Damsefly: Pollution's Canary In The Coal Mine?

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Damselflies are very sensitive to pollution and cannot breed without clean water. They are more pollution-intolerant than dragonflies. Damselfly larvae are sensitive to various sources of pollution, including PFOS, a persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminant. They are also more sensitive to oxygen levels and suspended fine particulate matter than dragonfly nymphs. Damselfly populations worldwide are not as numerous as they were a decade ago, with pollution, habitat loss, and climate change posing significant threats to their survival.

Damselfly larvae are sensitive to PFOS

Damselfly larvae are indeed sensitive to pollution. Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odatan suborder, Epiprocta. Odonata have a wide range of tolerance to water pollution, with some taxa more sensitive to pollutants than others. Damselflies are moderately tolerant of pollution.

Damselfly larvae (Enallagma cyathigerum) are sensitive to PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid), a persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminant that has been detected in organisms worldwide. PFOS is a fluorinated organic compound that has been manufactured for more than 50 years and used in a variety of specialised consumer and industrial products. It has been found to accumulate in wildlife throughout the world, from industrialised areas to the Arctic.

In a study on the behaviour of damselfly larvae after long-term exposure to PFOS, it was found that increasing concentrations of PFOS led to reduced behavioural performance in the larvae. After one month of exposure, the no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) was 100 μg/L for general activity. After four months of exposure, the NOEC increased to 10 μg/L for each behavioural trait, except for the swimming acceleration of male larvae, which remained at 100 μg/L. When faced with PFOS concentrations above the NOEC, the damselfly larvae exhibited reduced survival-related behaviours, including decreased activity, impaired escape abilities during a simulated predator attack, and reduced efficiency in foraging.

Another study evaluated the impact of PFOS exposure on the life cycle of damselfly larvae under laboratory conditions. The results showed reduced egg hatching success, slower larval development, greater larval mortality, and decreased metamorphosis success with increasing PFOS concentrations. The NOEC for larval survival was found to be 10 μg/L, indicating that damselfly larvae are highly sensitive to PFOS exposure.

Overall, these studies suggest that damselfly larvae are sensitive to PFOS, with long-term exposure leading to adverse effects on their behaviour and life cycle.

Damselfly behaviour is a measure of pollution

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies but tend to be smaller and have slimmer bodies. While dragonflies hold their wings out and to the side, damselflies hold their wings together above their backs.

Damselflies are moderately to very intolerant of pollution. They are absolutely dependent on clean water to breed, and their nymphs are more sensitive to oxygen levels and suspended fine particulate matter than dragonfly nymphs. Damselflies are also affected by pharmaceutical pollution, which can alter the natural expression of behaviour. For example, in a study, damselfly larvae suffered reduced survival-related behavioural performance after long-term exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminant.

Damselfly behaviour can be a measure of pollution. In the aforementioned study, the behavioural performance of damselfly larvae was examined after long-term exposure to PFOS. The results showed that damselfly larvae were negatively impacted, indicating that their behaviour can be a measure of the effects of pollution.

Additionally, damselflies are being studied as bio-indicators of environmental pollution and integrity in Poland. Damselfly nymphs are also an excellent system for studying the effects of anthropogenic stressors due to their variable sensitivities to water quality and pollutants. For example, territorial species of damselflies tend to be less sensitive to urban areas.

Damselfly populations are threatened by pollution

Damselflies are very sensitive to pollution and are therefore unable to breed in increasingly polluted waters. They are part of the Odonata order of insects, which also includes dragonflies, and spend their juvenile lives in the water. As adults, they lay their eggs in the water, and the nymphs or larvae live in a variety of freshwater habitats, including acidic bogs, ponds, lakes, and rivers.

In addition to pharmaceutical pollution, damselfly populations are also threatened by water pollution from urban runoff, including road salts and chloride. While dragonflies are more affected by pollution than damselflies, both are sensitive to different pollutants. Damselflies, for example, are more sensitive than dragonfly nymphs to oxygen levels and suspended fine particulate matter. Damselfly larvae are also affected by fluorinated organic compounds, which are used in a variety of consumer and industrial products. Exposure to these compounds has been shown to reduce their survival-related behavioural performance, making them less active and less capable of escaping simulated predator attacks.

The conservation of damselflies has often focused on their habitats, as they are threatened by the clearance of forests, the lowering of groundwater levels, the damming of rivers, and the degradation of wetlands and marshes. The presence of alien species can also pose unintended consequences for damselfly populations, as seen in Hawaii, where the introduction of the mosquitofish nearly exterminated the island's endemic damselflies.

Damselflies are intolerant of pharmaceutical pollution

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. Odonata have a wide range of tolerance to water pollution, with some taxa more sensitive to pollutants than others. Damselflies are moderately tolerant of pollution. However, pharmaceutical pollution, which is a rapidly growing threat to ecosystems worldwide, has been shown to disrupt the behaviour and predator-prey interactions of these insects.

In a study, damselfly nymphs were exposed to two pharmaceutical pollutants, citalopram and cetirizine, individually and in a mixture. The results showed that exposure to both compounds elevated dragonfly activity and impacted their predation success and efficiency in complex ways. While exposure to citalopram reduced predation efficiency, exposure to cetirizine showed varied effects, with enhanced predation success in some contexts but impairment in others.

Another study compared the effects of water quality on dragonflies and damselflies in stormwater ponds and natural ponds. The stormwater ponds had poor water quality, with high concentrations of chloride and metals, and lower dragonfly abundance. The damselfly community structure in the stormwater ponds was similar to that in natural ponds, with nutrients and metals explaining a small percentage of the variation in community structure.

Overall, these studies indicate that pharmaceutical pollution can affect the behaviour and predator-prey interactions of damselflies. While damselflies are moderately tolerant of pollution, the increasing presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment may pose a growing threat to these insects and the ecosystems they inhabit.

To protect damselflies and maintain ecosystem health, it is crucial to address the sources of pharmaceutical pollution and implement measures to reduce the release of these pollutants into the environment. This may include improving waste management practices, regulating the use and disposal of pharmaceuticals, and promoting sustainable alternatives to reduce the ecological footprint of human activities.

Damselfly sensitivity varies with urbanisation

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. All damselflies are predatory insects, with both nymphs and adults actively hunting and eating other insects. The nymphs are aquatic, living in a variety of freshwater habitats.

Damselflies are sensitive to pollution, although they are more tolerant of it than dragonflies. They are very intolerant of polluted water, as they cannot breed without clean water. Damselfly larvae have been found to suffer reduced survival-related behavioural performance after long-term exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a persistent and ubiquitous environmental contaminant. They are also more sensitive than dragonfly nymphs to oxygen levels and suspended fine particulate matter.

However, damselfly sensitivity does vary with urbanisation. In general, territorial species tend to be less sensitive to urban areas. Stormwater ponds, constructed by cities to mitigate flooding and downstream water pollution from urban runoff, can have poor water quality but also attract wildlife. These ponds can provide a suitable habitat for Odonata if properly designed.

Pharmaceutical pollution also represents a growing threat to ecosystems worldwide, with drugs being detected in the tissues of wildlife and the potential to alter natural behaviour. However, relatively little is known about how pharmaceuticals impact predator-prey interactions.

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