Systematic literature review on toxicants impacts dormant eggs in temporary wetlands: an ocean of unknowingness.

Abstract

Temporary wetlands are recognised biodiversity hotspots. Dormant egg banks, as part of their cryptic biodiversity, are responsible of wetlands resilience. Egg banks are also known to be sensitive indicators of anthropogenic disturbances. This study aims to assess the current state of research of toxicants impact on dormant egg banks in temporary wetlands. The systematic literature review carried out has shown the small number of studies on this topic. This study provides evidence of commonality concerning negative impact effect on the organisms, reducing hatching success, dormant eggs production and emergence, or species richness, among others, which might weaken ecosystem stabilization mechanisms by reducing biodiversity. Our review also revealed a glaring lack of in situ and long-term studies for understanding ecosystem consequences of toxicants on temporary wetlands. These gaps in knowledge hamper our ability to design and implement evidence-based conservation and management programs but opens opportunities for new research lines.