Figure 5.

Movements associated with the aquatic and terrestrial life stages of a mayfly. Mayflies are found in freshwater and brackish habitats on all continents except Antarctica, and are important food sources for a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Despite a reputation as weak” fliers, mayflies can disperse over very long distances (up to 700 km; Sartori and Brittain, 2015). Mayfly nymphs are relatively long-lived typically up to a year) and fully aquatic. They swim, crawl, or drift in streamflow to find food and shelter, avoid predators, escape unfavorable conditions, and colonize new underwater habitats (green dot-dashed lines). In contrast, adult mayflies are short-lived (typically 24–48 hr) and fully terrestrial. Adult mayflies move actively to disperse, reproduce, and oviposit in streams or wetlands (purple dashed lines).