A new study led by University of Colorado Denver has uncovered how climate change and intensifying wildfires are disrupting dragonfly mating traits—threatening to push some species toward local extinction.
A new study led by University of Colorado Denver has uncovered how climate change and intensifying wildfires are disrupting dragonfly mating traits—threatening to push some species toward local extinction.
The research, published in Nature Climate Change, shows that dragonflies with dark wing spots—traits long linked to attracting mates—are now more vulnerable in a warming world. Dragonflies play an essential role in ecosystems: they are major predators of mosquitoes and serve as food for birds, fish, and amphibians. Their decline will ripple through entire food webs.
“Dragonflies have survived asteroids, but now climate change and wildfires are threatening them in ways evolution can’t keep up with,” said lead author Sarah Nalley, a PhD student in CU Denver’s Integrative Biology program. “Our findings suggest that adaptation alone may not be fast enough to protect species in a rapidly changing climate.”
Read More: University of Colorado Denver
Image: A dragonfly with dark wing spots—traits long linked to attracting mates. (Credit: University of Colorado Denver, Paul Wedlake)
