Cave Ecologist Fernando Calderon Gutierrez

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Nature, Wildlife, Biodiversity, Biological Evolution, Climate Change, Global Change, Earth & Space Science, Earth Systems, Nature of Science

Ed Hessler

Amanda Heidt writes in the British Journal Nature's Where I Work,  forJuly 10, 2023 that cave ecologist Fernando Calderon Gutierrez told her that "I was always interested in biology, but it wasn’t until I saw a film about cave diving in secondary school — in which I watched divers glide past massive stalactites — that I realized I wanted to study cave fauna. The video didn’t mention the creatures inhabiting those underwater chambers, but I knew they must be there. More than just naming them, I wanted to understand their ecology, which meant I needed to study them in their natural habitat."

Heidt's essay about Gutierrez includes comments on the requirements of cave diving, cave life, relationships to surface environments, and comments on climate change. It also includes a lovely photograph

The link above to Gutierrez adds more information to Heidt's splendid reporting and provides a closer look at the equipment he wears and carries.