Odonata Across Different Habitat Types: A Review

Abstract

Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) act as key ecological indicators of aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystems. Owing to their two life stages (aquatic larva and aerial/terrestrial adult form) and response to habitat fragmentation, water pollution, radiation, and urban stress, they play an important role in assessing the ecological health of their surroundings. This review highlights the importance of odonates as bioindicators from the existing literature globally and the regional literature on the subject. It is clear that habitat diversity, riparian vegetation cover, and various physicochemical factors (DO, BOD, conductivity, pH, etc.) have a huge effect on the species richness and evenness of the odonate community. Generalist species, such as Orthetrum sabina, Pantala flavenscens, Brachythemis contaminata, etc., tend to prevail in distrurbed/polluted habitats, whereas stenotopic species act as markers of conserved microhabitats. In Central India, i.e., the Madhya Pradesh region, seasonality and water scarcity pose a unique problem in the study of odonates, which makes the study of seasonally occurring water bodies and urban refugia of great importance for the region. Therefore, understanding the diversity, distribution, and habitat preferences of odonate species is essential for assessing ecosystem health and developing effective conservation strategies.