Can dragonfly and damselfly communities be used as bioindicators of land use intensification?

Rocha‐Ortega, Maya; Rodríguez, Pilar; Córdoba‐Aguilar, Alex

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105553

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…As expected, our results demonstrate that the taxa above species (suborders, families), e.g., zygopterans and anisopterans, responded in different ways to changes in the environment, including to land use intensification [ 16 ]. Nevertheless, the findings are in partial contradiction with these previous results reported in the literature, especially the fact that anisopterans show a positive correlation with naturalness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Several studies relating to the effect of human transformations of land use/land cover on richness at a regional spatial scale and the diversity of both larval and adult odonate assemblages have been conducted. Rocha-Ortega et al [ 16 ] conducted a cross-country analysis of the diversity of Mexican odonates and showed that land use changes affect the composition of odonates and that landscape degradation not only negatively affects habitat specialists but may also benefit odonate species with fewer specific habitat requirements. In a study that examined the species occupancy patterns in boreal forest ponds at a large spatial scale, Honkanen et al [ 17 ] found that rare species did not seem to contribute much to variation in species richness patterns, whereas common species tended to be strongly correlated with some selected environmental variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vorster et al [ 24 ] were apparently the first to use the DBI in their comparative study (e.g., comparison of urban and rural environments) at a continental level, that is, to cover the entire African continent. In another major study at the national scale, Rocha-Ortega et al [ 16 ] listed the main features of odonate assemblages that were used as indicators of land use intensification. Both authors reported that Anisoptera and/or large species (body size is considered a more important variable than taxonomic classification) serve as good indicators of recent land cover changes, whereas Zygoptera and/or smaller species provide information on the long-term modifications or historical effects of land use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Landscape Patterns and Their Changes to Species Richness, Species Composition, and the Conservation Value of Odonates (Insecta)

Dolný

Ožana

Burda

et al. 2021

Insects

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Understanding the impact of the changing proportion of land-use patterns on species diversity is a critical issue in conservation biology, and odonates are good bioindicators of these environmental changes. Some freshwater ecosystems that have been modified due to human activities can serve as important secondary habitats for odonate assemblages; however, the majority of studies addressing the value of secondary habitats in industrial and urban areas for adult dragonfly diversity have been limited to the local scale, and the value of such habitats for gamma diversity is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between human transformations of land use/land cover and dragonfly diversity. We interpolated the information based on dragonfly occurrence per grid cell and land cover data, indicating naturalness and degradation in 677 grid cells in the Czech Republic. Species richness did not correspond to habitat naturalness, but the occurrence of endangered species was significantly positively correlated with increasing naturalness; thus, habitat degradation and/or the level of naturalness significantly affected species composition, while species richness remained unchanged. Threatened species that occur predominantly in natural areas and threatened species with a dominant occurrence in degraded squares were also separated, which indicated that the conservation of the latter should be prioritised.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Landscape Patterns and Their Changes to Species Richness, Species Composition, and the Conservation Value of Odonates (Insecta)

Dolný

Ožana

Burda

et al. 2021

Insects

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“…This is due to their complex life‐cycle, which includes both a terrestrial and an aquatic phase, fully predators habits, which position them at a high level of the trophic web, and wide variability in life‐history traits across species, e.g. dispersal ability, habitat and micro‐habitat preferences, and water‐pollution tolerance (Flenner & Sahlén, 2008; Hassall, 2015; Rocha‐Ortega et al, 2019). Many temperate odonate species have experienced dramatic declines in range and abundance during the second half of the 20th century due to a variety of factors, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic‐driven transformations of dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata) communities of low elevation mountain wetlands during the last century

Assandri

2020

Insect Conserv Diversity

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1. Freshwater environments are experiencing high rates of species extinction due to human impacts, with aquatic insects thought to be strongly threatened by these changes; however, long-term research on this topic is scant. Among aquatic insects, dragonflies are considered valuable indicators of human disturbance at multiple scales. 2. This study addresses transformations of odonate communities of low elevation mountain wetlands in the Alps over the last century, comparing historical and present assemblages based on past records derived from scientific collections or literature and present data derived from site resurveys. 3. About 32.6% of species have been extirpated or strongly declined in the area (mostly temporary lentic and lotic water specialists, or cold-adapted species). Conversely, only 12.2% of species were new or considerably increased (mostly permanent lentic specialists and warm-adapted species). Nearly half of historical populations have been lost. The great majority of species which disappeared from all the study sites also disappeared (or strongly declined) at the regional scale. 4. Although gamma species richness was higher in the historical period compared with the present, mean alpha species richness does not significantly differ between the two, likely suggesting homogenisation of communities from historical to the present period. 5. Present communities of dragonflies show a significantly higher community temperature index compared with historical ones. 6. These patterns are putatively explained by the joint effects of land-use change (drainage and reclamation), land-use intensification or abandonment, environmental pollution, and anthropogenic-driven climate warming.

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“…Dragonflies, which serve as important umbrella species in aquatic systems 1 , 2 , maintain dynamic functional roles as both predators and prey in terrestrial and aquatic environments 3 , 4 . Additionally, they can serve as important bioindicators for water quality 5 – 7 , mercury contamination 8 , ecological status 9 , 10 , and environmental change 11 . For these reasons, there have been many recent regional and international efforts aimed at conservation and recovery of these and other indicator insects 12 , 13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Riparian and in-channel habitat properties linked to dragonfly emergence

O'Malley

Compson

Orlofske

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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In freshwater ecosystems, habitat alteration contributes directly to biodiversity loss. Dragonflies are sentinel species that are key invertebrate predators in both aquatic (as larvae) and terrestrial ecosystems (as adults). Understanding the habitat factors affecting dragonfly emergence can inform management practices to conserve habitats supporting these species and the functions they perform. Transitioning from larvae to adults, dragonflies leave behind larval exoskeletons (exuviae), which reveal information about the emergent population without the need for sacrificing living organisms. Capitalizing on Atlantic Canada’s largest freshwater wetland, the Grand Lake Meadows (GLM) and the associated Saint John/Wolastoq River (SJWR), we studied the spatial (i.e., across the mainstem, tributary, and wetland sites) and temporal (across 3 years) variation in assemblages of emergent dragonflies (Anisoptera) and assessed the relative contribution of aquatic and terrestrial factors structuring these assemblages. The GLM complex, including the lotic SJWR and its tributaries and associated lentic wetlands, provided a range of riparian and aquatic habitat variability ideal for studying dragonfly emergence patterns across a relatively homogenous climatic region. Emergent dragonfly responses were associated with spatial, but not temporal, variation. Additionally, dragonfly communities were associated with both aquatic and terrestrial factors, while diversity was primarily associated with terrestrial factors. Specific terrestrial factors associated with the emergence of the dragonfly community included canopy cover and slope, while aquatic factors included water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and baseflow. Our results indicate that management of river habitats for dragonfly conservation should incorporate riparian habitat protection while maintaining aquatic habitat and habitat quality.

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Can dragonfly and damselfly communities be used as bioindicators of land use intensification?

Cited by 25 publications

References 64 publications

Effects of Landscape Patterns and Their Changes to Species Richness, Species Composition, and the Conservation Value of Odonates (Insecta)

Effects of Landscape Patterns and Their Changes to Species Richness, Species Composition, and the Conservation Value of Odonates (Insecta)

Anthropogenic‐driven transformations of dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata) communities of low elevation mountain wetlands during the last century

Riparian and in-channel habitat properties linked to dragonfly emergence

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