Abstract:

Aims: Urbanization has increasingly altered freshwater ecosystems and threatens the biodiversity of Odonata, a group highly dependent on coupled aquatic-terrestrial habitats. Although studies on urban dragonfly habitats have expanded rapidly in recent years, a systematic synthesis that links ecological threats, habitat requirements and restoration strategies remains scarce. This study aims to review current knowledge on urban dragonfly habitats within the context of urban ecology, urban biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration. 

Methods: Publications from 2005 to 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection using a bibliometric search strategy and screening methods. Bibliometric and thematic analyses were combined to examine the temporal trends, geographic distribution and major research themes in dragonfly habitat studies. The ecological threats, habitat requirements and restoration approaches identified in previous studies were further synthesized and categorized. 

Review Results: Existing studies indicate that urban dragonfly diversity is jointly constrained by habitat fragmentation, hydrological alteration, water pollution, vegetation simplification and reduced habitat connectivity. Dragonflies rely not only on aquatic environments for larval development, but also on surrounding terrestrial habitats for foraging, dispersal, shelter and reproduction, highlighting the importance of coupled aquatic-terrestrial habitat systems. Habitat heterogeneity, riparian vegetation structure, microclimatic stability and landscape-scale connectivity were repeatedly identified as key determinants of species persistence and assemblage stability. Recent studies increasingly emphasize metacommunity dynamics, regional species pools and blue-green ecological networks in urban dragonfly conservation. 

Conclusion: Based on this synthesis, we summarize restoration strategies at the regional and habitat-patch scales, including enhancement of blue-green connectivity, restoration of habitat heterogeneity and adaptive management of urban freshwater habitats. Future research should strengthen empirical studies on dragonfly responses across urbanization gradients, multi-scale habitat connectivity and long-term adaptive management, in order to facilitate the transition from isolated habitat restoration toward integrated urban freshwater biodiversity governance.

Key words: urban ecology, biodiversity conservation, Odonata, habitat restoration