Hebrew University geography professor Amos Frumkin, who was involved in the study, describes the cave as "unique in the world."
The chamber is situated under a layer of chalk impenetrable to water and includes an underground lake that is part of one of Israel's two aquifers, vast underground water deposits embedded in rock, gravel, and sand.
The newfound lake, however, is different in temperature and chemical composition from the main waters of the aquifer.
Experts in cave ecology and evolution agree the discovery of Ayalon Cave is extremely significant.
Francis Howarth is an entomologist and cave explorer with the Hawaii Biological Survey in Honolulu. (See a photo of rare baby spiders found in a Hawaii cave.)
Howarth says Ayalon Cave can supply researchers with a treasure chest of new data on evolutionary ecology and biodiversity.
"This discovery is exceptionally significant regionally," Howarth said. It indicates "that there must be similar systems in other deep aquifers in the Mideast. …"
New York University evolution expert David Fitch isn't sure how unique the Israeli discovery is. But he says the new findings may help fill in evolutionary blanks.
"There are many examples of cave ecosystems. Many of these caves, like other geographically isolated systems such as oceanic islands, have a high proportion of endemic species found nowhere else," Fitch said.
"So the finding that there are several new species of invertebrates [in Ayalon Cave] is not really very novel," he said. "However, there may be significance with regard to helping … fill in the branches of the 'tree of life'"—the history of evolutionary relationships among life-forms.
The researchers behind the new study say they hope to discover more species in the underground cave. Hebrew University's Dimentman believes they will find live scorpions and predator species higher up in the food chain.
Nesher Industries, the owners of the quarry under which the cave was discovered, says it will seek to preserve the ecosystem and the findings it contains. The cave is currently closed to the public as researchers continue their work.
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