engleski

The Sumarine Cave near Vrbnik (Island of Krk, Velebit Channel, Adriatic Sea)

The researches of submarine cave near Vrbnik (Island of Krk, the Vinodol Channel) had been performed during the period from October 1998 to June 1999 by SCUBA diving equipment. The cave is 30 m long and it has the shape of an irregular triangular prism. It was formed in upper Cretaceous limestone rocks. The mud and the stone blocks cover the bottom of the cave. The cave was formed under terrestic conditions, probably during Wuerm Glacial age. During the Holocene sea-level rise the cave was submerged. Biocoenological research reveals 5 taxons of macroflora and 93 taxons of macrofauna (Porifera 18, Cnidaria 5, Sipunculida 2, Gastropoda 3, Bivalvia 13, Cephalopoda 1, Polychaeta 7, Crustacea 14, Bryozoa 6, Echinodermata 4, Tunicata 4, Pisces 17). The research of Malacostraca revealed 12 species of Decapodes and 2 species of Mysidiacea. Among registered fishes only goby Gammogobius steinitzi is considered to be exclusive cave inhabitant and goby Thorogobius ephippiatus is by far the most numerous fish. From the cave entrance and up to 3 m into the cave a precoralligenous aspect of corallinous biocoenosis was registered. The biocoenosis of semi-dark caves with the predominant Porifera fauna was registered up to 20 m into the cave, while along last 10 m to the cave end the Polychaeta are predominant.

Adriatic Sea; Krk; submarine cave; biocenosis

nije evidentirano