Cooler colouring
A group of scientists has posited that, as the planet warms, dragonflies may evolve to have less wing pigmentation in order to prevent overheating. Male dragonflies use the colour of their wings not only to attract mates, but also to heat themselves up by as much as 2°C. The researchers measured pigments in ten species in different geographical ranges and also used photographs uploaded to iNaturalist by citizen scietists. In both cases, results showed that male dragonflies in warmer regions have less-pigmented wings. Although this seems the ideal response to global warming, the amount of pigment on dragonflies’ wings helps potential mates of the same species to identify each other. If the colour of the males’ wings becomes less saturated, females may no longer be able to recognise their own species.