BIOSKETCH 39 Many of the authors are members of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology 40 (COST) Action CA15113 Science and Management of Intermittent Rivers and Ephemeral 41 Streams (SMIRES, www.smires.eu), which aims to improve our understanding of intermittent 42 rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) and translate this into science-based, sustainable 43 management of river networks. One of the main goals of SMIRES is to facilitate sharing of 44 data and experience, bringing together researchers from many disciplines and stakeholders 45 and creating synergies through networking. The dataset provided and analyzed herein reflects 46 3 networking and collaboration within the SMIRES working group dedicated to Community 47 Ecology and Biomonitoring. 48 49 Abstract 50 Motivation: Dispersal is an essential process in population and community dynamics but is 51 difficult to measure in the field. In freshwater systems, relevant information on the dispersal 52 of many taxa remains scattered or unpublished, and biological traits related to organisms' 53 morphology, life history and behaviour offer useful dispersal proxies. We compiled 54 information on selected dispersal-related biological traits of European aquatic 55 macroinvertebrates in a unique source: the DISPERSE database. Information within 56 DISPERSE can be used to address fundamental questions in metapopulation ecology, 57 metacommunity ecology, macroecology, and eco-evolutionary research. From an applied 58 perspective, the consideration of dispersal proxies can also improve predictions of ecological 59 responses to global change, and contribute to more effective biomonitoring and conservation 60 management strategies. 61 Main types of variable contained: Selected macroinvertebrate dispersal-related biological 62 traits: maximum body size, adult female wing length, adult wing pair type, adult life span, 63 number of reproductive cycles per year, lifelong fecundity, dispersal mode (i.e. active, 64 passive, aquatic, aerial), and propensity to drift. 65 Spatial location: Europe.66 Time period: Taxa considered are extant with recent records. Most data were collected in the 67 20th century and in the period 2000-2019.68 4 Major taxa and level of measurement: Aquatic macroinvertebrates from riverine and 69 lacustrine ecosystems, including Mollusca, Annelida, Platyhelminthes, and Arthropoda such 70 as Crustacea and Insecta. For Insecta, aquatic stages and the aerial (i.e. flying) phases of 71 adults were considered separately. Genus-level taxonomic resolution used, except for some 72 Annelida and Diptera, which are coded at the sub-class, family or sub-family level. In total, 73 the database includes 39 trait categories grouped into nine dispersal-related traits for 480 taxa.74 Software format: The data file is in Excel workbook.75