Drastic loss of
insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in urban landscapes in a tropical
biodiversity hotspot

Gaona, Fernando P.; Iñiguez–Armijos, Carlos; Brehm, Gunnar; Fiedler, Konrad; Espinosa, Carlos

doi:10.1007/s10841-021-00308-9

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…However, far fewer studies have quantified the consequences of urbanization on insects in subtropical and tropical regions (Wenzel et al., 2020). One of the few studies examining the impacts of urbanization on tropical moths observed that abundance and diversity of geometrid moths was far lower in urban sites than forest sites (Gaona et al., 2021). The implications of urbanization‐driven declines in insect biodiversity in subtropical and tropical environments are particularly disconcerting given the exceptional diversity of arthropods in these regions (Basset et al., 2012; Merckx et al., 2013) and the projections of expanding urban populations in the subtropics and tropics over the coming decades (United Nations, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Species with strong heat tolerance and generalist feeding may also survive under urban stressors in hot cities with low native plant diversity (Callaghan et al., 2021; Merckx & Van Dyck, 2019). However, predicting which life history traits impact urban affinity is challenging, as our knowledge is predominantly based on temperate insect species (but see Gaona et al., 2021), which often possess unique characteristics for surviving harsh winters (Theodorou, 2022; Wenzel et al., 2020). Therefore, expanding the geographic focus of studies to the subtropics and tropics is critical for better understanding the impact of urbanization on insect populations and community dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Substantial urbanization‐driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Belitz,

Sawyer,

Hendrick

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

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Recent work has shown the decline of insect abundance, diversity and biomass, with potential implications for ecosystem services. These declines are especially pronounced in regions with high human activity, and urbanization is emerging as a significant contributing factor. However, the scale of these declines and the traits that determine variation in species‐specific responses remain less well understood, especially in subtropical and tropical regions, where insect diversity is high and urban footprints are rapidly expanding. Here, we surveyed moths across an entire year in protected forested sites across an urbanization gradient to test how caterpillar and adult life stages of subtropical moths (Lepidoptera) are impacted by urbanization. Specifically, we assess how urban development affects the total biomass of caterpillars, abundance of adult moths and quantify how richness and phylogenetic diversity of macro‐moths are impacted by urban development. Additionally, we explore how life‐history traits condition species' responses to urban development. At the community level, we find that urban development decreases caterpillar biomass and adult moth abundance. We also find sharp declines of adult macro‐moths in response to urban development across the phylogeny, leading to a decrease in species richness and phylogenetic diversity in more urban sites. Finally, our study found that smaller macro‐moths are less impacted by urban development than larger macro‐moths in subtropical environments, perhaps highlighting the tradeoffs of metabolic costs of urban heat favoring smaller moths over the relative benefits of dispersal for larger moths. In summary, our research underscores the far‐reaching consequences of urbanization on moths and provides compelling evidence that urban forests alone may not be sufficient to safeguard biodiversity in cities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substantial urbanization‐driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Belitz,

Sawyer,

Hendrick

et al. 2024

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While the effect of urbanization on the abundance and diversity of adult insects has been assessed (Fenoglio et al 2020, Piano et al 2020, Vaz et al 2023), larval life-stages have received much less attention, and we are not aware of studies that have simultaneously collected larval and adult data to examine trends across urbanization gradients. In contrast to the growing evidence documenting overall declines of adult moth abundance in response to urbanization (Merckx and Dyck 2019, Gaona et al 2021), the few studies focusing on caterpillar abundance or biomass have documented increases (Isaksson and Andersson 2007), decreases (Marciniak et al 2007, Seress et al 2018), or no evidence of significant trends (Solonen 2001) in urbanized environments. Understanding how insects respond to urbanization across life stages is crucial to conservation planning of insect populations (Radchuk et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Substantial urbanization-driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Belitz,

Sawyer,

Hendrick

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Recent work has shown the decline of insect abundance, diversity, and biomass, with potential implications for ecosystem services. These declines are especially pronounced in regions with high human activity, and urbanization is emerging as a significant contributing factor. However, the scale of these declines and the traits that determine variation in species-specific responses remain less well understood, especially in subtropical and tropical regions, where insect diversity is high and urban footprints are rapidly expanding. Here, we surveyed moths across an entire year in protected forested sites across an urbanization gradient to test how caterpillar and adult life stages of subtropical moths (Lepidoptera) are impacted by urbanization. Specifically, we assess how urban development affects the total abundance of caterpillars and adult moths, and quantify how richness and phylogenetic diversity of macro-moths are impacted by urban development. Additionally, we determine the effects of urban warming on species-specific adult macro-moth abundance while accounting for urban development and explore how life-history traits condition species’ responses to urban stressors. At the community level, we find that urban development decreases caterpillar biomass and adult moth abundance. We also find sharp declines of adults in response to urban development across the moth phylogeny, leading to a decrease in species richness and phylogenetic diversity in more urban sites. Finally, our study found that smaller macro-moths are less impacted by urban development than larger macro- moths in subtropical environments, perhaps highlighting the tradeoffs of metabolic costs of urban heat island effects favoring smaller moths over the relative benefits of dispersal for larger moths. In summary, our research underscores the far-reaching consequences of urbanization on moths and provides compelling evidence that urban forests alone may not be sufficient to safeguard biodiversity in cities.

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“…However, temporal trends from the Living Planet Index suggest that populations of vertebrates in south America have decreased by 94% since 1970 (Lambertini, 2020). In addition, other studies in this region have shown a decline in biodiversity due to land-use change (Bogoni, Peres and Ferraz, 2020;Gaona et al, 2021;Quintero et al, 2023). The difference is a demonstration of the importance of testing multiple data types and of assessing the regional biome framework using time-series biodiversity data and across multiple threat gradients in the future.…”

Section: Biome-specific Case Studiesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Biodiversity shows unique responses to land-use change across regional biomes

Bevan

Ferreira

Ingram

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Aim: Biogeography has a critical influence on how ecological communities respond to threats and how effective conservation interventions are designed. For example, the resilience of ecological communities is linked to environmental and climatic features, and the nature of threats impacting ecosystems also varies geographically. Understanding community–level threat responses may be most accurate at fine spatial scales, however collecting detailed ecological data at such a high resolution would be prohibitively resource intensive. In this study, we aim to find the spatial scale that could best capture variation in community–level threat responses whilst keeping data collection requirements feasible. Location: Global Terrestrial Time period: 1980 – Present Major Taxa studied: Terrestrial Plants & Animals Methods: Using a database of biodiversity records with extensive global coverage, we modelled species richness and total abundance (the responses) across land–use types (reflecting threats), considering three different spatial scales: biomes, biogeographical realms, and regional biomes (the interaction between realm and biome). We then modelled data from three highly sampled biomes separately to ask how responses to threat differ between regional biomes. Results: We found strong support for regional biomes in explaining variation in species richness and total abundance compared to biomes or realms alone. Responses to disturbed land–use types compared to primary vegetation were more pronounced and more distinct between regional biomes in the tropics compared to the temperate zone. Main conclusions: Our results suggest that regional biomes have potential as a reasonable spatial scale for understanding how ecological communities respond to threats and designing effective conservation interventions, but the lack of variation in response to land–use change between temperate regional biomes could mean that this framework would be more beneficial for refining the monitoring of tropical habitats.

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Drastic loss of insects (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in urban landscapes in a tropical biodiversity hotspot

Cited by 12 publications

References 76 publications

Substantial urbanization‐driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Substantial urbanization‐driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Substantial urbanization-driven declines of larval and adult moths in a subtropical environment

Biodiversity shows unique responses to land-use change across regional biomes

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