BE-72 Do you want Little Blue Dragonlets on Campus? How we can Better Promote Biodiversity in Presbyterian College’s Pond Ecosystem

Urbanization is the leading cause of freshwater degradation. However, management of our stormwater resources can support biodiversity and protect freshwater. An initial bioassessment survey of the campus pond at Presbyterian College, Clinton, SC, was conducted to determine the influences of overmanagement on biodiversity. Odonata were chosen as the study organism because they are biological indicators of the pond’s habitat and quality. We compared adult odonate communities and collected water quality data for two months at PC pond (No vegetation and managed with blue dye) to two stormwater ponds located at Lush Acres Farms, Clinton, SC (diverse aquatic plant community). Dragonflies were caught using aerial nets and identified to species using the John Abbot key. Diversity indices were compared and species composition was calculated using the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix, and visualized using principal coordinates analysis. Two tolerant species, Pachydiplax longipennis and Perithemis tenera, were found in abundance and explained 43% of the variation between farm ponds and the campus pond communities. Damselflies were most abundant in farm ponds, explaining 31% of the variation, which could be correlated to the pond habitat. We suggest that PC re-establishes aquatic vegetation to support a more ecologically healthy pond. Bolstering the odonate community at Presbyterian College will contribute to the exchange of energy between organisms, as they predate on smaller insects such as mosquitos and provide food for spiders and birds. If better managed, the PC pond can serve as a greenspace, benefit students, campus visitors, and support local biodiversity.