title: Diversity and spatiotemporal distribution of larval odonate assemblages in temperate neotropical farm ponds.
abstract: Farm ponds help maintain diversity in altered landscapes. However, studies on the features that drive this type of property in the Neotropics are still lacking, especially for the insect fauna. We analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of odonate larval assemblages in farm ponds. Odonates were sampled monthly at four farm ponds from March 2008 to February 2009 in a temperate montane region of southern Brazil. A small number of genera were frequent and accounted for most of the dominant fauna. The dominant genera composition differed among ponds. Local spatial drivers such as area, hydroperiod, and margin vegetation structure likely explain these results more than spatial predictors due to the small size of the study area. Circular analysis detected seasonal effect on assemblage abundance but not on richness. Seasonality in abundance was related to the life cycles of a few dominant genera. This result was explained by temperature and not rainfall due to the temperate climate of the region studied. The persistence of dominant genera and the sparse occurrence of many taxa over time probably led to a lack in a seasonal pattern in assemblage richness.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia, Escola Politécnica, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Avenida Unisinos, 950, CEP 93022-000, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil marquespiresm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mateus Marques
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia e Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, campus Sede, Avenida Roraima, 1000, CEP 97105-900, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla Bender
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kotzian
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Pampa, campus São Gabriel, Avenida Antônio Trilha, 1847, CEP 97300-000, São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcia Regina
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Spies
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D009758:Nymph / Q000502:physiology; D063191:Odonata / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D061005:Ponds; D012621:Seasons
keywords: aquatic insect; dragonfly; reservoir; seasonality; spatial distribution