The role of behavioural ecology of damselflies in the use of fluctuating asymmetry as a bioindicator of water pollution

1. Fluctuating asymmetry has been used widely to investigate questions concerned with evolution and behaviour, and to study the effects of environmental pollution. Damselflies have been used to answer questions in both fields, but no attempt has been made to combine the knowledge from these areas to investigate whether and how evolutionary ecology and behaviour interfere with the use of fluctuating asymmetry as a bioindicator of water pollution. 2. Four hypotheses were formulated to investigate possible interferences: (1) Paired males should be less asymmetrical than unpaired males. (2) Males caught at breeding sites should be less asymmetrical than females caught at breeding sites. (3) Damselflies caught earlier in the season should be less asymmetrical than those caught later in the year. (4) Damselflies caught at control sites should be less asymmetrical than those caught at sites within areas of high pesticide usage. 3. No significant difference in asymmetry levels was found between paired and unpaired males. 4. Males were significantly less asymmetrical than females. 5. Damselflies caught earlier in the year were less asymmetrical than those caught later. 6. The data used to test the hypothesis that fluctuating asymmetry in the wings of mature damselflies reflects the level of pesticides used in the surrounding environment were equivocal. 7. The findings suggest that evolutionary ecology and behaviour interfere with the suitability of fluctuating asymmetry in mature damselflies as a biomonitoring tool and it is concluded that fluctuating asymmetry in emerging adults should be much more appropriate as a bioindicator.