![]() When pools refill, conductivity, and temperature cue the eggs to break dormancy, and crustaceans continue their life cycles ( Calabrese et al., 2016). ![]() When rock pools begin to dry, these crustaceans lay eggs that remain viable in dry sediment for years. These organisms are largely branchiopod crustaceans, such as anostracans, notostracans, and cladocerans, and other crustaceans such as ostracods ( Jocqué et al., 2010b). Many of these same insect taxa are also predators (e.g., hemipterans) that need to consume high-protein prey to reach adulthood and become aerial dispersers before pools dry ( Jocqué et al., 2010b O'Neill and Thorp, 2014 Brendonck et al., 2016 Lund et al., 2016).Ĭonversely, passive dispersers employ strategies that allow them to survive drying in situ. Active dispersers are commonly insect taxa, such as hemipterans, coleopterans, and dipterans, and are likely habitat generalists due to their ability to travel to other water bodies ( Jocqué et al., 2010b). When they reach their adult stage, these macroinvertebrates fly to more permanent water sources to wait until rock pools fill again. Depending on expected pool permanence, which is partly cued by habitat size, active dispersers lay eggs in newly-filled pools to start the next generation, which must fully develop before the pool dries ( Jocqué et al., 2010b). These macroinvertebrates can colonize rock pools almost immediately upon inundation. Active dispersers are less restricted by hydroperiod because they fly or crawl overland from pool to pool to escape drying ( Jocqué et al., 2010b). (2010b) categorized rock pool taxa into two major mobility groups: active dispersers and passive dispersers. To survive in temporary water bodies, resident species have to either persist through drying events or disperse away from drying habitats. These results provide a foundation for future work investigating changes in rock pool ecosystem function due to altered hydroperiods. If passive disperser populations decrease, their associated ecosystem functions, such as fine organic matter processing, could be disrupted. Climate change scenarios may result in shorter rock pool hydroperiods in many regions, which could reduce habitat availability for passive dispersers with weak overland dispersal abilities. In contrast, passive disperser taxa were generally filterers (39%), gatherers (29%), and scrapers (21%). Most active disperser taxa were predators (60%) and gatherers (33%). On average across all datasets, taxa were equally comprised of active dispersers and passive dispersers. Here, we analyze taxonomic data (26 species lists) obtained from 24 published studies of rock pools to assess the dispersal and feeding strategies of macroinvertebrates, and how ecosystem functions may change with shorter hydroperiods. Quantifying dispersal and functional feeding traits across rock pool macroinvertebrate communities in multiple regions could provide insight into how rock pool ecosystems will respond to shorter hydroperiods predicted by climate change models. Resident macroinvertebrates must complete their life cycles before drying, and may employ active or passive dispersal strategies to survive drying. Hydroperiod is one of the primary limiting factors on aquatic macroinvertebrates living in rock pools. Rock pools are important desert ecosystems that provide rare sources of surface water in arid regions. School of Natural Resources and The Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
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