La voie des ténèbres : évolution vers la vie souterraine
Grottes et Abysses : Les mondes des Profondeurs (Colloques de la SRSL, le 8 décembre 2006)
Faculté universitaire des Sciences agronomiques, Unité d’Entomologie fonctionnelle et évolutive, B-5030 Gembloux, michel.dethier@adesa.be
Résumé
Natural caves and artificial undergrounds constitute a fascinating world. As well as speleologists and archaeologists, biologists will find there an interesting filed of research. Indeed, the cave fauna is very particular and shows remarkable adaptations to the environment of this kind, where no light and no photosynthesis exist. Troglobites are frequently blind, colourless, long living with a low metabolism species. Scientists speak often of “regressive evolution”. But can evolution regress? Up to now, the origins of the underground fauna remain uncertain and specialists are still discussing the theories. But mankind did not wait for scientific explanations: since a long time, the underground world has been peopled by dwarfs and dragons…