Abstract
Salinity is a limiting factor for many invertebrates, especially for Odonata which are typically associated with freshwater ecosystems. In Europe, 15 Odonata species inhabit brackish wetlands and only few detailed data on their tolerance towards salinity are available. We investigated Odonata fauna in 11 sampling stations situated in three estuarine areas (northern Adriatic coastline) which differed in salinity conditions (freshwater- polyhaline habitats) in order to assess affinity of Odonata species to brackish habitats and to describe their distribution pattern in coastal wetlands. Adults, exuviae (the remains of the exoskeleton after the last larval instar), and the main chemical and physical water parameters were sampled every 2 weeks for 1 year in each station. In total, 25 species were detected and 56% of them were able to complete their life cycle in brackish water environments. Our results showed that freshwater and oligohaline ponds were the most favorable for dragonflies, with an overall higher species richness. There was a high species turnover along the salinity gradient, with a strong differentiation among the communities along the gradient. Considering the exuviae, we observed a high specificity with respect to the habitat conditions (seven species exclusive of freshwater sites and six of oligohaline ones, respectively). Among the adults, four species were found exclusively in freshwater habitats and no species seemed to be strictly connected with oligohaline habitats. Coastal wetlands are composed by a mosaic of different habitats especially when freshwater and seawater are close together, supporting many Odonata species with different tolerance toward salinity conditions. They also provide useful insights for conservation and management actions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aguesse, P. 1968. Les Odonates de l’Europe Occidentale, du Nord de l’Afrique et des Iles Atlantique. Faune de l’Europe et du Bassin Méditerranéen 4: 258 pp.
Anderson, M.J. 2001. A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology 26 (1): 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2001.01070.pp.x WOS:000167002000004.
Askew, R.R. 1988. The dragonflies of Europe. Colchester: Harley Books.
Askew, R.R. 2004. The Dragonflies of Europe (revised edition). Colchester: Harley Books.
Bakker, J.D. 2008. Increasing the utility of Indicator Species Analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: 1829–1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2008.01571.x.
Balzan, M. 2012. Associations of dragonflies (Odonata) to habitat variables within the Maltese Islands: A spatiotemporal approach. Journal of Insect Science 12: 87. Available online: insectscience.org/12.87. https://doi.org/10.1673/031.012.8701.
Belančić, A., T. Bogdanović, , M. Franković, , M. Ljuština, , N. Mihoković, and , B.Vitas 2008. Crvena knjiga vretenaca Hrvatske. Ministarstvo kulture, Državni zavod za zaštitu prirode Republike Hrvatske, Zagreb, 132 pp.
Boudot, J.P., V.J. Kalkman, , M. Azpilicueta Amorín, , T. Bogdanovic, , A. Cordero-Rivera, , G. Degabriele, ..., and W. Schneider. 2009. Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Libellula, Supplement, 9: 1–256. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T165460A13372703.en.
Boudot, J.P., W. Schneider, and B. Samraoui. 2013. Lindenia tetraphylla. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T165460A13372703. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T165460A13372703.en. Accessed 09 Oct 2017.
Bowden, J. and C.G. Johnson. 1976. Migrating and other terrestrial insects at sea. In 1976. Marine Insects. New York, ed. L. Cheng: American Elsevier Publishing Company. 581 pp.
Briggs, A., J.S. Pryke, M.J. Samways, and D.E. Conlong. 2019. Macrophytes promote aquatic insect conservation in artificial ponds. Aquatic Conserv: Mar Freshw Ecosyst. 1–12.
Brower, J.E., and J.H. Zar. 1977. Field and laboratory methods for general ecology. Boston: Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers.
Buchwald, R. 1990. Relazioni fra odonati e vegetazione acquatica: un esempio di biocenologia. Informatore botanico italiano 22 (3): 141–153.
Buchwald, R. 1994. Vegetazione e Odonatofauna negli ambienti acquatici dell’Italia Centrale. Braun-Blanquetia 11: 3–77.
Cai, Y., C.Y. Ng, and R.W.J. Ngiam. 2018. Diversity, distribution and habitat characteristics of dragonflies in Nee Soon freshwater swamp forest, Singapore. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 70 (Suppl. 1): 123–153. https://doi.org/10.26492/gbs70.
Camacho-Valdez, V., A. Ruiz-Luna, A. Ghermandi, and P.A. Nunes. 2013. Valuation of ecosystem services provided by coastal wetlands in northwest Mexico. Ocean and Coastal Management 78: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.02.017.
