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Ch. 4. Statewide Distribution of Fairy Shrimps Other Than Bovines and Birds on Their Lands

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Ch. 4. Statewide Distribution of Fairy Shrimps Other Than Bovines and Birds on Their Lands Ch. 4. Statewide distribution of fairy shrimps other than bovines and birds on their lands. In an don't freeze or desiccate sufficiently given the aquatic survey of the Sacramento NWR west of cool but not cold near-coast locations and frequent the Sacramento River at the border of Glenn and rains. As one trends southward, rainfall and its Colusa counties, refuge biologist Joe Silveira frequency lessen, and wave-cut terraces, which turned up three species of fairy shrimps already over geological time have been lifted above the known from the region, Linderiella occidentalis, sea, provide an increasing number of pool basins, Branchinecta conservatio, and B. lindahli. Unex- most numerous in southern-most San Diego pectedly, B. coloradensis also debuted in one of County. their pools, a location that is only its third known Further evidence that fairy shrimps aren't ev- site of residency in the Central Valley. Further to erywhere is presented in a report by Sugnet and the south, and west of Merced, lies the San Luis Associates (1993). They demonstrated that only NWR Complex. Of 59 sites sampled in 1994, about 27% of possible habitats in the northern including both sides of the San Joaquin River, 15 two-thirds of the Central Valley contained anos- pools west of the river yielded anostracans. Here tracans (830 pools of 3,092 visited). Interestingly, too, most were Branchinecta lynchi, but the Kes- in Sacramento County where 20-30 pools were terson area also produced B. conservatio, B. sampled in each of several clusters of pools, about longiantenna, and B. lindahli. Do such collec- 75-85% yielded fairy shrimps. These high fre- tions suggest that wildlife refuges hold the re- quencies were clearly the exceptions for, not un- mains of the aquatic resources west of the Central commonly, none were taken in areas where, for Valley's major rivers, or are these records, and the example, 95, 86, and 56 sites were visited. That few we have from other surveys, "the exceptions these results closely portray reality is supported by that prove the rule" that fairy shrimps are scarce the work of Brent Helm at Jones and Stokes As- west of the major rivers in California's Central sociates, Sacramento (in press). Brent sampled Valley? Let's ask the talk-show hosts, certainly 5,565 seasonal wetlands in the same region; fairy they will have the answer! shrimps paddled their way through only 31.7% of While still peering westward, take a look them. again at Map 4.1 (p. 58). As you study it, you will The story is no different in southern Califor- probably be struck by the paucity of anostracans in nia. Near Oceanside in San Diego County, pool the North and Central Coast Ranges and the near basins lie scattered across the coastal plain. absence of our fine phyllopodous friends in all While many are natural, a substantial number are coastal counties from Santa Cruz to the border considerably deepened by human activity, or are with Oregon. Why should this be? Our best man-made. Some are habitats for anostracans, guesses (yep, here we go again) are insufficient others not. Truly baffling is the oft-repeated aridity and lack of pool sites, consequences of the situation where one site will contain fairy shrimps area's generous rainfall. The sites we know about while its seemingly identical neighbor a meter or are in meadows, on a depositional flood plain, or so distant harbors nothing. along the San Andreas Fault, places which runoff These kinds of perplexities are repeated on the from excessive precipitation could probably not grassy slopes of Cachuma Canyon in the back- soon erode or fill in. Pools, if present, probably country near Santa Barbara where, for 40 years, 59 Ch. 4. Statewide distribution of fairy shrimps Clyde has casually kept track of four earth-slump north of Ojai which sported about a dozen pools. pools within a km of each other. To the eye, all They appeared to be formed as earth-slumps, just basins are formed in the same soil type. They fill as were those in Cachuma Canyon; in fact, this faithfully each year, yield similar water chemis- hillside could have been mistaken for Cachuma tries, and probably dry up at about the same time. Canyon! On the ground, and wondering which All are frequented and dumped upon by cattle. species would be found where, we began dip- Two pools with milky-colored water contain fairy netting the pools. After several hours of diligent shrimps. The clam shrimp Cyzicus californicus work, disappointment set in because we collected lays claim to a more turbid habitat. Several meters nary a shrimp. Even water fleas (Cladocera), from the latter is a pool of clear water, somewhat creatures "typical of almost every pool", were ab- smaller but just as deep, harboring no anostra- sent. This was a strange place! Or was it? Re- cans, although a few clam shrimps were seen in it member, fairy shrimps are not found everywhere, once. Clyde led Don Wootton to this area in even in the heart of "fairy shrimp country". The 1954. We collected two kinds of fairy shrimps. question remains ...why? One with red eyes was then called Pristacephalus Road-side ditches serve as homes for fairy occidentalis; you know this little beauty today as shrimps; well, that is to say some do. Most Linderiella occidentalis. We had no idea what don't! On one trip in the Alturas area of far the other species was, and rightfully so, because northeastern California, Clyde dip-netted every Branchinecta lynchi was not formally described ditch he saw, and not one fairy shrimp was found. until 36 years later by Eng, Belk, and Eriksen By contrast, in the northern portion of the Central (1990). At any rate, the contents of these pools, Valley, that is, in the heart of "fairy shrimp one containing both species but the other with heaven", of 218 road-side ditches sampled, 55 only B. lynchi, have apparently not changed over (25%) had fairy shrimps, most of which were the years. What's going on? Since these species Linderiella occidentalis, but 11 harbored or co- not infrequently co-exist, why aren't they together harbored Branchinecta lynchi (Sugnet & Associ- in both sites in Cachuma Canyon, and why ha- ates 1993). Interestingly, these data are heavily ven't they invaded the other pools? Similar ques- skewed by the situation in Sacramento County, tions have been expressed in the scientific litera- where 30 of 37 ditches possessed Linderiella, in- ture by scientists whose intellectual curiosity has cluding two which also harbored B. lynchi. What been challenged by these rain-pool critters. So this means is that, elsewhere, fairy shrimps occur far, in this regard, all of us have met our match. in only 14% of road-side ditches - hardly a pre- Because small basins of water are largely inac- ferred habitat type it seems. According to the cessible from view along the few roads in the Federal Register (1994), most, if not all, of Cen- Santa Barbara backcountry, and in hopes of find- tral Valley ditches containing anostracans are ing more rain pools in topography similar to that probably remnants of vernal pools. If true, then in Cachuma Canyon, Clyde cajoled his psychol- man-made road-side ditches, by themselves, seem ogy-professor friend and pilot, Harv Wichman, to to be lousy residences for our selective subjects. fly him over the slopes of the San Rafael Moun- In our experience, the general absence of tains from Fillmore to Santa Maria (and ulti- anostracans in ditches is related to soil, which in mately over much of California south of Mon- turn affects water chemistry. Ditches are usually terey). Ecstatically we noted a grassy hillside constructed by scooping away the topsoil. The 60 Ch. 4. Statewide distribution of fairy shrimps leached, more acidic sub-soil seems to provide How fairy shrimps got where they've inappropriate habitat. However, we, and others got we have spoken with, have noted that where the top 6-8 cm of material have been carefully re- Okay, so fairy shrimps aren't in every pothole, turned and kept in place, or carried in by erosive puddle, pool, pond, pan, or playa you can shake a waters, for example along desert roads, fairy stick at, but they are found in some of the most shrimps occur more commonly, although still in- "out of the way" places! Consider the miles of frequently. water between the mainland and California's Several studies in the Midwest and one in Channel Islands, where, yes, Branchinecta lin- Canada have demonstrated that an anostracan's dahli swims in rain pools (Soiseth 1994)! Then presence or absence one year is not necessarily the visualize the myriad of wilderness-area snow- situation forever (e.g., Dexter & Kuehnle 1951; melt-filled basins along the Sierra crest, far from Donald 1983). Remember, fairy shrimps respond road ends or trail heads, that are graced each year to distinct, species-specific environmental clues with fairy shrimps paddling in isolated splendor that, when received, result in hatching of some of and oblivious to human wonderment about how the cysts in the pool's sediments. If a species of they got where they got. Several hundred miles fairy shrimp is not present in any one year, we away in the far northwest corner of the State, the cannot say with certainty that none dwell in that Siskiyou Mountains harbor, as far as is known, particular place. Perhaps rain or temperature two populations of Streptocephalus sealii, isolated patterns proved to be unsuitable that season.
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