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Odonate Monitoring Project
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| Calopteryx maculate (Ebony Jewelwing) |
Why odonates are an attractive group for monitoring
Odonates ("Odes") are one of the key taxa that are part of Mass Audubon's Ecological Inventory and Monitoring Program on our sanctuaries. Odonates are an attractive group for monitoring for a number of reasons.
- Odes occur in a variety of habitats, e.g., along streams and rivers, at the edges of ponds and forests, in wet meadows, and in fields and are often top predators both in their aquatic larval and adult stages.
- Odonate larvae are particularly sensitive to environmental changes in aquatic habitat structure and water quality, thus have been used as environmental indicators of water quality and habitat change (Aliberti and Chandler 2001, Clausnitzer and Jödicke 2004).
- The presence of adults on a sanctuary can be interpreted to mean that the aquatic habitat on or near a sanctuary is adequate to support larval growth and development.The 166 species of odonates currently recognized as occurring in Massachusetts (Nikula et al. 2003) is not an overwhelming number. They provide a manageable opportunity for comparing long-term changes in species richness.
- Odonate taxonomy is well known, and some good, recent field guides (Nikula et al 2007; Lam 2004) and websites (Ode News) are available. Expertise at odonate identification has increased in recent years, largely through the efforts of amateur naturalists.
- Mass Audubon has staff expertise on odonate identification, and a number of competent amateur birders have also become adept at identifying odonates.
Funding for this project was initially provided by:
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