| Ayalon Cave | |
|---|---|
 Large chamber with cave lake in Ayalon Cave | |
  | |
| Location | Ramla, Israel |
| Coordinates | 31°54′37″N 34°55′39″E / 31.91028°N 34.92750°E |
| Depth | 100 metres (330 ft) |
| Length | 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) |
| Discovery | 2006 |
| Geology | Limestone |
The Ayalon Cave (Hebrew: מערת איילון, Arabic/Aramaic, Shiha شيحا) is a large limestone cave near Ramla, Israel, with a worldwide unique ecosystem. As photosynthesis is not possible inside the completely dark cave, the food chain that developed inside is solely based on bacteria capable of chemosynthesis: the bacteria are consuming the anorganic matter available in the groundwater, and then themselves become the organic food source for the rest of the food chain. As of 2021, Ayalon Cave was one of less than 10 such subterranean ecosystems known in the world, with each of them being distinctly different from the rest.[1] Eight new invertebrate species were discovered there in April 2006 - four seawater and freshwater crustaceans along with four terrestial animals, one of them a species of blind scorpion – with many more expected to be discovered.[2]
- ^ "Scientists warn that flooding cave will ruin unique 5-million-year-old ecosystem". Sue Surkes for Times of Israel. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Unique Underground Ecosystem Revealed by Hebrew University Researchers Uncovers Eight Previously Unknown Species." Hebrew University Press release, 31 May 2006. Re-accessed 22 March 2024.