Linking traits to extinction risk in Odonata

Abstract

Abstract Current species extinction rates are comparable to the five paleontological mass extinction events. To assess risk of species’ extinction, scientists have developed a range of metrics, among them the IUCN threat categorization. Odonates are the most comprehensively assessed insect group (nearly every species) through the IUCN Red List process, yet many species remain categorized as “data deficient.” Species’ ecological and functional traits can help alleviate data deficiencies such as abundance shortfalls in predicting extinction risk. This chapter identifies the commonly studied Odonata traits that may relate to their extinction risk. It summarizes current functional eco-evolutionary perspectives, community resiliency and functional redundancy, and proxies of extinction risk. It proposes a unified framework for predicting Odonata extinction risk from traits that incorporates geographic ranges and environmental data layers, while encouraging the integration of individual abundances, intraspecific variation, biotic interactions, and resolved phylogenies.