Richard Groover, Assistant Dean of the School of Mathematics and Science at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College is passionate about the study of dragonflies. In fact, in addition to his position at JSRCC, Mr. Groover is also a doctoral student at George Mason University studying Environmental Science and Policy. He admits a fascination with dragonflies since childhood. In fact, he is known locally as the “dragonfly guy of Hanover County.”
Dragonflies are strong predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies. They live near bodies of water (ponds, lakes, and streams) because they lay their eggs on or in the water. To that end, Groover spent a recent sunny afternoon catching dragonflies and collecting dragonfly larvae from the retention pond outside JSRCC’s Workforce Development Center for doctoral research he will conduct this summer.
His doctoral questions include:
1. When a new pond is created, are there certain species of dragonflies that arrive first? Groover has studied over 30 sites in Hanover County, Virginia over the past three years and determined that there are usually six species of dragonflies that are generally the first to colonize in a new pond.
2. Three years later, does the dominant species change in that pond? After researching six ponds for three years, Groover believes that pond dominance does not change.
3. Does wind have an impact on dragonfly dispersal? To answer this question, Groover is conducting a manipulated experiment this summer. For his experiment, he has leased a 200-acre pasture and built eight artificial ponds in a circle, each 300 meters apart. With help from student volunteers from a number of local colleges and universities, he plans to release two types of dragonflies from the center of the circle, within the artificial pond area, and track how they disburse in different weather conditions. The hypothesis he hopes to support is that the dragonflies will disburse downwind under the right conditions.
Once Groover completes his research this summer, he will write and then defend his dissertation. He hopes to receive his doctorate degree in 2013. His long-term goal is to dedicate the remainder of his life to the study of dragonflies.
