| Seasonally ponded isolated wetlands (SPIWs) are a unique and threatened aquatic ecosystem. They are small habitats, isolated from inflow and outflows of water, such as streams, rivers, and groundwater. Thus, their hydrology is driven by precipitation. In periods of low precipitation SPIWs may dry, becoming inundated again in accordance with rainfall. The importance of SPIWs to both flora and fauna has just recently been discovered. Aquatic predatory insects found in SPIWs in Grand Bay, MS were the focus of this study. Analyses of abundance, phenology, and on-site pond conditions revealed a non-random species distribution, with predictability based on season and habitat parameters. Community similarity was analyzed using all species collected (common and rare) and suggest that habitats were unique to one another in terms of species distributions. However, when only the top ten most commonly collected species were considered, sites showed high similarity. In addition, this study produced a broad based bio-inventory of the top aquatic insect predators found in SPIWs of Grand Bay, MS, as well as, provided needed baseline data for justifying the protection of these unique and quickly disappearing wetlands. |
