Connectivity of stormwater ponds impacts Odonata abundance and species richness.

ABSTRACT:

Context

The successful dispersal of an animal depends, partly, on landscape connectivity. Urbanization poses risks to dispersal activities by increasing hostile land cover types.

Objectives

We investigated how connectivity of urban ponds impacted Odonata communities (dragonflies and damselflies), an order of semi-aquatic insects that actively disperse.

Methods

We sampled 41 constructed stormwater ponds and 8 natural ponds in a metropolitan area. The effect of connectivity and the quantity of available adjacent habitats was tested at different scales for dragonflies (900 m) and damselflies (300 m), determined by a literature analysis, to account for differences in suborder dispersal capabilities.

Results

Lower levels of connectivity and fewer nearest neighbours

SUBMITTER: Richmond IC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10902110 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature