THE SAN PEDRO POTHOLE, A BIODIVERSITY REFUGE UNIQUE OF ITS KIND IN EUROPE

This paper brings out the importance of the San Pedro pothole (N.E. Sp ain) by providing data on its morphogenesis and habitat and biotic fea tures. The results obtained reveal the existence of a large and varied vertebrate community (eminently fissure-based) composed of 19 species (mainly birds and chiroptera). The floor of the cave is partly occupi ed by a small lake with high primary productivity, which allows the pr oliferation of a number of consumer species (aquatic insects, amphibia ns). The permanent availability of water and nutrients, the dampening of climatic parameters, and the suitability of the habitat for the rep roduction of various vertebrate species make the San Pedro pothole a s ite of unprecedented high biodiversity in Europe.