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Simple rules guide dragonfly migration
Martin Wikelski1, David Moskowitz, James S Adelman
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. wikelski@princeton.edu
Biology Letters
|December 7, 2006
Summary
Individual dragonflies migrate south using distinct stopover and migration days, similar to songbirds. Their migration is influenced by daytime, wind speed, and temperature, revealing general long-distance strategies.
Area of Science:
- Entomology
- Animal Behavior
- Ecology
Background:
- Billions of insects migrate annually, but individual migratory strategies remain poorly understood.
- Previous research focused on population-level migratory phenomena, leaving gaps in knowledge about individual insect navigation and behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the migratory destinations and strategies of individual insects.
- To track the movement patterns and decision-making processes of dragonflies during autumn migration.
Main Methods:
- Miniaturized radio transmitters (approx. 300 mg) were attached to 14 individual dragonflies (Anax junius).
- Tracking was conducted for up to 12 days using receiver-equipped aircraft and ground teams.
- Data on migration days, stopover periods, direction, speed, and environmental conditions were collected.
Main Results:
- Dragonflies exhibited distinct migration and stopover days, migrating every 2.9 days on average.
- Average net advance was 58 km over 6.1 days, with a mean speed of 11.9 km/day, generally southward.
- Migration occurred during daytime with wind speeds <25 km/h, but only after two nights of decreasing minimum temperatures.
Conclusions:
- Dragonfly migratory patterns and decision rules resemble those of songbirds.
- These findings suggest a general migration strategy applicable to long-distance migration in organisms with high self-propelled flight speeds.
