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Adult Movement Pattern and Habitat Preferences of the Maghribian Endemic Gomphus lucasii (Odonata: Gomphidae)
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Zebsa, Rabah Khelifa, Rassim Kahalerras, Amin |
| Copyright Year | 2015 |
| Abstract | In insects and other animals, displacements occur as a life history trait or as a result of disturbance related to habitat degradation. In both cases, such movements could lead to “dispersal,” i.e., the displacement of individuals away from their natal site (Ricklefs and Miller 1999). Several advantages of such movements have been noted: inbreeding avoidance, potential better habitat quality, lower population density, and escaping natural enemies like predators, parasites, and pathogens (Stenseth and Lidicker 1992). When dispersal is followed by reproduction of individuals, a number of genes are transferred from one population to another (so-called gene flow) which can influence population genetics (Broquet and Petit 2009), avoid local extinctions (Harrison 1991, Holt 1993), and expand the geographic range (Ward and Mill 2007, Angert et al. 2011) of a species in a given area. Odonates have often been used in mark-recapture studies to assess dispersal and demographic parameters (Cordero-Rivera and Stoks 2008). The general movement pattern of odonates during the flight season is that both sexes leave the water after emergence, spend a period of time in terrestrial habitats to mature then return to the water to reproduce. Mature males spend most of their daytime near the water while females visit the water only to oviposit then go back to terrestrial areas (Corbet 1999, Stoks and Cordoba-Aguilar 2012). As a result, a marked male bias in recapture rates within reproductive sites is usually observed. For example, the mean recapture rate based on empirical data of some odonates (expressed as male/female) was estimated to 0.266/0.152 for Coenagrionidae, 0.317/0.119 for Lestidae, and 0.727/0.200 for Libellulidae (Stoks 2001, Cordero-Rivera and Stoks 2008). Some of the scarce data available on dragonfly movements have shown that some species, especially of temporary water, exist in patchy population or metapopulation structure, dispersing substantial distances from one population to another with subsequent gene transfers (Knaus and Wildermuth 2002, Chin and Taylor 2009). The Algerian Clubtail (Gomphus lucasii Selys) (Odonata: Gomphidae) is currently listed vulnerable in the IUCN Red list and is probably one of the least known gomphids in the Palearctic. Its geographic range is restricted to Algeria and Tunisia where most populations have either become extinct or on the verge of extinction during the last century due to anthropogenic pressure (Boudot 2010). It has been claimed that no population currently reaches 250 adults and the total population size is estimated at less than 2,500 individuals (Boudot 2010, Zebsa et al. 2015). To determine the population dynamics and establish an effective conservation plan, a good understanding of dispersal capacities is essential for species of conservation concern like G. lucasii Selys. In addition, data on habitat preferences of maturation and reproductive sites are also crucial because habitat physical characteristics influence dispersal decisions of individuals. Unfortunately, nothing of the biology and ecology of G. lucasii Selys has been reported (but see Hamzaoui et al. 2015). In this article, we first investigated adult displacements within and between aquatic and terrestrial habitats using mark-release-resighting data from a large population to determine potential areas occupied by the species during the flight season, its dispersal capacities, and philopatry to emergence and reproductive sites. In addition, microhabitat preferences of reproductive adults were surveyed to investigate physical characteristics of areas where territoriality, copulation, and oviposition often take place. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1093/jisesa/iev128 |
| Volume Number | 15 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/9f/b9/iev128.PMC4626670.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa%2Fiev128 |
| Journal | Journal of Insect Science |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
