SIMOVICH, Marie, A.; University of San Diego: Introduction to the evolutionary challenges facing ephemeral wetland fauna.

Ephemeral wetlands present their inhabitants with intriguing evolutionary challenges. Their often unpredictable, bi-phasic nature requires that organisms have unique life history adaptations in order to survive. The organisms must be able to reproduce quickly during the short aquatic phase, withstand the terrestrial phase, and persist when the transition between the two is too short to accommodate the full life cycle. Furthermore, the fragmented distribution of these habitats results in metapopulations with limited dispersal and gene flow. This gives rise to highly structured populations with high levels of differentiation and endemism. Unfortunately, these circumstances also make the species vulnerable to disturbance and population reductions. In this symposium, we will explore these challenges and their evolutionary consequences particularly for crustaceans. We will finish with a discussion of priorities for future research and evaluate conservation strategies for these unique systems.