Demography and natural history of the damselfly Mesamphiagrion gaudiimontanum (Coenagrionidae), a Páramo endemic species in the Colombian Andes
Urban stormwater ponds can support dragonfly reproduction akin to natural ponds 00
Mary Ann C. Perrona,b ✉️
,
Jason T. Briedc,
Isabella C. Richmonda,d,
Cristina Charetteb,
Frances R. Picka
- Insituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín-Colombia
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5
- St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, K6H 4Z1
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4B 1R6
International Journal of Odonatology, Volume 27, Pages 187–198, 2024
https://doi.org/10.48156/1388.2024.1917292
Published: 7 August 2024 (Received: 16 June 2023, Accepted: 25 July 2024)
Abstract
Stormwater ponds are constructed to receive urban runoff and regulate flooding of built areas. As a result, they can be more stressful habitats for aquatic organisms than natural ponds. Adult dragonflies are known to frequent stormwater management ponds in cities, but whether they successfully reproduce in these artificial systems is not clear. This study compared the reproductive potential of dragonflies in stormwater ponds across a temperate metropolitan area through weekly collections of exuviae at stormwater ponds and natural (reference) ponds. We hypothesized that stormwater ponds were poor habitats for dragonfly reproduction (in comparison to natural ponds) because of the typically negative effects of urbanization on wildlife. With respect to dragonfly reproduction, we therefore predicted: (1) lower breeding recruitment, (2) fewer habitat specialists, and (3) greater homogenization of breeding assemblages at stormwater ponds. However, we did not find a significant difference in the number of species and abundance of exuviae between stormwater and natural ponds. Stormwater ponds also supported similar numbers of habitat specialists as natural ponds. Furthermore, we did not find evidence of greater biotic homogenization across stormwater ponds as species composition was similar between both pond types. These results indicate that stormwater ponds can support the reproductive success of a diverse community of dragonflies.
Keywords: Odonata, Anisoptera, aquatic insects, generalist, source-sink theory, specialist, urban ecology, urban ponds
Issue section: Original Article
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Urban stormwater ponds can support dragonfly reproduction akin to natural ponds