Research in the Jama nasuprot Torka pit, Krka National Park

Jama nasuprot Torka is a pit located in the Čikola river canyon, Krka National Park. It is habitat of the Cave tube-worm (Marifugia cavatica), the only known representative of the Serpulidae family that lives in caves. The species and can be found only in underground freshwater of the Dinaric karst.

As part of the project “Determining the state of the target habitat type of Jama nasuprot Torka pit”, we carried out research in April 2023. The goal of the project is to determine the state of the pit and the population of the Cave tube-worm.
We photographed the old permanent plot instaled in 2014 and installed new surfaces from different materials (terracotta, stone and PVC) so that we can follow population growth over the years. We also measured the physicochemical parameters of water, microclimatic parameters of air and substrate, and took a sediment sample for aquatic snails.