ABSTRACT
In horizontally developed caves, the (always passive) transport of organic material from the vegetation zone towards the interior, instead takes place through different vehicles such as draughts, rivulet waters, men, and animals (anemocorous, hydrocorous, or zoocorous transport, respectively). Clay slime, usually present in groundwaters, represents a biotope of great biological interest because it is very rich in trophic resources. Water contains different quantities of both microorganisms and oligoelements, partly of endogenous origin and partly coming from epigean environments. Underground water essentially consists of meteoric water infiltrated into the subsoil and occasionally contaminated by seawater intruding into the land mass.
