Oh dragonflies, oh damselflies

300 million long years you have lived

Through storm and fire, you have survived

Majestic, mighty dragons of the skies!

Flying forward and backward, side-to-side

Or yet hovering still, oh you diaphanous creatures

Gliding through the wind!

How marvellous your brilliant colours glittering under the radiant sun!

Woe be to those who do not see the wonderous beauty of your kind

Though little you may be, how vital you are to humankind!

Great defender of our habitats!

Oh dragonflies, oh damselflies

Please don’t ever say goodbye,

For 300 million years you have lived

And for 300 million years you will live!

Yes, I wrote an ode to dragonflies and damselflies. Dramatic? Maybe.

But these insects are not just pretty. The odonate species are key indicators of a healthy and working wetland ecosystem. I was fascinated by their presence at the Keppel Wetlands and when I got back from my field trip with my Applied Biogeography class, I just had to write about them!

Figure 1: A picture of Keppel Discovery Wetlands. You can see a slight difference between the different strata. Source: The New Age Parents.

But first, let me introduce the Keppel Discovery Wetlands. It is a 1.8-hectare restoration project of the forest wetland ecosystem that was historically found in the vicinity of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. But these freshwater wetlands ecosystems are fast disappearing in urban Singapore. It’s devastating because wetlands function as “biological supermarkets”, providing great quantities of food that attract and support many animal species. During our visit, we spotted a white-breasted waterhen,  some butterflies, a common kingfisher! Okay, while it was not a smorgasbord of animal species, it was fascinating to see the different species interact. But amongst it all, it was the zooming odonates that caught my eye!

Figure 2: Photos (top and bottom) of a male Oriental Blue Dasher (Brachydiplax chalybea) resting. It is listed at ‘Least Concerned’ under the IUCN Red List. Source: Alvern.

Believe it or not, the odonates pre-date dinosaurs! They have lived and evolved for over 300 million years. Today, the Odonate (from order Odonata) have two surviving suborders: Anisoptera (dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies). These odonates are indicators species and are crucial to wetland ecosystems. As predators, these odonates eat mosquitoes! Plus, because these insects require stable oxygen levels and clean water, scientists consider them reliable bioindicators of a healthy ecosystem. So, their numbers at the Keppel Wetlands were evidence that the ecosystem is healthy and working.

Awesome, right? Not quite.

Prof. Gretchen shared in class that her research team had observed a drop in the odonates species diversity at Keppel Wetlands. While the team is still analysing the data, this observation does not bode well. This means that the ecosystem restoration strategies might need to be tweaked or changed. As of 2016, there are 131 odonate species in Singapore and researchers have only scratched the surface of what these insects are capable of!

There is so much even I do not know about odonates. So much I could not Google! I think this is why I love field trips like this one, it sparks a curiosity in you that you cannot help but feed! After this, I might begin odonating (dragonfly-watching). It is enjoyable and educational. And hey, I may just find something unique about odonate behaviour! So, if anyone needs me, they can find me at some wetland or park odonating!

Figure 3: A male Crimson Dropwing (Trithemis aurora) perched on an aquatic plant, its bright pink colour is mesmerising (top left). Then we have what is commonly known as the Blue Sprite (Pseudagrion microcephalum) that stopped momentarily (top right). Third, we have the Common Scarlet or Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilla) its red colour is rather vivid (bottom left). Lastly, the Common Parasol (Neurothemis fluctuans) (bottom right). All of them are listed as ‘Least Concerned’ under the IUCN Red List. Source: Sayori.

Author: Sayori Bose