Catling, P.M., R. Hutchinson, and P.M. Brunelle. 2006. Use of saltmarsh by dragonflies (Odonata) in the Baie des Chaleurs region of Quebec and New Brunswick in late summer and autumn. Canadian Field Naturalist 120: 413–420.
Cheng, L. 1976. Marine Insects. New York: American Elsevier Publishing Company.
Clark, T.E., and M.J. Samways. 1996. Dragonflies (Odonata) as indicators of biotype quality in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Journal of Applied Ecology 33: 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.2307/2404681.
Clarke, K.R., and R.N. Gorley. 2006. PRIMER v6: user manual/tutorial. Plymouth: Primer-E Ltd..
Clausnitzer, V. 2009. Lestes barbarus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009: e.T158684A5251406. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20092.RLTS.T158684A5251406.en. Accessed 06 Oct 2017.
Clausnitzer, V. 2016. Crocothemis erythraea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T59859A83846274. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T59859A83846274.en. Downloaded on 30 October 2019.
Clausnitzer, V., V.J. Kalkman, M. Ram, B. Collen, J.E.M. Baillie, M. Bedjanic, W.R.T. Darwall, K.D.B. Dijkstra, R. Dow, J. Hawking, H. Karube, E. Malikova, D. Paulson, K. Schütte, F. Suhling, R. Villanueva, N. von Ellenrieder, and K. Wilson. 2009. Odonata enter the biodiversity crisis debate: the first global assessment of an insect group. Biological Conservation 142: 1864–1869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.03.028.
Corbet, P.S. 1993. Are Odonata useful as bioindicators? Libellula 12: 91–102.
Corbet, P.S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
De Cáceres, M., and P. Legendre. 2009. Associations between species and groups of sites: Indices and statistical inference. Ecology 90 (12): 3566–3574.
Dijkstra, K.D.B., and R. Lewington. 2006 Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Dow, R.A. 2010. Ischnura elegans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T165479A6032596. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165479A6032596.en. Accessed 07 Oct 2017.
Dufrêne, M., and P. Legendre. 1997. Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecological Monographs 67: 345–366.
Dunson, W.A. 1980. Adaptations of nymphs of a marine dragonfly, Erythrodiplax berenice, to wide variations in salinity. Physiological Zoology 53: 445–452.
Dunson, W.A., and J. Travis. 1994. Patterns in the Evolution of Physiological Specialization in SaltMarsh Animals. Estuaries 17 (1A): 102–110.
Foote, A.L., and C.L.R. Hornung. 2005. Odonates as biological indicators of grazing effects on Canadian prairie wetlands. Ecological Entomology 30: 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0307-6946.2005.00701.x.
Francis, A.P., and D.J. Currie. 2003. A Globally Consistent Richness-Climate Relationship for Angiosperms. The American Naturalist 161 (4): 523–536. https://doi.org/10.1086/368223.
Fulan, J.A., R. Raimundo, and D. Figueiredo. 2008. Habitat characteristics and dragonflies (Odonata) diversity and abundance in the Guadiana River, eastern of the Alentejo, Portugal. Boletín de la Asociación española de Entomología 32 (3–4): 327–340.
Gerken, B., and K. Sternberg. 1999. Die exuvien Europäischer Libellen (Insecta Odonata).The exuviae of European dragonflies. Hőxter: Arnika & Eisvogel.
Hammer, Ø., D.A.T. Harper, and P.D. Ryan. 2001. PAST: Paleontological Statistics Software Package for Education and Data Analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica 4 (1): 9.
Hart, L.A., M.B. Bowker, W. Tarboton, and C.T. Downs. 2014. Species Composition, Distribution and Habitat Types of Odonata in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and the Associated Conservation implications. PLoS One 9 (3): e92588. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092588.
Hauton, C. 2016. Effects of salinity as a stressor to aquatic invertebrates. In Solan M, Whiteley, N. 2016. Stressors in the Marine Environment: Physiological and ecological responses; societal implications. Oxford Scholarship Online.
Hawkins, B.A., R. Field, H.V. Cornell, D.J. Currie, J.-F. Gue’Gan, D.M. Kaufman, J.T. Kerr, G.G. Mittelbach, T. Oberdorff, E.M. O’brien, E.E. Porter, and J.R.G. Turner. 2003. Energy, water, and broad-scale geographic patterns of species richness. Ecology 84 (12): 3105–3117.
