Wetlands are among the world¿s most valuable and most threatened habitats, and in these crucially important ecosystems, the invertebrate fauna holds a focal position. Most of the biological diversity in wetlands is found within resident invertebrate assemblages, and those invertebrates are the primary trophic link between lower plants and higher vertebrates (e.g. amphibians, fish, and birds). As such, most scientists, managers, consultants, and students who work in the world¿s wetlands should become better informed about the invertebrate components in their habitats of interest. Our book serves to fill this need by assembling the world¿s most prominent ecologists working on freshwater wetland invertebrates, and having them provide authoritative perspectives on each the world¿s most important freshwater wetland types. The initial chapter of the book provides a primer on freshwater wetland invertebrates, including how they are uniquely adapted for life in wetland environments and how they contribute to important ecological functions in wetland ecosystems. The next 15 chapters deal with invertebrates in the major wetlands across the globe (rock pools, alpine ponds, temperate temporary ponds, Mediterranean temporary ponds, turloughs, peatlands, permanent marshes, Great Lakes marshes, Everglades, springs, beaver ponds, temperate floodplains, neotropical floodplains, created wetlands, waterfowl marshes), each chapter written by groups of prominent scientists intimately knowledgeable about the individual wetland types. Each chapter reviews the relevant literature, provides a synthesis of the most important ecological controls on the resident invertebrate fauna, and highlights important conservation concerns. The final chapter synthesizes the 15 habitat-based chapters, providing a macroscopic perspective on natural variation of invertebrate assemblage structure across the world¿s wetlands and a paradigm for understanding how global variation and environmental factors shape wetland invertebrate communities.

Describes the invertebrates of diverse wetlands around the world

1. Introduction to wetland invertebrates ,Darold Batzer (USA), Dani Boix (ESP).- 2. Temperate seasonal ponds Michael Jeffries (UK).- 3. Temporary ponds in Mediterranean climates Dani Boix, Leon Blaustein (ISR), Jamie Kneitel (USA), Allie Mokany (AUS), C. Duchet (ISR), J. Sala (ESP), S. Gascón (ESP), X. D. Quintana (ESP).- 4. Permanent and semi-permanent marshes, Kyle Zimmer (USA), Mark Hanson (USA).- 5. Lake-shore marshes, Matt Cooper (USA), Don Uzarski (USA).- 6. Temperate floodplains, Darold Batzer, Belinda Gallardo (ESP), Andrew Boulton (AUS), Matt Whiles (USA).- 7. Tropical floodplains , Karl Wantzen (FRA), Marinez Isaac (BRA), Mercedes Marchese (ARG)¿, Ines Ezcurra (ARG).- 8. Alpine and montane wetland ponds, Beat Oertli (SWI), Scott Wissinger (USA).- 9. Peatlands Darold Batzer, Terry Wheeler (CAN), Wu Haitao (CHINA), Sue Eggert (USA).- 10. Groundwater springs and seeps, Dudley Williams (CAN).- 11. Rock pools.- Luc Brendonck (BEL), Bram Vanschoenwinkel (BEL), Merlijn Jocqué (BEL).- 12. Beaver wetlands , Bryana Libby (USA), Scott Wissinger.- 13. Everglades , Joel Trexler (USA).- 14. Turloughs, Julian Reynolds (IRE).- 15. Constructed and restored wetlands ,Albert Ruhí (ESP), Winfield Fairhild (USA), Douglas Spieles (USA), Gustavo Becerra-Jurado (IRE), David Moreno-Mateos (FRA).- 16. Managed waterfowl marshes, Josh Stafford (USA), Steven Chipps (USA),.- 17. Synthesis, Dani Boix, Darold Batzer.