Dragonflies, beyond their beauty, help track mercury contamination in our environment, providing a cheaper and more accurate alternative to fish or birds.
Brianna Randall reports for National Geographic.
In short:
- Dragonfly larvae are an effective indicator of mercury contamination due to their widespread habitat and ease of analysis.
- The Dragonfly Mercury Project has used community science to collect and analyze tens of thousands of larvae across the U.S.
- Mercury exposure, mainly from certain fish, poses significant health risks, including brain damage and increased risks of Alzheimer’s and miscarriages.
Key quote:
“There's a global effort to reduce mercury emissions and dragonflies are helping us track how ecosystems respond to those reductions.”
— Collin Eagles-Smith, USGS research ecologist
Why this matters:
Mercury, a byproduct of industrial activities, makes its way into waterways and the creatures within them. By studying dragonflies, scientists can trace mercury’s path and its impact on the food chain, including the fish we eat and the water we drink. Read more: Dead fish carry toxic mercury to the deep ocean, contaminating crustaceans.
