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Communication at the NABS Annual meeting, Keystone, 2000
(345) INTERANNUAL VARIATION IN HYDROLOGY AND CRUSTACEAN COMMUNITIES OF TEMPORARY PONDS.
D.G. Jenkins. Department of Biology, University of Illinois at Springfield, Springfield, IL 62794
The Bluff Springs Sand Ponds are a set of 13 closely-spaced (24 ha) natural temporary ponds that vary in size, hydroperiod, and connectivity, depending
on annual precipitation. Crustaceans were sampled weekly throughout pond hydroperiods for 3 years (1996-98). These years differed substantially in hydrology, and each species responded uniquely to timing and duration of pond inundation. For example, Eubranchipus serratus responded positively to
longer hydroperiods, while others were unaffected (e.g., Lynceus brachyurus)or negatively affected (e.g., Cyclops nearcticus) by longer hydroperiod. As a result, fluctuations occurred in patterns of species presence (spatial autocorrelation), species richness, and community composition in a pond through time, and among ponds. Species richness significantly increased with hydroperiod each year (p = 0.01, 0.0001, 0.003, respectively), and larger or more-connected ponds exhibited greatest variation in hydroperiod and species
number. Some species were absent all 3 years in some ponds, indicating either (a) inappropriate conditions for egg bank hatching and growth, or (b)dispersal limitations.
Presented at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, May 31, 2000 in Community Ecology
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