Dragonfly functional connectivity responses are dynamic relative to drought

With global climate change, freshwater systems are anticipated to experience more pressure from stochastic climate events such as drought. These pressures are amplified when acting in concert with restricted functional connectivity among suitable patches in human‐dominated landscapes. Focusing on a plantation forestry area in the northeastern coastal region of South Africa, we determined (1) whether drought negatively impacts functional connectivity across a natural grassland‐plantation forestry mosaic landscape, (2) whether dispersal pathways are similar between wet and dry years, and (3) interpreted results relative to assemblage‐level ecological resilience under different climatic scenarios. Dragonflies (Odonata) were used as model organisms. Using the Omniscape algorithm and least cost path modelling, assemblage data were analysed to identify discrepancies in landscape‐scale functional connectivity between wet climatic conditions vs. drought. Compared to a typical wet year, species richness was lower, yet functional connectivity was higher during drought. Together with increased connectivity network density, these results indicated that the dragonfly assemblage showed a higher propensity for dispersal during drought. Dispersal pathways varied among the investigated wet and dry years, and relative to temporal changes in the landscape. While some dragonfly species can traverse plantation compartments during drought, conservation corridors facilitated overall functional connectivity during wet and dry conditions. The value of conservation corridors relies on representativeness of regional aquatic habitat variety, natural terrestrial conditions within corridors, and connectivity to natural areas in the wider landscape. Together, these corridor characteristics can greatly improve resilience of full dragonfly assemblages against climatic stochasticity.