Studying life in extreme environments can provide insights into how life may survive on planets such as Mars. For instance, it is possible that deep below the Martian surface groundwater flows through the rock's interstices. Within those spaces, even today, life may thrive.

Cave environments are also ideal settings to study how animals evolve to adapt to these insular, and extreme environments. We can even catch populations "in the act" of evolution. This can be accomplished by examining the degree of variation of a characteristic--for instance relative to eye loss, or appendage length.

Cave environments are ecologically simple relative to surface systems. This provides the opportunity to test ecological theories and develop fundamental understandings of energy flow and nutrient cycling through these systems.

Groundwater is fundamental to the health of ecosystems and economies. The organisms that live in these environments are proverbial "canaries in the coal mine" relative to the effects of surface contamination on our groundwater, which is also our drinking water.