Fairy Shrimp (Anostraca) Hatching in the Vernal Pools of Eastern Washington
Faculty Mentor
Camille McNeely
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
Biology
Abstract
Vernal pools are ephemeral wetlands that fill annually with winter and spring precipitation and snowmelt but remain dry the rest of the year. Though important habitats and sources of freshwater biodiversity, they are little accounted for in wetland conservation and restoration practices. Like much of the world’s wetlands, they have seen significant decline due to anthropogenic impacts and conversion for alternative land use. Pools are also imperiled due to the impacts of climate change and invasives. These small, temporary waterbodies perform vital ecosystem services and are host to rare and endemic species. Anostraca, or fairy shrimp, lay egg cysts that form dormant desiccation-tolerant egg banks in the substrate of dry pools and hatch with rehydration. The shrimps act as key indicators of pool quality, but little is known about many of these organisms, and the pools in which they reside require further studies. Though some pools have received adequate studies with restoration efforts in recent years, the pools in Eastern Washington lack information on their conditions and inhabitants. This study examines the current water quality conditions (temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, nitrates, phosphates) and shrimp species inhabitants of several pools along the Columbia Plateau, monitors pools throughout their complete hydroperiods, identifies egg bank species diversity via an experimental study using harvested egg banks from those same pools hatched under experimental lab conditions, and long- and short-term comparisons of pool conditions. Ultimately, this study seeks to establish current pool conditions and make recommendations for mitigating any further degradation.
Recommended Citation
Garvey, Megan, "Fairy Shrimp (Anostraca) Hatching in the Vernal Pools of Eastern Washington" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 52.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/52
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Fairy Shrimp (Anostraca) Hatching in the Vernal Pools of Eastern Washington
PUB NCR
Vernal pools are ephemeral wetlands that fill annually with winter and spring precipitation and snowmelt but remain dry the rest of the year. Though important habitats and sources of freshwater biodiversity, they are little accounted for in wetland conservation and restoration practices. Like much of the world’s wetlands, they have seen significant decline due to anthropogenic impacts and conversion for alternative land use. Pools are also imperiled due to the impacts of climate change and invasives. These small, temporary waterbodies perform vital ecosystem services and are host to rare and endemic species. Anostraca, or fairy shrimp, lay egg cysts that form dormant desiccation-tolerant egg banks in the substrate of dry pools and hatch with rehydration. The shrimps act as key indicators of pool quality, but little is known about many of these organisms, and the pools in which they reside require further studies. Though some pools have received adequate studies with restoration efforts in recent years, the pools in Eastern Washington lack information on their conditions and inhabitants. This study examines the current water quality conditions (temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, nitrates, phosphates) and shrimp species inhabitants of several pools along the Columbia Plateau, monitors pools throughout their complete hydroperiods, identifies egg bank species diversity via an experimental study using harvested egg banks from those same pools hatched under experimental lab conditions, and long- and short-term comparisons of pool conditions. Ultimately, this study seeks to establish current pool conditions and make recommendations for mitigating any further degradation.
