APPLICATION OF ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY THEORY TO TEMPORARY POOLS

One aspect of island biogeography theory contends that a direct correl ation exists between the size of an island and the species richness of an island. We applied this aspect of island biogeography theory to te mporary pools. Six temporary pools were randomly selected and placed i nto three size categories based on the volume of water contained in ea ch. The contents were filtered through a 0.250 mm sieve and retained. Invertebrates were identified, and counted. We found that species rich ness and the total number of individuals increased with pool size. In addition, the larger pools supported more functional feeding groups th an smaller pools. These results were probably a reflection of greater microhabitat availability in the larger pools.