Speaker
Description
Urban development can affect population dynamics, ecological interactions and fitness, challenging the persistence of many species, including Hymenoptera. Yet, how and which urban environmental features affect Hymenoptera abundance and species richness, as well as fitness, remain unclear. Here, we used a citizen science approach and cavity-nesting Hymenoptera in insect hotels as a model system to study the effects of urban development on Hymenoptera abundance and richness, mortality and reproductive output. In total, 286 insect hotels were deployed in two German cities at sites ranging from the edge to the core of the city, and several environmental variables (i.e., impervious surfaces, temperature, green cover, landscape fragmentation and landscape diversity) were collected from each site. Overall, more than 10,000 and 2,000 individuals belonging to 12 cavity-nesting bee and 23 wasp species, respectively, were sampled in all insect hotels and cities. Statistical analyses revealed a strong negative relationship between impervious surfaces and cavity-nesting Hymenoptera abundance, species richness, reproductive output and survival. Additionally, urban landscape fragmentation negatively affected cavity-nesting Hymenoptera survival, temperature negatively impacted their abundance, species richness and survival, while landscape diversity positively affected their species richness. As cities expand worldwide, our study aims to highlight the main urban environmental factors that influence cavity-nesting bees and wasps and can help guide conservation management to mitigate the adverse consequences of urbanisation on Hymenoptera.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
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