Anthropogenic climate change has major impacts on the abundance, distribution, evolution and phenology of species. However, we know little about how these changes affect community composition and species interactions. Models often assume that species respond independently to climate, although species responses to climate change can be influenced by interactions between species (Cahill et al. 2013. Proc. R. Soc. B 280: 20121890). Therefore, it is important to study species interactions to improve our understanding of the direct and indirect effects of climate change on the behaviour, abundance and distribution of organisms in response to climate change.
Dragonflies are important indicators of the condition of aquatic ecosystems. They are acting as top predators, especially in fish-free waters, and play an important role as a link between aquatic and terrestrial communities. In dragonflies, the metabolism and development are directly linked to the ambient temperature. Species-specific growth reactions lead to altered size compositions and effects on egg development change the temporal occurrence of species. Both aspects change the predation between dragonfly species - a factor that is significantly involved in the shaping of dragonfly communities. In addition, warming supports the northward dispersal of southern species, which also influence communities.
The objective of this project is to understand the effects of climate change on interactions in two- & and three-species systems of very similar dragonfly species. Of the selected species, one has a negative population trend, a closely related one has a positive trend, and the third is from the south and spreading north (Bowler et al. 2021. Divers. Distribut. 27: 1353-1366; see Fig.). In the project, a modelling approach is introduced for the first time in order to subsequently be able to specifically examine the results by means of an experimental design adapted to the modelling.
Grant: DFG, Project No. 556214684
PIs: Prof. Frank Suhling, Prof. Dr. Boris-Schröder-Esselbach, TU Berlin
Mitarbeiterin: Jolan Hogreve
Lead: Prof. Frank Suhling
Contact: Jolan Hogreve