Poster ECOO 2022 Conference: "A comparative study of larval Odonata data within permanent ponds across Hungary" (output from EUROPONDS Project)

Abstract

Whilst being small and shallow, permanent ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude
of organisms as well as provide habitats for animals like aquatic insects and others,
including many rare species. These ponds, which were often neglected in limnological
studies, were the core of our joint project, the 3rd freshwater project - EUROPONDS in order
to evaluate the often overlooked ecological ecosystem services provided by permanent
ponds across Europe. As a part of this project, two Hungarian ponds were surveyed for a
full year (2020/21). One of the project aims was to assess the freshwater macroinvertebrate
assemblages by dip netting over the four annual seasons. Here, we present preliminary results examining the data on larval Odonata of two Hungarian ponds in relation to the
physicochemical variables measured, as well as compare the results to a previous national
survey. Altogether the examination of 24 waterbodies (22 from a national survey and two
from the EUROPONDS project) was carried out in this study. All of the involved water bodies
were clustered using a Ward analysis including the water physicochemical parameters into
three groups, and then the dragonfly fauna was investigated within the groups found.
Diversity metrics and the presence or absence of different species were also included and
the results were compared between the different clusters. Herein, we aimed to assess
differences between the three main clusters, identify key factors driving the presence of the
studied species and the relationship between the diversity indexes and the physicochemical
parameters influencing the Odonata communities in the studied ponds.

Full text

A comparative study of larval Odonata data within
permanent ponds across Hungary
Lena Fehlinger1,2, Biljana Rimcheska3,Judit Fekete4*, Tamás Bozóki5, Benjamin Misteli6, Ana Balibrea7,Vojtěch Kolář8,9, Martin Souto7, Veronica Nava10,Liam Nash11, Pietro Tirozzi10, Dariusz Halabowski12,13, Luca
Bonacina14,Alberto Scotti15, Ellinor Jakobsson16, Fernando Chaguaceda16, Daniel Morant17, Julie C. Fahy18, David Cunillera-Montcusi19, Jose Manuel Zamora Marín20, Marina Tomás Martín21, Juan Rubio-Ríos22,23,
Katarzyna Kuczyńska24, Pablo Soto García21, Aleksandra Haba24,Francesca Vallefuoco25,26, Olivera Stamenković27, Ena L. Suarez28,Magdalena Vanek29, Teofana Chonova30, Noel Juvigny-Khenafou31, Pablo Timoner28,
Rhiannon Mondav16, Emma Drohan32, Lucie Vebrová8, Dawid Dąbrowski33, Alba Camacho Santamans17,Encarnación Fenoy22,23,34, Marta Zawadzka33,Jorge García-Girón35,Mercedes Guerrero Brotons36, Joana
Martelo37,38, Alfredo Llorente39,40, Margaux Mathieu-Resuge1,41, Pierre Marle28, Simone Moras16, Karla Münzner16,Jorge Henriques42, Martin Sarkezi43, Agnieszka Sowa44, Maria Calderó Pascual32, Anna Camacho-
Santamans17, Zeus Freixinos Campillo36, Remi Gerber6, Maria Iasmina Moza45, Constanze Englisch43, Stephen Esosa Osakpolor31,Darmina Nita45, Valentin Dinu46,Adriana Olenici46,Frederic Labat6,Gábor Várbíró47
Results and discussion
Materials and methods
Introduction
Whilst being small and shallow, permanent ponds provide valuable habitats
for a multitude of organisms and provide habitats for animals like aquatic
insects and others, including many rare species. These ponds, which were
often neglected in limnological studies, were the core of our joint project, the
3rd fresh project - EUROPONDS in order to evaluate the often overlooked
ecological ecosystem services provided by permanent ponds across Europe.
As a part of this project, two Hungarian ponds were surveyed for a full year
(2020/21). One of the project aims was to assess the freshwater
macroinvertebrate assemblages. Here, we present preliminary results
examining the larval Odonata data of two Hungarian ponds in relation to the
physicochemical variables measured, as well as compare the results to a
previous national survey which was carried out as a part of the WFD.
Sampling sites Water bodies were clustered with K-means method, including the water
physicochemical parameters (Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, pH,
Chlorophyll a) into three groups and then examined with discriminant
analysis (Fig.2). The differences in the values of background variables and
then diversity metrics of the dragonfly fauna was investigated within the
found groups for comparision.
Altogether the examination of 24 waterbodies (22 from a national survey
and two from the EUROPONDS project) was carried out in this study. (Fig 1.)
Applied statistical methods
Figure 1.: a) Sampling sites (green: EUROPONDS sampling sites, red: sampling sites from
national survey) b) Sampling site 33P2
Statistical analyses and
plots were made using the
Past version 4.03.
software and the
‚ggstatsplot’package in R
4.03 statistical
environment.
Figure 2.: The plot of discriminant analysis with the three well separated clusters.
For macroinvertebrate sampling we applied kick&sweep multihabitat
method with 10 replicas per sampled site. The collected material were
preserved in 70% alcohol, then sorted and identified in laboratory.
Figure 3.: The plot of the pairvise test of the given background variables in different clusters Figure 4.: The plot of the diersity inexes in differecnt clusters
Acknowledgements: The 3rd Collaborative European Freshwater Science Project for Young Researchers EUROPONDS projectwas funded by the European Federation of Freshwater Sciences (EFFS) board, the European Fresh and Young Researchers (EFYR) and representatives of the Fresh Blood for
Fresh Water (FBFW) meetings.The funding was provided by the contributing EFFS societies: Association Française de Limnologie (AFL), Association of Austrian SIL Members (SIL Austria), Associazione Italiana di Oceanologia e Limnologia (AIOL). Asociación Ibérica de Limnología/Associação
Ibérica de Limnologia (AIL), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie e.V. (DGL), Freshwater Biological Association (FBA), Hrvatsko Udruženje Slatkovodnih Ekologa (HUSEK), Magyar Hidrológiai Társaság (MHT), Polskie Towarzystwo Hydrobiologiczne (PTH), Schweizerische Gesellschaft für
Hydrologie und Limnologie/Société Suisse d'Hydrologie et de Limnologie/Società Svizzera di Idrologia e Limnologia (SSHL). OTKA FK135136
As a result of the field surveys, a total of 21 species and 1449 individuals
were detected from the 24 standing waters. The results of our preliminary
study the statistical analyses clearly show that the 24 water bodies can be
classified into three distinct clusters on the basis of the background
variables. The values of the background variables in the different clusters are
well separated, if not always significantly so. Although no significant
differences in the examined diversity values are observed between the
clusters, but the different occurrence characteristics between the groups
could provide valuable information. In the water bodies classified in
Cluster_1, 15 species were detected, including such valuable or sensitive
species as Somatochlora flavomaculata,Somatochlora meridionalis,
Epitheca bimaculata and Erythromma lindenii.In Cluster_2 waterbodies six
species were found (which are also occurred in every other clusters) for
example the Ischnura elegans,Platycnemis pennipes,Orthetrum
cancellatum.In Cluster_3 13 species occurs for example Cordulia aenea,
Libellula fulva and Epitheca bimaculata. The diversity indices for the
different clusters show that relatively Cluster_2 has the highest values,
despite the fact that it has the lowest number of species overall. This can be
explained by the fact that the analysis was based on the diversity values of
the respective sampling sites, so that it is useless to have more species in the
cluster overall if the diversity values of the individual sampling sites are
lower. We will continue our studies in the future to gain a more accurate
picture of the factors influencing the dragonfly and damselfly diversity of
standing waters in Hungary and Europe.
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