Tourism and urban development as drivers for invertebrate diversity loss on tropical islands

Steibl, Sebastian; Franke, Jonas; Laforsch, Christian

doi:10.1098/rsos.210411

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 54 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…Still, the standardised samplings we performed allowed us to compare pollinator groups in different anthropogenically affected islands. It seems particularly relevant that assemblages of urban and agricultural areas were significantly different from natural islands, clearly indicating the effects of human practices similarly to what is described for soil fauna in Maldives ( Steibl et al 2021 ). However, it is relevant to notice that human practices on islands can create novel niches in accordance with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis ( Tommasi et al 2022 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Updating the list of flower-visiting bees, hoverflies and wasps in the central atolls of Maldives, with notes on land-use effects

Biella¹,

Ssymank²,

Galimberti³

et al. 2022

BDJ

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Maldives islands host a unique biodiversity, but their integrity is threatened by climate change and impacting land-uses (e.g. cemented or agricultural areas). As pollinators provide key services for the ecosystems and for the inhabitants, it is crucial to know which pollinators occur in the islands, to characterise their genetic identity and to understand which plants they visit and the size of the human impact. Given that no significant faunistic surveys of Hymenoptera have been published for the country in more than 100 years and that Syrphidae were only partly investigated, we sampled islands in the central part of the Maldives country (Faafu and Daahlu atolls) and hand-netted flower-visiting bees, wasps and hoverflies (Hymenoptera: Anthophila, Crabronidae, Sphecidae, Vespidae, Scoliidae and Diptera: Syrphidae). Overall, we found 21 species; 76.4% of the collected specimens were Anthophila (bees), 12.7% belonged to several families of wasps and 10.8% of individuals were Syrphidae. It seems that one third of species are new for the Maldives, based on the published literature. Human land-uses seem to shape the local pollinator fauna since the assemblages of bees, wasps and hoverflies from urbanised and agricultural islands differed from those in resort and natural ones. These pollinators visited 30 plant species in total, although some invasive plants hosted the highest number of flower visitor species. Biogeographically, this pollinating fauna is mostly shared with Sri Lanka and India. Genetically, the used marker hinted for a unique fauna in relation to the rest of the distribution ranges in most cases, although generally within the level of intraspecific genetic variation. This study significantly contributes to increasing the knowledge on the pollinator diversity and genetic identity in Maldives islands also considering the important implications for the islands' land-use and the role of invasive plants. This study will be pivotal for future pollination studies and biodiversity conservation efforts in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Updating the list of flower-visiting bees, hoverflies and wasps in the central atolls of Maldives, with notes on land-use effects

Biella¹,

Ssymank²,

Galimberti³

et al. 2022

BDJ

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show abstract

“…A similar positive trend in species richness was observed elsewhere at levels of disturbance comparable to those observed in our study system (Kremen, 2005; Rader et al, 2014). However, it seems that other guilds, such as soil macroinvertebrates, have been found to decrease with fragmentation in oceanic islands (Steibl et al, 2021). Nevertheless, differences between pollinator and macroinvertebrate responses could be explained by the different natural histories of these groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA metabarcoding unveils the effects of habitat fragmentation on pollinator diversity, plant‐pollinator interactions, and pollination efficiency in Maldive islands

et al. 2022

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Habitat fragmentation affects biodiversity, but with unclear effects on pollinators and their interactions with plants in anthropized landscapes. Islands could serve as open air laboratories, suitable to disentangle how land‐use alteration impacts pollination ecology. In Maldive islands we investigated how pollinator richness, plant‐pollinator interactions and pollination efficiency are influenced by the green area fragmentation (i.e., gardens and semi‐natural patches). Moreover, we considered the mediating role of pollinator body size and the plant trait of being invasive in shaping interactions. To do this, we surveyed pollinator insects from 11 islands representing a gradient of green area fragmentation. A DNA metabarcoding approach was adopted to identify the pollen transported by pollinators and characterize the plant‐pollinator interactions. We found that intermediate levels of green area fragmentation characterized pollinator communities and increased their species richness, while decreasing interaction network complexity. Invasive plants were more frequently found on pollinator bodies than native or exotic noninvasive ones, indicating a concerningly higher potential for pollen dispersal and reproduction of the former ones. Intriguingly, pollinator body size mediated the effect of landscape alteration on interactions, as only the largest bees expanded the foraging diet in terms of plant richness in the transported pollen at increasing fragmentation. In parallel, the pollination efficiency increased with pollinator species richness in two sentinel plants. This study shows that moderate landscape fragmentation of green areas shapes many aspects of the pollination ecosystem service, where despite interactions being less complex and mediated by pollinator body size, pollinator insect biodiversity and potential plant reproduction are supported.

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“…Previous classifications have considered ecological perspectives and drivers of land use change (e.g. Fallati et al 2017, Steibl et al 2021, such as urban (including tourism and reclamation), infrastructure, lagoons or natural land use cover. Islands were classified (VROM 2001) via land use and island function based on satellite imagery, observations and discussions within the author team.…”

Section: Case Ii: Whole Country Based On Islands With a Dominant Land...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways to sustain atolls under rising sea levels through land claim and island raising

Brown

Nicholls

Bloodworth³

et al. 2023

Environ. Res.: Climate

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Low-lying atoll nations (e.g. the Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands) are highly vulnerable to climate change, especially sea-level rise (SLR). Stringent climate change mitigation will slow but not stop SLR, which will continue for centuries, mandating additional long-term adaptation. At the same time, urbanisation is concentrating population in a few centres, especially around capital islands which creates additional pressure as most atoll nations are ‘land-poor’. This paper demonstrates how structural adaptation using land claim and island raising can be utilised within an adaptation pathway approach to sustain enough islands and land area above rising sea levels to satisfy societal and economic needs over multiple centuries. This approach is illustrated using the Maldives, especially around the capital and its environs (Greater Malé). Raising, expanding and connecting ‘urban’ islands can provide multiple benefits. Significant developments have already occurred in Greater Malé and further developments there and for other urban centres in the Maldives are expected. Migration to urban centres, especially Malé, is widespread and this adaptation approach assumes this trend continues, implying many other islands are depopulated or abandoned. Tourism is core to the Maldives economy and tourist islands require a different ambience to urban islands. They could be sustained with sympathetic soft engineering reinforcing the natural processes that produce atolls. While land advance and island raising provides a technical solution for SLR, any application must also address the additional policy, human, physical, engineering and economic/financial challenges that are raised. Nonetheless, by aligning adaptation through land advance/raising with existing development trends, atoll nations have the potential to persist and prosper for many centuries even as sea levels inevitably rise. This provides a realistic alternative to widespread assumptions about forced migration and ultimate national abandonment. The lessons here may find wider application to other small island settings and even mainland coasts.

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Tourism and urban development as drivers for invertebrate diversity loss on tropical islands

Cited by 14 publications

References 54 publications

Updating the list of flower-visiting bees, hoverflies and wasps in the central atolls of Maldives, with notes on land-use effects

Updating the list of flower-visiting bees, hoverflies and wasps in the central atolls of Maldives, with notes on land-use effects

DNA metabarcoding unveils the effects of habitat fragmentation on pollinator diversity, plant‐pollinator interactions, and pollination efficiency in Maldive islands

Pathways to sustain atolls under rising sea levels through land claim and island raising

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