Cueva del Tesoro, Rincón de la Victoria, Málaga: A treasure of biodiversity

Abstract

All niches of the Planet Earth are colonized by microorganisms and caves are no exception. The great adaptability of microorganism allows them to establish themselves in caves where different types of microbial communities are developed. Cueva del Tesoro harbours a great biodiversity which has barely been explored. In the last few years two new species of Aspergillus and three species of bacteria were isolated and described. Many more bacteria and fungi as well as bizarre colorisations of Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta require further investigation. In this cave, biological diversity should be considered worthy of preservation