Study on Pune’s dragonfly population reveals extinction of 8 species and emergence of 27 new ones

Researchers from MIT-WPU person published this study, titled ‘Odonata Diversity successful the Timescape of Pune District Adjoining the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot’, successful the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science.

Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839). (Express Photo)

The research, led by Dr Pankaj Koparde (faculty, Department of Environmental Studies, MIT-WPU), on with Arajush Payra (PhD scholar) and Ameya Deshpande (alumnus), presents a broad investigation of humanities and modern records.

The probe gathered superior information betwixt 2019 and 2022 crossed 52 localities successful the Pune territory and reviewed humanities records from the mid-19th period done 25 published articles and national subject data. The survey besides recorded 5 endemic taxon from the Western Ghats, reinforcing Pune’s ecological value for Odonata studies.

“This first-of-its-kind survey examines the semipermanent temporal organisation of odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) successful the Pune district, shedding airy connected taxon losses and gains implicit astir 2 centuries,” Dr Koparde said.

Why dragonflies are important?

“Dragonflies are important insect predators that assistance modulate mosquito and pest populations successful municipality areas. Their relation is comparable to that of tigers successful a wood ecosystem. Monitoring their populations is indispensable for assessing biology health,” said Dr Pankaj Koparde, the study’s pb researcher.

Compared to humanities records, researchers contiguous person entree to precocious information postulation techniques, national subject initiatives, and accrued awareness, allowing for a much refined knowing of biodiversity trends. The survey besides identifies Warje and Vetal Hills and Pashan Lake arsenic the astir species-rich locations wrong the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits.

Building connected these findings, MIT-WPU researchers are presently studying the interaction of urbanisation and h2o contamination connected dragonflies on the Mula River. They are besides establishing semipermanent monitoring projects to way diverseness changes implicit time. “We request to prioritise the conservation of municipality greenish and bluish spaces specified arsenic hills, grasslands, rivers, and lakes. Sustainable improvement readying is important to preserving earthy ecosystems amid accelerated municipality expansion,” stated Arajush Payra, co-researcher of the study.

“This survey is portion of a larger probe inaugural connected dragonfly diverseness crossed the Western Ghats, funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India,” Dr Koparde told The Indian Express.

The researchers anticipation their findings volition animate much studies connected biodiversity shifts crossed assorted taxa and promote the constitution of semipermanent monitoring projects to assistance conservation efforts.