Odonata as Model for the Ecological Assessment of the Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan: A Methodological Framework

Freshwater ecosystems in the arid basins of Central Asia are increasingly modified by irrigation and artificial flow regulation, and although dragonflies (Odonata) are widely used to assess such change, linking a single species to water quality is unreliable. A transparent, criteria-based framework is proposed for selecting model Odonata species for regional ecological assessment, illustrated through a secondary synthesis of a Fergana Valley dataset of 20 species (two suborders, six families, twelve genera) forming lentic, lotic and eurybiont larval guilds. Three complementary species along a plain-foothill-mountain gradient - Calopteryx splendens, Ischnura pumilio and Orthetrum sabina - define a sensitivity-specialisation-tolerance spectrum. Reported mean body length declined at higher elevations in all three, a converse-Bergmann-like pattern consistent with phenotypic plasticity rather than water quality. These taxa are recommended as indicators of habitat structure and ecological gradients; confirmatory data requirements are specified, and the framework is transferable to other arid basins.

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