A global agenda for advancing freshwater biodiversity research

Global freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and meeting the challenges of this crisis requires bold goals and the mobilisation of substantial resources. While the reasons are varied, investments in both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind those in the terrestrial and marine realms. Inspired by a global consultation, we identify 15 pressing priority needs, grouped into five research areas, in an effort to support informed stewardship of freshwater biodiversity. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated actions towards its sustainable management and conservation.

Towards Global Volunteer Monitoring of Odonate Abundance

Insects are reportedly experiencing widespread declines, but we generally have sparse data on their abundance. Correcting this shortfall will take more effort than professional entomologists alone can manage. Volunteer nature enthusiasts can greatly help to monitor the abundance of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata), iconic freshwater sentinels and one of the few nonpollinator insect groups appreciated by the public and amenable to citizen science. Although counting individual odonates is common in some locations, current data will not enable a global perspective on odonate abundance patterns and trends. Borrowing insight from butterfly monitoring efforts, we outline basic plans for a global volunteer network to count odonates, including organizational structure, advertising and recruiting, and data collection, submission, and synthesis. We hope our proposal serves as a catalyst for richer coordinated efforts to understand population trends of odonates and other insects in the Anthropocene.

From population-level effects to individual response: modelling temperature dependence in Gammarus pulex

Population-level effects of global warming result from concurrent direct and indirect processes. They are typically described by physiologically structured population models (PSPMs). Therefore, inverse modelling offers a tool to identify parameters of individual physiological processes through population-level data analysis, e.g. the temperature dependence of growth from size-frequency data of a field population. Here, we make use of experiments under laboratory conditions, in mesocosms and field monitoring to determine the temperature dependence of growth and mortality of Gammarus pulex. We found an optimum temperature for growth of approximately 17°C and a related temperature coefficient, Q(10), of 1.5°C(-1), irrespective of whether we classically fitted individual growth curves or applied inverse modelling based on PSPMs to laboratory data. From a comparison of underlying data sets we conclude that applying inverse modelling techniques to population-level data results in meaningful response parameters for physiological processes if additional temperature-driven effects, including within-population interaction, can be excluded or determined independently. If this is not the case, parameter estimates describe a cumulative response, e.g. comprising temperature-dependent resource dynamics. Finally, fluctuating temperatures in natural habitats increased the uncertainty in parameter values. Here, PSPM should be applied for virtual monitoring in order to determine a sampling scheme that comprises important dates to reduce parameter uncertainty.

Modelling the effect of temperature on the range expansion of species by reaction-diffusion equations

The spatial dynamics of range expansion is studied in dependence of temperature. The main elements population dynamics, competition and dispersal are combined in a coherent approach based on a system of coupled partial differential equations of the reaction-diffusion type. The nonlinear reaction terms comprise population dynamic models with temperature dependent reproduction rates subject to an Allee effect and mutual competition. The effect of temperature on travelling wave solutions is investigated for a one dimensional model version. One main result is the importance of the Allee effect for the crossing of regions with unsuitable habitats. The nonlinearities of the interaction terms give rise to a richness of spatio-temporal dynamic patterns. In two dimensions, the resulting non-linear initial boundary value problems are solved over geometries of heterogeneous landscapes. Geo referenced model parameters such as mean temperature and elevation are imported into the finite element tool COMSOL Multiphysics from a geographical information system. The model is applied to the range expansion of species at the scale of middle Europe.

Do behavioural and life-history traits vary with mate-guarding intensity in libellulid odonates?

It has been demonstrated that in libellulid dragonflies the distribution of eggs during oviposition and the offspring size vary with the type of mate guarding during oviposition (non-contact guarding and contact guarding). In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that oviposition behaviour and life-history traits also differ between these two guarding types. Therefore, we studied oviposition behaviour and life-history traits in six species of a dragonfly assemblage of the Namib Desert. Among the oviposition behaviours, oviposition duration and number of pond changes differed significantly between the guarding types. Clutch size did not differ between the guarding types, whereas some offspring characters, namely egg width, temperature sum to hatch, and larval head width, differed between the guarding types. Eggs of tandem species (those performing contact guarding) were larger, which might explain differences in all other offspring characters studied; bigger eggs need a lower temperature sum for egg development, result in bigger larvae, and have a faster growth rate, all traits that might be seen as an adapation to temporary waters, which are major habitats of the tandem species. This observation is discussed in the light of different dispersal strategies between the species performing different guarding types.

Differences in growth and behaviour influence asymmetric predation among early-instar dragonfly larvae

Libellulid dragonflies lay large egg clutches. When eggs of two or more species are deposited at the same time and patch, one can expect a high density of early-instar larvae. Thus, interspecific interactions should be evident. We studied the interaction of two species, Sympetrum fonscolombii and Orthetrum cancellatum, which typically co-occur in French rice fields. We experimentally simulated the laying of egg clutches of both species at the same time and site. Survival of O. cancellatum was reduced compared with that of controls without S. fonscolombii and also with that of S. fonscolombii in the two-species treatment. At the end of the experiment, mean head width of S. fonscolombii was greater than that of O. cancellatum, which may be one reason for the differential survival. In a second experiment we observed the behaviour of pairs of early-instar larvae of both species in different size combinations. Small larvae of S. fonscolombii reduced locomotory activity in the presence of larger O. cancellatum. In contrast, small O. cancellatum did not do so in the presence of larger S. fonscolombii. This behavioural difference may also cause asymmetric interspecific predation.