La faune des mares temporaires, son originalité et son intérêt pour la biodiversité des eaux continentales méditerranéennes

Abstract

The temporary ponds are inhabited by organisms able to adapt their life cycle to the fluctuating, unstable habitat. This distinctive feature determines the faunistical originality of this environment. The invertebrate communities of temporary ponds comprise two categories of species : -the migrant species, which are winged forms (insects) originating from permanent aquatic habitats, and which contribute to the first phase of colonisation, a short time after flooding. -the resident species, characterised by their life cycle taking place entirely in temporary aquatic habitats and always subjected to a period of drought. Crustaceans, which include most of the resident species, represent up to 90% of the total number of the animal community inhabiting temporary ponds. The colonisation of the neoformed biotops and the temporal dynamics of the animal communities were studied in detail in 9 significant stations.