摘要：Colonization of aquatic insect larvae was investigated in a second order woodland stream using trays filled with natural substrate. Patterns of colonization differed significantly between seasons in terms of number of taxa, density and biomass of aquatic insect assemblages. Larvae in the first (out of five) size class made up 35.5% of all colonizers during the spring, highest share of 54.1 % during the summer, 40.8% and 17.5% during the autumn and winter, respectively. Many peak values in density during spring and summer matched with single-species mass colonization of first or second size classes, explained by »distributional drift« of newly-hatched insects, or direct oviposition on substrate. Size structure of the community did not change with time of exposition, although it reflected life histories of the aquatic insects, which led to seasonal changes in colonization patterns.
关键词：woodland stream; seasons; life cycles; dispersal
