Nine undescribed troglobites are tracked. Karst zoogeographic regions include the Springfield and Salem plateaus, Ozark River Basins, Perryville Karst, and isolated areas, such as Caney Mountain. I defined endemism as one divided by the number of known sites for e ach species. "Site endemism" (SE) is the sum of troglobite endemism scores within a site. Caves were ranked according to a biodiversity score calculated as the product of the total number of species, number of troglobites and SE. The richest, most diverse cave is Tumbling Creek Cave, Taney County, with 109 total species, 9 troglobites, SE of 4.0050 and a biodiversity score 3929. Mystery Cave, Perry County, is ranked second with 51 species, 8 troglobites, SE of 1.5237, and a biodiversity score of 622. A ranked list of caves was derived for conservation planning. Many species and biologically important caves will be added to the

Ireland, Lawrence and Elliott, W.R. Natural History Division, Missouri Department of Conservation. THE MISSOURI CAVE LIFE SURVEY - RESULTS FROM 22 CAVES. Caves are important habitats for many obligate and non-obligate species, though little is known about the status of their fauna. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) surveyed cave animals in 436 caves from 1978 through 1984. The Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC) is now working with the MDC to revisit a geographically widespread selection of at least 40 of the more diverse caves to recount vertebrate populations. Visiting each site within two weeks of the original study's date, volunteers count animals, collect water samples and temperature data, and assess the condition of each cave. Preliminary data from 22 caves are presented, and show an overall decline for most species, though frog and gray bat (Myotis grisescens) numbers have increased. Human impact and drought conditions are considered to have a negative impact on most of the subject s. Results from this study's final report will be used for making land management decisions regarding cave communities.