Heino, J. 2002. Concordance of species richness patterns among multiple freshwater taxa: a regional perspective. Biodiversity and Conservation 11 (1): 137–147. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014075901605.
Kalkman, V.J. 2010. Sympetrum meridionale. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T165510A6048981. Downloaded on 30 October 2019.
Kalkman, V.J. 2014a. Sympetrum meridionale. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T165510A19169192. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T165510A19169192.en. Accessed 07 Oct 2017.
Kalkman, V.J. 2014b. Lestes macrostigma. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T165480A19164635.https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20141.RLTS.T165480A19164635.en. Accessed 06 Oct 2017.
Kalkman, V.K., V. Clausnitzer, K.D.B. Dijkstra, A.G. Orr, D.R. Paulson, and J. van Tol. 2008. Global diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595: 351–363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9029-x.
Keil, P., I. Simova, and B.A. Hawkins. 2008. Water-energy and the geographical species richness pattern of European and North African dragonflies (Odonata). Insect Conservation Diversity 1: 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2008.00019.x.
Kelts, I. 1977. Ecology of two tidal marsh insects, Trichocorixa verticali.s (Hemiptera) and Euthrodiplax berenice (Odonata), in New Hampshire. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of New Hamp- shire, Durham, New Hampshire.
Korkeämaki, E., and J. Suhonen. 2002. Distribution and habitat specialization of species affect local extinction in dragonfly Odonata populations. Ecography 25: 459–465. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0587.2002.250408.x.
McPeek, M.A. 2008. Ecological factors limiting the distributions and abundances of Odonata. Dragonflies & Damselflies. In: Córdoba-Aguilar A, Editor. Model organisms for ecological and evolutionary research. Oxford University Press. 51–62.
Michelutti, G., S. Barbieri, D. Bianco, S. Zanolla, G. Casagrande. 2006. Suoli e paesaggi del Friuli Venezia Giulia. 2. Provincia di Gorizia e Trieste. Ersa – Agenzia regionale per lo svilppo ricerca e sperimentazione–Ufficio del suolo, Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, Udine, Italia.
Nordstrom, K.F., U. Gamper, G. Fontolan, A. Bezzi, and N.L. Jackson. 2009. Characteristics of coastal dune topography and vegetation in environments recently modified using beach fill and vegetation plantings, Veneto, Italy. Environmental Management 44 (6): 1121–1135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9388-3.
O’Brien, E.M. 1998. Water-energy dynamics, climate, and prediction of woody plant species richness: an interim general model. Journal of Biogeography 25: 379–398.
O’Brien, E.M. 2006. Biological relativity to water-energy dynamics. Journal of Biogeography 33: 1868–1888.
Ott, J. 2007. The expansion of Crocothemis erythraea (Brulle, 1832) in Germany - an indicator for climatic changes. In Odonata: Biology of Dragonflies, ed. B.K. Tyagi. Jodhpur: Scientific Publishers.
Ott, J. 2010. Dragonflies and climatic changes - recent trends in Germany and Europe. In 2010. Monitoring Climatic Change With Dragonflies, ed. J. Ott: BioRisk 5: 253–286. https://doi.org/10.3897/biorisk.5.857.
Painter, D.J. 1998. Effects of ditch management patterns on Odonata at Wicken Fen NNR, Cambridgeshire UK. Biological Conservation 84: 189–195.
Painter, D.J. 1999. Macroinvertebrate distributions and the conservation value of aquatic Coleoptera\ Mollusca and Odonata in the ditches of traditionally managed and grazing fen at Wicken Fen\ UK. Journal of Applied Ecology 36: 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.1999.00376.x.
Perco, F., P. Merluzzi, and K. Kravos. 2006. The mouth of the River Isonzo and the Cona Island. Edizioni della Laguna, Mariano del Friuli (GO).
Poldini, L. 2009. La diversità vegetale del Carso fra Trieste e Gorizia. Lo stato dell’ambiente. Le guide Dryades 5. Serie Flore IV (F-IV) - Edizioni Goliardiche, Udine, Italia.
Reece, B.A., and N.E. Mcintyre. 2009. Community assemblage patterns of odonates inhabiting a wetland complex influenced by anthropogenic disturbance. Insect Conservation Diversity 2 (2): 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-4598.2008.00044.x.
Remsburg, A.J., and M.G. Turner. 2009. Aquatic and terrestrial drivers of dragonfly (Odonata) assemblages within and among north-temperate lakes. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 28 (1): 44–56.
