I am about starting a side research project about dragonflies and damselflies. So far, I collect a handful of references for my project and they collectively say that these Odonatans are the indicators for the good quality of (aquatic) environment which is their main habitat. So, out of my curiosity, is there any chance that these insects live in not-so-good aquatic habitat e.g. heavy-polluted water body or degraded pond or else?
If you know any paper discuss about it, it will be great thing...
Thanks in advance
Well no. That really depends on the amount of time spent in the water which means the longer the aquatic stage develops the better the quality should be. Species as Ischnura elegans or Lestes viridis or even some Sympetrum can be found in eutrophic dit hes or even slightly brackish. Species with a longer lifespan in water (2-3yrs) such as Aeshna, Anax, libellulidae, Cordulegaster prefer beter quality.
I think it depends what you mean by "polluted." Different species have different larval habitat requirements, and some species do prefer relatively muddy conditions, at least in terms of bottom substrate. Petaltails crawl around in extremely mucky fens. Species that like rock pools have been found using cement cisterns, oil drums, old tires, and even cans of water. Corbet's 1999 overview cites many papers related larval habitat. Here are some extreme examples, including Aeshna cyanea using a manure storage basin: http://www.libellula.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Libellula-13-12-Sternberg.pdf
Something to keep in mind: "good" aquatic habitat can mean very different things to different odonate species, and relates to far more than just water quality metrics (chemical pollutants, O2, TDS, pH, salinity, seasonal or daily temp. ranges, etc., for which different species have different tolerances). One must also consider the structure of the bottom substrate, vegetation, predators/competitors, prey availability, and potentially many other factors.
Here's the Corbet book I mentioned: Corbet PS (1999) Dragonflies: behavior and ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York
no, some species can live in fairly polluted environments. in Yogyakarta, you can go to the Sermo reservoir outlet river, the water is smelly enough, but there are still many nymphs of dragonfly species here
Yoga Putra Aliyani do you know what species are there in the Sermo reservoir?
many species like Potamarcha congener, Agriocnemis femina, Euphaea variegata, Ischnura senegalensis, Orthetrum sabina, Neurothemis spp, Ichtinogomphus sp., and others
Abhijit Mitra Yes, indeed. But somehow I think there will be some species survived under the distress
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Zoology
- Invertebrate Zoology
- Arthropods
- Insects