Reproductive habitat provisioning promotes survival and reproduction of the endangered endemic damselfly Calopteryx exul

Abstract

Effective habitat management is predicted to have positive effects on populations and species of conservation concern. Although studies have shown that ecological processes such as colonization can be promoted after habitat management, we still need more information on the survival and reproductive consequences at the individual level in order to reach positive conservation outcome. Here we assess the effects of reproductive habitat supplementation (host oviposition plant) on survival and mating success of an endangered endemic damselfly, Calopteryx exul, using capture-mark-recapture data. We first determined that the species prefer to oviposit on floating leaves of Potamogeton spp. Based on Cormack-Jolly-Seber modeling, we found that recapture and survival probabilities were positively affected by the number of the host oviposition patches of the host plant. Moreover, we showed a strong positive relationship between adult lifespan and lifetime mating success. Our results suggest that host-plant provisioning for reproduction not only increases the survival of individuals, but also increases the number of matings per lifetime. The procedure of supplying reproductive sites may enhance population growth of threatened odonates and other aquatic insects.