1: Introduction to Temporary Waters.- 1.1 What are temporary waters?.- 1.2 Classification of temporary waters.- 1.3 Importance of temporary waters.- 2: The Physical Factors that Govern the Formation of Temporary Waters.- 2.1 The runoff cycle.- 2.2 Components of subsurface water.- 2.3 Basin and channel formation.- 2.3.1 Pond basins.- 2.3.2 How many ponds?.- 2.3.3 Stream channels.- 2.3.4 How many streams?.- 3: Abiotic Features of Temporary Waters.- 3.1 Water balance.- 3.2 Water temperature.- 3.3 Turbidity.- 3.4 Dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide.- 3.5 Other chemical parameters.- 4: The Biota.- 4.1 The temporary water community - global scale.- 4.1.1 Comparison of the communities of four ponds.- 4.1.2 Distribution patterns in the Branchiopoda.- 4.2 The temporary water community - local scale - case histories.- 4.2.1 Biota of a nearctic temporary pond.- 4.2.2 Biota of a nearctic temporary stream.- 4.2.3 Australian temporary streams.- 4.2.4 Billabong systems.- 4.2.5 Sahara Desert rainpools.- 4.2.6 Rain-filled rock pools of African "Kopjes".- 4.2.7 Rain-filled rock pools of southwestern Australia.- 4.2.8 Antarctic melt-water streams.- 4.2.9 Temporary saline ponds and lakes.- 4.3 Other inhabitants of temporary waters.- 4.4 Comparison of permanent and temporary water faunas.- 4.5 Community dynamics and trophic relationships.- 4.6 Community structure - biotic versus abiotic control.- 5: Special Adaptations.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Variability in life cycles.- 5.3 Phenotypic and genotypic variation.- 5.4 Physiological adaptations.- 5.4.1 Behavioural avoidance.- 5.4.2 Timing of growth and emergence.- 5.4.3 Diapause.- 5.5 Physiology of desiccation.- 6: Colonization Patterns.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Adaptive "strategies" of colonizing animals.- 6.3 Active colonization.- 6.3.1 Flight periodicity.- 6.3.2 Flight initiation and termination.- 6.4 Passive colonization.- 6.5 Colonization and competition.- 6.6 Temporary waters as islands in time and space.- 7: Other Temporary Water Habitats.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Treeholes.- 7.3 Pitcher plants.- 7.4 Bromeliads.- 7.5 Inflorescences.- 7.6 Snowfields.- 7.7 Deserts.- 7.8 Dung.- 7.9 Saltwater rock pools.- 7.10 Starfish.- 8: Applied Aspects of Temporary Waters.- 8.1 Aquaculture/agriculture rotation - an ancient art.- 8.2 Floodplain fisheries.- 8.2.1 Habitat types.- 8.2.2 The flora.- 8.2.3 The fauna.- 8.3 Habitats for vectors of disease.- 9: Temporary Waters as Study Habitats.- 9.1 Investigations of the structure and function of aquatic populations and communities.- 9.2 Investigations of colonization patterns, dynamics and mechanics of temporary water species.- 9.3 Investigations of the physiological adaptations of temporary water faunas.- References.