drawdown zone: mud/shallow litter

A resource for invertebrate species associated with exposed silt in areas of land inundated by water in the winter and early spring which dry in the summer.

These can be seasonal ponds, the edges of larger water bodies or along the edges of lowland slow-flowing rivers. The drawdown zone left behind comprises of wet mud, algal scums and thin layers of vegetation, including detached tree leaves, twigs and other plant litter. These habitats are most often associated with floodplains, such as at the edges of pools and temporary water.