Dragonflies Affected by Climate Change

A new study found that male dragonflies are losing ornate patterns on their wings. Male dragonflies use this feature to attract females, according to the article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The warmer temperatures are causing dragonflies to shed the darker markings. Scientists are worried that without the colorful patterns, females won’t be able to identify males and therefore won’t be able to reproduce.

Our research shows that males and females of these dragonfly species are going to shift in pretty different ways as the climate changes,” Michael Moore, lead author of the study and an evolutionary biologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told CNN. “These changes are going to happen likely on a much faster timescale than the evolutionary changes in these species have ever occurred before.”

Darker colored wings are critical mating traits for male dragonflies. Previous research linked colder climates with darker wings and warmer weather with lighter patterns.

“Evolutionary changes and wing coloration are a really consistent way that dragonflies adapt to their climates,” Moore said. “This got us wondering what the role of evolutionary changes in wing coloration might be as dragonflies respond to the rise in global temperatures.”

Learn more about Climate change affecting animal life, including acidification harming Dungeness crabs,  the mystery of dead birds across Alaska, turtles in Cape Cod Bay, lobsters off the coast of New England, and whales in the Gulf of Maine.

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