Use of dye-tracing to delineate the recharge area of Manitou Cave, Alabama, towards assessing sensitive stygobiont habitat

In 2019, dye tracing investigations were conducted near Manitou Cave in Dekalb County, northeast Alabama. The purpose of the dye tracing was to delineate a recharge area for the stream in Manitou Cave, a 1.7-kilometer-long stream cave and the only known habitat for the Manitou Cavesnail (Antroribus breweri). In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity to federally list the Manitou Cavesnail. However, before any listing or vulnerability designation can occur, more knowledge was required, specifically regarding potential threats to the snail. With regards to the Manitou Cavesnail, this required delineating a recharge for the stream in Manitou Cave in order to determine what potential [...]