Dragonflies are key in local ecosystems and observing water quality, the Taipei Feitsui Reservoir Administration said on Monday last week.
Since its founding 37 years ago, the Feitsui Reservoir has had experts and academics to help monitor its impact on nearby ecosystems and animal habitats, it said, adding that the study targeted mammals, birds, amphibious reptiles, butterflies, fireflies and dragonflies as key biological indicators.
Dragonflies, whose reproduction is highly dependent on water cleanliness, were considered one of the most important indicators of the reservoir’s water quality, Taipei Feitsui Reservoir Administration commissioner Lin Yu-yi (林裕益) said.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Feitsui Reservoir Administration
The reservoir is home to at least 40 dragonfly species, a quarter of the nation’s 161 known dragonfly species, he said, adding that this was a clear indicator that the reservoir water could sustain biodiversity, Lin said.
The agency’s Management Division director-general Liang Yi-fan (梁逸帆) said that the reservoir was also home to the Anotogaster sieboldii, also known as Siebold’s dragonfly, which is Taiwan’s only conserved dragonfly species.
Siebold’s dragonflies prefer mountain rivers or other clean water environments, Liang said.
He also said that the rare Lyiothemis flava Oguma — the only species of dragonfly that inhabits floral environments — used to be considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The reservoir’s senior staff Kao Li-ying (高儷瑛) said that the Odonata order consists of dragonflies and damselflies, and both groups’ larvae, or naiads, are primarily aquatic.
The naiads’ surviving on small water-based insects, tadpoles and small fish, help maintain ecological balance, she said, adding that once the naiads become adults, they prey on insects, flies, bees, butterflies and moths.
The agency said that with climate change, it is redoubling its efforts to monitor the reservoir’s ecology, an indicator of water quality.
It would step up its efforts to conserve the local ecology, and create a premium water quality and a sustainable reservoir, it said.
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