There are 150 meteorite craters worldwide, however, their aggregations are rarely noted. The nature reserve ‘Meteoryt Morasko’ in Poland with fishless meteorite ponds was analyzed as a unique ecosystem for biological analysis of invertebrate interactions. The aim of the study was to recognize the main environmental drivers of cladoceran and copepod community structure from among biotic (competitors and predators) and abiotic factors (i.e. oxygen and pH level) in the spring season.
The abundance of small cladocerans (
The temporary character of the examined ponds, oxygen depletion and low pH of water in the shallowest pond resulted in the abundant occurrence of cladoceran males, whose high densities are usually observed in autumn.