Invertebrates of temperate-zone river floodplains

Abstract

Connectivity of floodplains with their river channels affects invertebrates and habitat quality, and many invertebrates move between rivers and floodplains. However, much of the invertebrate community comprises obligate wetland organisms that are not derived from river channels, but instead spend dry seasons in moist soils or permanent lentic water bodies on the floodplain. While most work focuses on aquatic invertebrates, the terrestrial component is being increasingly recognized. Different floodplains flood, pulse, and dry in different ways, depending on climate, weather, and topography. This variation in flood seasonality, extent, intensity, and duration affects the ecology of the resident invertebrates, implying that invertebrates might be useful bioindicators of anthropogenically induced alterations of floodplain hydrology.