Anostracans (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) are an ancient group specialised to temporary waters, which often represent extreme habitats due to their periodical drying or freezing. This crustacean group is characterised by relatively large body size, broad feeding spectrum and high consumption rates, and thus likely plays an important role in temporary water ecosystems. To bridge unfavourable periods within their habitats, anostracans form resting cysts resistant to a wide range of environmental conditions. In addition, they mostly disperse passively as resting cysts that can be picked up by wind and animals, such as birds or amphibians. In this study, we aim to reconstruct and collect information on genetic diversification and distribution history of several anostracan species. Moreover, we assess the factors determining the distribution range of anostracan species inhabiting several continents. We combine genetic data (using the mitochondrial COI gene region) and a diverse set of traits for each individual anostracan species to determine the factors influencing their past and present geographic distribution. As anostracan species differ considerably in their distribution range and habitat preferences, we hypothesise that their traits like the body length or the habitat type are playing a key role in their dispersal range and ability to establish at a new habitat. This work could also be of value for predicting the dynamics of temporary water communities as it is expected that the number and size of temporary water systems will change in the future due to climate change and human influence.

Primary Presenter: Dunja Lukic, Donana Biological Station EBD-CSIC (dunjalkc@gmail.com)

Authors:

Dunja Lukic, Department of Wetland Ecology, Donana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain  (dunja.lukic@ebd.csic.es)

Csaba Vad,  Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary; National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary  ()

Tom Pinceel, Animal Ecology, Global Change and Sustainable Development, University of Leuven, Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, PMC Coasts Rivers and Cities, Witteveen + Bos  ()

Marta Sanchez, Department of Wetland Ecology, Donana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain  ()

Zsofia Horvath,  Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary; National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary  ()