Project description and objectives: Dragon- and Damselfly communities are susceptible to environmental changes like pollution, habitat degeneration or climate change. They have thus been effectively used as indicators of environmental quality and climate change. This special project of the BMS focuses on the Odonate communities of South Tyrol with the aim of performing a standardized Odonata survey. These results are expected to both give an updated picture of the Odonate community in the province and offer a unique opportunity to study how Odonates are affected by anthropogenic disturbances along an elevational gradient.
Methods: The Dragon- and Damselfly communities of 40 sites, spanning from 230 to 2450 m and three habitat types (Bogs, natural and artificial lakes) are surveyed. These sites comprise both BMS basic terrestrial-monitoring sites (bogs and lake shores) and additional sites, such as artificial lakes and high elevation lakes to cover both the elevational variation and the anthropogenic influences present in the area.
Partners: The surveys are part of the master thesis of Felix Puff, in collaboration and under the supervision of Christian Schulze at the University of Vienna.
Contact: Contact for further information Felix Puff, felix.puff@eurac.edu, or Elia Guariento, elia.guariento@eurac.edu.
