Take one desert, add water

Daniel Burdon

26Nov08

THE Central Australian desert has historically been mistaken for a barren wasteland.

But after just a couple of weeks of heavy rain, the region comes alive, with waterholes and claypans teeming with visible and microscopic life.
Scientific researcher at the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport, Jayne Brim-Box, was at Ilparpa Claypans yesterday morning collecting aquatic life samples.
The aquatic ecologist, currently working on research projects at locations as diverse as Uluru and Santa Teresa, found several species of crustaceans in the claypans.
She said: "We've found pretty much what I thought, but it's just amazing."
Jayne said she expected to find tiny crustaceans such as the fairy shrimp and clam shrimp, but was excited after coming across shield shrimp in the "lake" in the claypans.
She said: "A lot of these little crustaceans lie dormant in the clay, waiting for the water -- it's almost like a situation of 'just add water' to bring them alive.
"Most of them will wait until they think there's enough water to sustain them, then hatch."
While only living for weeks, or maybe months, many of these creatures will have a fast life cycle, laying more eggs in the ground before dying when the temporary water source dries up.
"Experts believe some of these animals, like the copepods and cladocera, could keep eggs in the ground for hundreds of years, just waiting for water."
Jayne said Central Australia was an amazing place for ecologists and other flora and fauna researchers.
"This is such an ancient landscape, many of the species we find out here are unknown. When the rains come, we could find up to 40 per cent of all species are unrecognisable, and often haven't been documented."