Rising temperatures, altered life cycles and their consequences for dragonflies in Europe

• Besides range expansion, altered life cycle patterns are the most visible signal of dragonfly responses to recent climate change. Since dragonflies are poikilotherm organisms their metabolism is directly responding to the ambient temperature. Thus, rising temperatures, which have already been recorded and are predicted to be even more severe in the future, should lead to alterations in all aspects of dragonfly life cycles. This may lead to temporal mismatches with other environmental variables relevant for the survival of dragonfly populations. The aim of our contribution is reviewing the known facts about temperature on growth rates and voltinism. We investigated temperature response of growth by laboratory experiments mainly in Libellulidae. Physiological structured mathematical models were used to simulate life cycle duration with various types of seasonal regulation. We will try predictions of consequences of rising temperatures for voltinism and phenology of some European dragonflies in future considering the regionally different climatic conditions. With the aid of such models we will also stress the question how temperature as environmental factor may influence present and future distribution of species in Europe.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Biology

Biologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)