Faunae of aquatic root mats in caves of southwestern Australia: origins and ecology

[Truncated] Aquatic root mat habitats in caves of Yanchep National Park and Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge contain a great concentration and diversity of cavernicoles that, until recently, have remained virtually unstudied. The thesis investigates the origins of the faunae and the factors responsible for the present distribution of the cavernicoles. The significance of the origins of the aquatic faunae, which include troglobites, lies in the geological youthfulness of the caves. Both the Yanchep and the Leeuwin-Naturaliste karst areas comprise mid-Pleistocene, aeolian calcarenites and are isolated by noncalcareous, aeolian and alluvial Pleistocene deposits from the Archean Craton i.e., the potential sources of animals belonging to ancient freshwater lineages.