Changes in aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Bookham Common Hollows Valley Ponds from 1993 to 1998

Aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in Bookham Common Hollows Valley Ponds were sampled using National Pond Survey techniques from 1993 to 1998. Drying of the ponds due to drought in the summer of 1995 resulted in low-diversity and high-abundance communities characteristic of a perturbed habitat. Analysis of community structure in Isle of Wight and Western Hollow Ponds suggests that total or partial dessication initiated recolonization processes resulting in modification of the macroinvertebrate communities. It is suggested that these changes occurred because they are not true temporary ponds and their communities are not intrinsically adapted to persist through this type of environmental perturbation.