Premium
Temporary ponds and their invertebrate communities
Author(s) -
Williams D. Dudley
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0755(199706)7:2<105::aid-aqc222>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - invertebrate , ecology , fishery , geography , biology
1. Temporary waters are bodies of water that experience a recurrent dry phase of varying length that is sometimes predictable in its onset and duration. The maximum number of temporary and permanent ponds in England and Wales in 1880 is estimated to be >1 million. A 1920s survey showed lowest densities in mountainous areas (0.12 km −2 ) and highest densities in ancient woodland and ancient agriculture areas (115 km −2 ). 2. The most important physical and chemical influences on the biota of temporary ponds are the length of the aquatic phase, pattern of disappearance of the water, and whether the latter is predictable or unpredictable. Biological influences include the degree of inter/intraspecific competition and predation, and the seasonal influx of aerial colonizers. 3. Temporary ponds from Britain, northeastern North America and northwestern Australia are compared and, despite large differences in climate and zoogeography, considerable similarity is evident amongst their faunas. Snails, microcrustaceans, aquatic mites, springtails, odonates, chironomids, and a high diversity of Hemiptera and Coleoptera are characteristic of these habitats. British ponds share at least 33 genera and three species with their North American counterparts. The three main evolved strategies by which invertebrates survive in temporary ponds are physiological tolerance, life history modification, and migration. 4. The cyclical nature of the temporary pond environment creates a habitat that is distinctive enough to support species either not found in any other habitat type or that attain their greatest populations in these ponds. 5. Agricultural drainage and pond ‘improvement’ schemes are seen as distinct threats to the survival of temporary ponds and should be reviewed in the context that these water bodies are not ‘wasted’ areas of land but natural features of the environment. It is recommended that the management of wetlands in Britain should be directed towards maintaining a high diversity of natural water bodies, including a variety of temporary pond types. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.