[Odonata-l] effect of rain on ode numbers?

[Nick and Ailsa Donnelly]

It may partly depend on what sort of rain.  Here in upstate NY when there is
a sharp cold front and rain is accompanied by wind and temperature lowering,
the dragonflies essentially disappear, to be replaced (during the summer
that is) by scads of tenerals a few days later.  I interpret this as
destruction of adults by the storm (not necessarily the rain).  Whether they
are killed directly or rendered more easily caught by birds I have no idea.
In many years such storms do not occur, and early season odes can persist
until very late (Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis in late September; Tachopteryx
in late August.) 

Nick Donnelly

-----Original Message-----
From: odonata-l-bounces at listhost.ups.edu
[mailto:odonata-l-bounces at listhost.ups.edu] On Behalf Of Chris Hill
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 8:40 AM
To: odonata-l
Subject: [Odonata-l] effect of rain on ode numbers?

Hi,

Here in my corner of South Carolina, it's rained almost five inches in the
last week, with hard rains on about four days in a row.  It turned sunny
again yesterday.

How does rainfall like that affect dragonfly numbers?  Does that usually
knock them down for a while?  I'm asking because I have some students doing
a research project on a common species, which is suddenly less common!  I'd
like to be able to guess whether the dropoff is weather related and the odes
will bounce back, or if it's more likely seasonal and they won't be coming
back.

CH

************************************************************************
Christopher E. Hill
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Conway, SC 29528-1954
chill AT coastal.edu
http://ww2.coastal.edu/chill/chill.htm

"Research is just formalized curiosity." -- Zora Neale Hurston


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