Diversity and emergence pattern of dragonflies in a lentic habitat of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba

The transference of biomass to terrestrial ecosystems is carried out in part by the adults of aquatic insects after their emergence from water, as it is in the case of odonates. The aim of this study is to characterize the emergence pattern of an odonate assemblage in an artificial lentic habitat of the National Botanical Garden of Cuba, from the harvest of exuviae. Fifty two samplings were carried out with a frequency of once a week, and an interval of seven to nine days, in four transect of 8 m2. To characterize the emergence, the seasonal climate model was considered: rainy, poorly rainy and transition seasons. The change in climatic variables and habitat characteristics was registered, and was related to the emergence pattern. The variation in the use of resources during emergence was described. The emergence with a constant volume of water turned out to be asynchronous, with a predominance of accidental species and unequal abundance distribution. The rainy period was the season with the highest percentage of emergence, in which rainfall and relative humidity were the factors that most influenced the emergence pattern. The plants were the most used emergence substrate, and the decrease in vegetation cover corresponded to the alternative use of other substrates. Citation: Lim, G. & Trapero-Quintana, A. 2020. Diversidad y patrón de emergencia de libélulas en un hábitat léntico del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba. Revista Jard. Bot. Nac. Univ. Habana 41: 119-130. Article history: Received: 17 February 2020. Accepted: 15 June 2020. Online: 4 November 2020. Editor: Luis Manuel Leyv