Enigmatic adult overwintering in damselflies. Coexistence as weaker intraguild competitors due to niche separation in time

0385066 - ÚVGZ 2013 RIV JP eng J - Journal Article
Harabiš, F. - Dolný, A. - Šipoš, Jan
Enigmatic adult overwintering in damselflies. Coexistence as weaker intraguild competitors due to niche separation in time.
Population Ecology. Roč. 54, č. 4 (2012), s. 549-556. ISSN 1438-3896. E-ISSN 1438-390X
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LC06073
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520
Keywords : Competition * Hibernation * Phenology * Sympecma * Temporal niche-partitioning
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 1.923, year: 2012

Odonata, like most freshwater invertebrates, tend to overwinter in water due to the thermal properties of a water environment. Winter damselflies (genus Sympecma), however, hibernate as adults in terrestrial habitats. The strategy of adult overwintering combined with high mortality is associated with several unique adaptations to semiarid conditions, but winter damselflies maintain this unique life history throughout almost the entire Palaearctic. We assume that the unique strategy of adult overwintering in temperate zones is indirectly maintained by niche separation in time. We used phenological data from the Czech Republic to compare the seasonal phenology of Sympecma spp. with other coexisting odonate species. Seasonal population growth patterns between S. fusca and other coexisting species representing different life histories were compared using GLMMs and LME. The models showed negative non-linear dependence between the population growth of S. fusca and the estimated abundance of compared species. We found that the specific strategy of adult overwintering makes it possible to avoid seasonal maxima of competition and predation in adult and larval stages. Adults may benefit from free niches during spring while larvae may benefit from size advantage among intraguild competitors and optimal conditions for development.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0214463