Times of the Islands Winter 2023/24

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
These are scenes from cavern-fed ponds at Northwest Point, Providenciales.
Clockwise from top: One of a small school of tarpon circles a cavern entrance. In this rich algal bed, red mangroves give way to the vertical
walls of a sinkhole. This field of Cassiopea, (the “upside down jellyfish”) rests on lake sediments. This vertical sinkhole is lined with Caulerpa
(a macro algae). A rich population of brilliant red Barbouria cave shrimp graze on green sediments of a tiny, cavern-fed pond. No predators!
their way through the dark, anchialine caves, establishing
a colony within the ponds as far as a mile from the sea.
Orphaned oceans indeed.
During our studies, we have learned that each pond
represents a unique, precious “natural experiment” in
marine colonization and community structuring. Some
ponds are incredibly simple. A single species of cave
shrimp, having negotiated passage through the network
of submarine fissures and caves, finds a tiny surface
pond with an unlimited supply of rich, green sediment.
Left: A calcareous freshwater algae (Chara) dominates the shallows of Cottage Pond, North Caicos.
Right: An incredible swarm of water bugs (Notonecta) hover in the reeds near shore.
30 www.timespub.tc