Branchinecta lynchi (Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp)
Credit: Shannon Kieran Blair
about the species
The Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp Branchinecta lynchi is an ephemeral wetlands specialist endemic to California and southern Oregon. It is a key member of California’s vernal pool ecosystem. B. lynchi faces increasing pressure from habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and loss of dispersal vectors.
why species was selected
Vernal pools in California are important, imperiled habitats which support native plant diversity. They also provide food and habitat for many of the millions of waterfowl that utilize these pools as winter habitat (Wilson 2010). Vernal pool habitat in California has been lost, degraded and fragmented due to anthropogenic factors. Genomic resources for this species will provide tools for researchers to better understand how B. lynchi moves across the landscape, colonizes new habitats, and adapts to local conditions, which will in turn help conservationists and managers better prepare this species and the vernal pool habitats against a future environmental changes.
