ODONATA SPECIES COMPOSITION IN AGROECOSYSTEMS: PRELIMINARY SURVEYS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON POTENTIAL FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL ON FARMS

Abstract

Adult dragonflies and damselflies are efficient aerial predators that provide ecosystem service as consumers of pest arthropods. However, their role as predators of agricultural pests in agroecosystems has been understudied. The prey of odonates has been historically difficult to quantify but new molecular methods can make diet analysis easier. I conducted visual encounter surveys across four farms in 2020 and 2021. I found odonates were present on all farms surveyed but there were significant differences in abundance and richness. Fecal pellets were collected from 94 odonates in 2021 for prey DNA analysis using next generation sequencing. Nine odonate samples produced exceptional libraries, resulting in a large quantity of identifiable prey sequences. This preliminary study can help future researchers develop best practices for maintaining healthy farm water bodies and optimizing fecal DNA analysis methodology to better understand odonates’ potential for agricultural pest suppression.