Compared to rocks, my life is a snapshot. Eighty years is but an Instagram boomerang for a system like limestone that forms over millions of years.
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To plankton, I am a potential gigantean natural disaster waiting to happen.
I could end their world in five minutes by collecting and boiling some water to drink. On a recent trip to granite country, I marvelled at a special ecosystem in which these worlds collide. They are called gnammas.
Gnammas are small rock pools that form, usually in granite but sometimes in limestone or sandstone. When granite is exposed to water mixed with plant materials over long time periods, it corrodes. Pot holes appear. Historically, their perfect roundness led people to think they must be man-made. A mistaken belief.
You might think them insignificant but water is such a limiting resource in the landscape. Gnammas are variable and can be very shallow circular pans or irregular pits that are several meters deep. Evaporation is minimised by their small surface area making them an important source of water for Aboriginal people.
Much of the wildlife that lives in gnammas has special adaptions to survive the harsh environment which can experience rapid changes in temperature, oxygen and pH levels.
Gnammas support endemic species found nowhere else. That makes them special. Sampling with nets, you can find fairy shrimps, clam shrimps and other small crustaceans.
Over 230 species inhabit gnammas in Western Australia. On the east coast and southern Australia they are less diverse. These systems are free of the usual aquatic predators like fish, so they provide a protective home for many tiny creatures, cyanobacteria, fungi and algae.
Much of the wildlife that lives in gnammas has special adaptions to survive the harsh environment which can experience rapid changes in temperature, oxygen and pH levels.
They are tough places. Some animals have eggs that can tolerate dry periods to allow them to continue to inhabit gnammas through changing conditions.
Other species are cryptobiotic, meaning they can shut down metabolic processes and await better conditions. Some species counteract the strong UV rays with pigments, to protect them in the clear water.
To truly understand the world of gnammas you'll need a high-powered microscope to see all the minute animals in their remarkable forms.
You also need to take off your human goggles and think like a rock. So next time you're out bush and you see a pot hole of fresh water, take a closer look and harness the power of perspective.
