Аннотация:Some recent microbiological research (Cunningham et al., 1995, Koilaj et al., 1999, Khizhnyak et al., 2003, Semikolennykh et al., 2004) demonstrate the important role of microfungi in subsurface ecosystems and several geochemical processes. Microfungi make up one of the trophic levels in a cave ecosystem by consuming organic matter of different origins: primary biomass produced by chemosynthetic prokaryotes, organic detritus, and dispersed organic compounds in bedrocks. People visiting caves may create additional flows of untypical organic substances as well as fungal species associated with humans and anthropogenic artifacts. Because of this the characteristics of cave fungal communities can be used as an indicator of recreational traffic and anthropogenic load on cave ecosystems. Khizhnyak et al. (2003) found that fungal biomass and diversity in Siberian caves are clear indicators of human impact on the subterranean environment. Increase of total fungal biomass in frequently visited caves and a change to new dominanting taxa such as species of Penicillium and Mucor, as well as a general decrease in fungal biodiversity in caves heavily visited were also reported by Shapiro and Pringle (2010).