Odonata as focal taxa for biological responses to climate change

Adaptations to novel climates have been a motor for the evolution of life on Earth, but the human-caused rise of global temperatures is unprecedented in its velocity and many species may not be able to cope with such rapid climatic changes. The most likely scenarios indicate that, until the end of this century, the increase of global temperatures above the pre-industrial levels will be of comparable magnitude as changes since the last glacial maximum (LGM). Species that cannot adapt fast enough to these dramatic changes have to shift their distributions or phenology, or they become locally extinct. How species react depends on a multitude of intrinsic factors, including life history traits, physiological adaptations, and dispersal ability. This chapter first explains why Odonata are an ideal taxon to understand and globally monitor biological responses of both aquatic and terrestrial insects. In addition, it provides an overview of important environmental drivers of contemporary diversity patterns of Odonata. Finally, it reviews literature on range shifts, population trends, and phenological changes in Odonata and discusses the importance of functional traits-not only for predicting how, but also for understanding why, species respond to climatic changes.