Lampenflora, also known in English as lamp-flora [1] or lamp flora [2] are autotrophic lifeforms present in natural or artificial caves associated with permanently installed lighting. Lampenflora are a problem with respect to the conservation of cave features, artworks, and fauna, and consequently their presence in caves can be referred to by the terms green sickness and la maladie verte.
The term "lampenflora" has come to English from German. It was coined by botanist Klaus Dobat in the 1960s, [3] and just means "lamp flora".
So far the following types of lampenflora have been described:
Fungi and roots growing into caves, as well as plants growing in naturally illuminated areas, are not lampenflora.
The requirements for the development of lampenflora are sufficient (artificial) light and moisture. An increase in nutrient content (e.g. fertilizer usage on land above the cave) or heat (e.g. incandescent lighting) may lead to an increase in lampenflora. The germs, seeds or spores can get brought into the cave by air, water, animals or people. [7]
In the aphotic (lightless) part of caves, short-term growth of photosynthetic plants is possible thanks to the seed's nutritive tissue. After this is consumed, the plant dies.[ citation needed ]
Lampenflora can cause various problems: Since lampenflora changes the appearance of show caves, it can give visitors wrong impressions of natural caves. It does not exist in caves not developed for humans. The weak acids excreted by lampenflora can also cause damage to and change limestone and other rocks. [4] Lampenflora is especially dangerous to artifacts present in caves, such as cave paintings. [7] The appearance of algae was one of the reasons the Lascaux cave was closed to the public. Plants can also upset cave ecology.
There are several methods for reducing lampenflora. A lot of measures involve changing lighting in caves, such as lighting which only activates when people are nearby, led lighting which produces less heat, and placing lighting further away from surfaces. Reducing red and blue light in favor of yellow light can also help, but generally makes caves less visually appealing and can make certain structures less visible. Even with special lighting certain algae species can still appear. [7]
Lampenflora can also be periodically removed either physically or chemically. The use of phytotoxic compounds must take into account the integrity of the ecology both inside and outside the cave, and the health of visitors and cave guides. [4]
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the socket of a light fixture, which is often called a "lamp" as well. The electrical connection to the socket may be made with a screw-thread base, two metal pins, two metal caps or a bayonet mount.
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Mole Creek Karst is a national park situated in the North of Tasmania, Australia, 168 km northwest of Hobart. It is located on the slopes of the Great Western Tiers to the east of the town of Mole Creek. It is the only national park in Tasmania created specifically to protect karst landforms. It is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.
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Water garden or aquatic garden, is a term sometimes used for gardens, or parts of gardens, where any type of water feature is a principal or dominant element. The primary focus is on plants, but they will sometimes also house waterfowl, or ornamental fish, in which case it may be called a fish pond. They vary enormously in size and style.
Actinism is the property of solar radiation that leads to the production of photochemical and photobiological effects. Actinism is derived from the Ancient Greek ἀκτίς, ἀκτῖνος. The word actinism is found, for example, in the terminology of imaging technology, medicine, and chemistry, and the concept of actinism is applied, for example, in chemical photography and X-ray imaging.
Chrysosplenium is a genus of 57 species of flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae. Species can be found throughout the Arctic and northern temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in eastern Asia; two species are found disjunctly in South America.
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Aquarium lighting describes any type of artificial lighting that is used to illuminate an aquarium. Some types of aquaria such as reef aquariums and planted aquariums require specialized high intensity lighting to support photosynthetic life within the tank.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to botany:
This article attempts to place key plant innovations in a geological context. It concerns itself only with novel adaptations and events that had a major ecological significance, not those that are of solely anthropological interest. The timeline displays a graphical representation of the adaptations; the text attempts to explain the nature and robustness of the evidence.
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Ireland is in the Atlantic European Province of the Circumboreal Region, a floristic region within the Holarctic.
An algae scrubber is a water filtering device which uses light to grow algae; in this process, undesirable chemicals are removed from the water. Algae scrubbers allow saltwater, freshwater and pond hobbyists to operate their tanks using natural filtration in the form of primary production, much like oceans and lakes.
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Chrysosplenium iowense is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name Iowa golden-saxifrage. It is native to North America, where it is "primarily a Canadian species", occurring from the northern Northwest Territories south to British Columbia and east to Manitoba. There are also disjunct, relictual occurrences within the United States, in the Driftless Area of Minnesota and Iowa.
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