Freshwater Crustaceans

While this category includes hundreds of species, some of the most common crustaceans of insect size are included here. They are not insects and should not be confused with them. They actually represent a much larger category of organisms that include the protists and benthic organisms. For this application however, it makes sense to include them in a discussion of freshwater inhabitants that occupy some of the same habitats as the insects. The fairy shrimp, daphnia, freshwater shrimp, scud, and copepod are microorganisms that have a hard exoskeleton. When looking at a sample of pond water some of these organisms may be visible to the naked eye. Details of their anatomy require magnification to be clearly observed. As a group, these crustaceans are often used as indicators of fresh water and of highly productive ecosystems, for their occurrence and abundance is often in direct relationship to the overall quality and biodiversity of the given area. They are low in the food chain and as such, provide an extremely important component to the primary and secondary productivity levels of the ecosystem. They are a basic food source for many higher organisms. Without them, many of the freshwater systems we are familiar with would simply not exist. Details of individual species and of their particular lifecycle requirements can be found by looking in a comprehensive study that addresses the entire classification unit.