The Value of Urban Ponds for Odonata and Plant Biodiversity

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The Value of Urban Ponds for Odonata and Plant Biodiversity The Value of Urban Ponds for Odonata and Plant Biodiversity Mary Ann Perron Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research University of Ottawa In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in the Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5 Thèse soumise à l’École des Études Supérieures et de la Recherche Université d’Ottawa En vue de l’obtention du diplôme de doctorat (Ph.D.) au Département de Biologie, Université d’Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5 Mary Ann Perron, Ottawa, Canada, 2020 I dedicate this thesis to my father, Jules Perron, who is my biggest inspiration. I love you dad. ii Abstract Urbanization involves the conversion of natural areas to impervious surfaces, which can lead to an increase in the frequency and severity of flood events in cities. To mitigate flood risk, stormwater ponds are constructed to manage urban runoff. Stormwater ponds can also be colonized by wildlife, but their suitability as habitat is disputed due to potential toxicological risks. This study assessed the suitability of stormwater ponds as habitat for the bioindicators Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and determined environmental factors that impact their community structure. Odonata (adults, nymphs and exuviae) were sampled at 41 stormwater ponds and 10 natural reference ponds across the National Capital Region of Canada, with a subset of ponds sampled over four years (2015-2018). Plant communities, water quality and surrounding land cover were analyzed at each pond to determine their impacts on Odonata community structure. Overall, stormwater ponds had lower Odonata abundance and a greater variation in species richness and community structure compared to natural ponds but had comparable dragonfly reproduction rates. Plants were the most significant driver of Odonata communities, as stormwater ponds with a high richness of native wetland plants had higher Odonata abundance and community structures similar to natural ponds. Water quality was the second most important driver of Odonata communities with dragonflies showing greater sensitivity to urban contaminants than damselflies. While stormwater ponds had higher concentrations of trace elements than natural ponds (e.g. Ni, V, As), concentrations were generally below toxic levels for all elements except copper and chloride, the latter likely an input from winter road salting. Surrounding land cover was the least important factor affecting Odonata communities. In conclusion, this research demonstrated the importance of local-scale iii factors related to plants and water quality in sustaining Odonata communities and specifies recommendations for stormwater pond design and maintenance that enhance urban biodiversity. iv Résumé Avec le développement urbain, la conversion des espaces naturels à des surfaces imperméables modifie le cycle hydrologique naturel en augmentant la fréquence et l’intensité des inondations dans les villes. Une façon de contrôler les inondations est de construire des étangs artificiels qui collectent les eaux pluviales et servent à protéger la qualité de l’eau des systèmes en aval. Ces étangs urbains sont également colonisés par la faune, mais leur capacité de fournir un habitat propice à soutenir la biodiversité est débattue dans la littérature scientifique. De nombreux risques toxicologiques peuvent être associés à ces systèmes. Cette thèse a examiné la valeur des étangs urbains comme habitat pour un groupe de bioindicateurs, l’ordre Odonata, qui englobe les libellules et les demoiselles. Les facteurs qui contrôlent leur diversité et capacité de reproduction ont aussi été pris en considération. Odonata (les adultes, naïades et exuvies) ont été échantillonnés dans 41 étangs urbains et 10 étangs naturels dans la région de la capitale nationale du Canada, avec un sous-ensemble d’étangs échantillonnés pendant quatre ans (2015- 2018). Les étangs naturels ont été utilisés en tant que systèmes de référence. Les communautés de plantes, la qualité de l’eau et la couverture terrestre des environs ont été analysées à chaque étang afin de déterminer leurs effets sur la structure des communautés des odonates. Dans l’ensemble, les étangs urbains comprenaient moins d’individus que les étangs naturels et une grande variation dans la richesse des espèces et la structure des communautés d’odonates mais semblent permettre une reproduction de libellules comparable aux étangs naturels. La végétation avait la plus forte influence sur les odonates; les étangs avec beaucoup d’espèces de plantes indigènes aux zones humides ont soutenu des abondances plus élevées et des communautés plus semblables aux étangs naturels. La qualité de l’eau était le deuxième facteur le plus important, les libellules étant plus sensibles aux contaminants urbains comparés aux demoiselles. Les étangs v urbains avaient des concentrations plus élevées de plusieurs éléments comparés aux étangs naturels (ex. Ni, V, As), mais les étangs urbains posent de faibles risques toxicologiques. La seule exception est potentiellement le chlorure provenant du salage des routes en hiver, ainsi que le cuivre. Les caractéristiques du paysage aux alentours des étangs étaient moins importantes pour les communautés d’odonates. Cette recherche démontre l’importance des facteurs locaux en relation des plantes et de la qualité d’eau pour les communautés d’odonates. En conclusion, cette recherche a permis de déterminer les caractéristiques environnementales des étangs urbains qui peuvent être améliorées enfin d’encourager la biodiversité urbaine. vi Acknowledgments I would first and foremost like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Frances Pick, who has been the greatest mentor I could have ever asked for. Her guidance has shaped me as a researcher and her patience, understanding and support has made this degree possible and enjoyable. I will always look up to you and consider you one of the most important and influential people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Scott Findlay and Dr. Lenore Fahrig, for their feedback and help shaping this thesis. I would like to also thank my examining committee. Thank you to the City of Ottawa for their collaboration. Thank you to all the undergraduate students who helped me with field work: Holly McCulloch, Anne-Marie Cooke, Emily Barber, Noah Johnson and Isabella Richmond. Thank you to Dr. Zofia Taranu, Dr. Étienne Léveillé-Bourret, Marie-Ève Garon-Labrecque, Dr. Julian Starr, Dan Bert, Dr. Nick Stow, Dr. Paul Catling, Benoit Ménard and Raymond Hutchinson. Thank you to all the past and present Pick lab members, especially Hebah Mejbel, Marianne Racine, William Dodsworth, Amber Dyck and Charlotte Heller, for helping with several aspects of my research. This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Grant (NSERC) to Dr. Pick, the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club and the Baxter and Alma Ricard Foundation. I would like to thank my family: Janet, Jules, Joey, Adam, Jessica, Jon, Layla, Bruce, Mario and Margot for their unconditional love and support. I would like to thank my best friends, Ashley, Natt and Rachel for their positive reinforcements and presence throughout my academic career. Most of all, I would like to thank my partner, Logan, for his patience, encouragement and for always being there for me. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................ III RÉSUMÉ .................................................................................................................................. V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................... VII LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. XI CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION .........................................................................1 1.1 BIODIVERSITY ....................................................................................................................2 1.2 THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY .................................................................................................2 1.3 NATURAL SPACES IN CITIES .................................................................................................3 1.4 CONSTRUCTED POND SYSTEMS IN CITIES ..............................................................................4 1.5 ODONATA AS BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS ...............................................................................6 1.6 ODONATA LIFECYCLE REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................7 1.7 THESIS OBJECTIVES........................................................................................................... 10 1.8 THESIS ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: STORMWATER PONDS AS HABITAT FOR ODONATA IN URBAN AREAS: THE IMPORTANCE OF OBLIGATE WETLAND PLANT SPECIES ............... 17 2.1 ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................ 18 2.2 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 19 2.3 METHODS ........................................................................................................................
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