Riservato, E., Fabbri, R., Festi, A., Grieco, C., Hardersen, S., Landi, F., Utzeri, C., Rondinini, C., Battistoni, A., and C.Teofili (compilatori) 2014. Lista Rossa IUCN delle libellule italiane. Comitato italiano IUCN e Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, Roma.
Sahlén, G., and K. Ekestubbe. 2001. Identification of dragonflies (Odonata) as indicators of general species richness in boreal forest lakes. Biodiversity and Conservation 10: 673–690. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016681524097.
Samways, M.J. 2008. Dragonflies as focal organisms in contemporary conservation biology. In Dragonflies and Damselflies: Model Organisms for Ecological and Evolutionary Research, ed. A. Córdoba-Aquilar, 97–108. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Samways, M.J., and N.S. Steytler. 1996. Dragonfly (Odonata) distribution patterns in urban and forest landscapes, and recommendations for riparian management. Biological Conservation 78: 279–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00032-8.
Schindler, M., C. Fesl and A. Chovanec. 2003. Dragonfly associations (Insecta: Odonata) in relation to habitat variables: a multivariate approach. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Hydrobiologia 497: 169–180. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:102547622.
Schorr, M., W. Schneider, and H.J. Dumont. 1998. Ecology and distribution of Lindenia tetraphylla (Insecta, Odonata, Gomphidae): A review. International Journal of Odonatology 1: 65–88.
Sharma, G., R. Sundararaj, and L.R. Karibasvaraja. 2007. Species diversity of Odonata in the selected provenances of Sandal in Southern India. Zoos Print Journal 22 (7): 2765–2767. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1593.2765-7.
Simaika, J., and M. Samways. 2012. Using dragonflies to monitor and prioritize lotic systems: A South African perspective. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 12: 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-012-0104-4.
Smith, S.G.F., and D.L. Smith. 1996. Salinity tolerance of Erythemis simplicicollis Say (Odonata: anisoptera, libellulidae) in Elliott NB, Craig ED, Godfrey PJ (1996) Proceeding on the sixth symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas. Bahamian Field Station, Ltd. San Salvador.
Subramanian, K.A. 2016. Anax ephippiger. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T59811A72310087. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T59811A72310087.en. Accessed 09 Oct 2017.
Uboni, C., P. Merluzzi, L. Poldini, E. Riservato, and E. Pizzul 2018. First data on the reproduction of the Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger in North Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy) (Odonata Aeshnidae). Boll Soc. entomol ital 101–106.
Vilenica, M., A. Alegro, N. Koletić, and Z. Mihaljević. 2016. New evidence of Lindenia tetraphylla (Vander Linden, 1825) (Odonata, Gomphidae) reproduction at the north-western border of its distribution. Natura Croatica 25 (2): 287–294. https://doi.org/10.20302/NC.2016.25.24.
Walther, G.R. 2001 “Fingerprints” of Climate Change: Adapted Behaviour and Shifting Species Ranges ; [proceedings of the International Conference “Fingerprints” for Climate Change: Adapted Behaviour and Shifting Species Ranges, Held February 23–25, 2001, at Ascona, Switzerland]. Springer Science & Business Media. 329 pp.
Wildermuth, H., Y. Gonseth, and A. Maibach. 2005. Odonata. Les Libellules de Suisse. Fauna Helvetica 11. CSCF/SES, Neuchâtel.
Willigalla, C., and T. Fartmann. 2012. Patterns in the diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) in cities across Central Europe. European Journal of Entomology 109: 235–245.
Zandigiacomo, P., I. Chiandetti, T. Fiorenza, G. Nadalon, and C.Uboni. 2014. Odonata of Friuli Venezia Giulia: second update of Checklist and further remarks. Gortania 36.
Zinchenko, T.D., and L.V. Golovatyuk. 2013. Salinity Tolerance of Macroinvertebrates in Stream Waters (Review). Arid Ecosystems 19: 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079096113.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Giorgio Uboni, Dr. Alberto Crepaldi, and Dr. Marco Bertoli for their essential help during fieldwork activities. We thank Dr. Marta De Rosa for the English revision of the manuscript. We thank the Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive criticism, which considerably improved the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by James Lovvorn
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(DOCX 171 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Uboni, C., Jugovic, J., Tordoni, E. et al. Dragonfly (Odonata) Diversity Patterns in Mixohaline Coastal Wetlands. Estuaries and Coasts 43, 375–386 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00687-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00687-y