Artificial reservoirs complement natural ponds to improve pondscape resilience in conservation corridors in a biodiversity hotspot.

ABSTRACT: Natural ponds are rich in biodiversity, contributing greatly to regional aquatic biodiversity. Artificial reservoirs used for irrigation can be significant additional features of the landscape. They infill the local natural pondscape, and are attractors for aquatic insects. Here, we determine the extent to which artificial reservoirs represent the local natural pond biota, and how they contribute to the pondscape in conservation corridors used to mitigate the impact of plantation forestry in a global biodiversity hotspot. We did this by: 1) identifying the environmental factors, including plants, that drive dragonfly, water beetle, and water bug species richness, diversity and composition, and 2) determining the value of natural ponds vs. artificial reservoirs for maintaining the populatio

SUBMITTER: Deacon C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6147492 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature