A Conceptual Model for Anostracan Biogeography

Abstract

The Anostraca are found globally in seasonally astatic basins, temporary pools and/or saline inland aquatic habitats. The primary question posed in this thesis is: why do anostracan taxa occur in some locations and not others? Of the more than 350 described species, greater than one third of anostracans are known to occur in only one location. Anostracan zoogeography research over large spatial scales has focused on climate and water quality data as the primary drivers of spatial distribution. Climate is difficult to quantify and water chemistry in astatic aquatic habitats is highly variable. Anostraca seem to defy any simple explanation of their zoogeography at any scale. In this thesis, the ideas that anostracan biogeography can be explained in terms of island biogeography and the Monopolisation Hypothesis are explored. Results from a series of research studies, undertaken in this thesis, directed to increasing our understanding of anostracan zoogeography highlight the following.