Recently, I was privileged to take a trip to one of
the most gorgeous and robust state parks in Arizona,
Kartchner Caverns State Park. About an hour south of
Tucson, just outside Benson, and at the base of a large
network of hills, Kartchner Caverns is a stunning, limestone "living" wet
cave, and is one of the least perturbed cave systems
in the world. Discovered by chance in 1974 by two University
of Arizona geology students who had to force their way
into a miniscule opening, Kartchner Caverns is vast network
of caves extending throughout the Whetstone Mountains.
We were lucky to be escorted by Dr. Barry Pryor from
Plant Pathology. Recently, Dr. Pryor's group received
a grant to study the complicated microbial ecosystem
of the cave. In this environment carbon is often a scarce
resource, only entering by rainfall diffusion through
the mountainside plus several other minimal sources.
This leads to extravagant carbon fixation and usage by
heterotrophs that subsist in the environment. Dr. Pryor's
background in plant science provides a unique perspective
to non-photosynthetic organisms that use the limited
carbon resources. Dr. Pryor's extensive knowledge of
caves and organisms residing in them augmented our tour
by providing a scientific basis for many of the formations.
Our tour was of the Throne Room, which contains the largest
column in Arizona extending five stories in height. These
formations are called "speleothems." The formations
are composed of layers of calcite called travertine deposited
by water. The form a speleothem takes is determined by
whether the water drips, flows, seeps, condenses, or
pools. In addition, a light and music show was played
at the end, highlighting the most striking aspects of
the room. This was my first UBRP field trip, I was unsure
of what to expect; however, I was pleasantly surprised
with the integration of biology, beauty, and entertainment.
Kartchner Caverns is one of several gems Arizona has
to offer and I would highly recommend the short trip
out of the city.
Mark Leick, UBRPer in Dr. Mark Riley's Lab,
Agricultural & Biosystems
Engineering
We were lucky to be escorted by Dr. Barry Pryor from
Plant Pathology. Recently, Dr. Pryor's group received
a grant to study the complicated microbial ecosystem
of the cave. In this environment carbon is often a scarce
resource, only entering by rainfall diffusion through
the mountainside plus several other minimal sources.
This leads to extravagant carbon fixation and usage by
heterotrophs that subsist in the environment. Dr. Pryor's
background in plant science provides a unique perspective
to non-photosynthetic organisms that use the limited
carbon resources. Dr. Pryor's extensive knowledge of
caves and organisms residing in them augmented our tour
by providing a scientific basis for many of the formations.
Our tour was of the Throne Room, which contains the largest
column in Arizona extending five stories in height. These
formations are called "speleothems." The formations
are composed of layers of calcite called travertine deposited
by water. The form a speleothem takes is determined by
whether the water drips, flows, seeps, condenses, or
pools. In addition, a light and music show was played
at the end, highlighting the most striking aspects of
the room. This was my first UBRP field trip, I was unsure
of what to expect; however, I was pleasantly surprised
with the integration of biology, beauty, and entertainment.
Kartchner Caverns is one of several gems Arizona has
to offer and I would highly recommend the short trip
out of the city.
