Size-biased dispersal prior to breeding in a damselfly: conflicting evidence from a natural population

The sizes of adult damselflies (Coenagrion puella) that were marked at emergence and recaptured as mature adults at the natal pond and at the next nearest pond were compared. In addition the sizes of a much larger sample of animals that were never recaptured were compared with those that returned to breed at the natal pond. There was no statistically significant difference in mass or wing length between adults in either comparison. This result contrasts with a previous study on a coenagrionid species in which, from an equally small sample, some evidence of size-biased dispersal was detected (dispersing adults were larger than those returning).