Browsing by Author "PRASHANT, HULAMANI"
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ThesisItem Open Access EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON INSECT FAUNA: DIVERSITY OF POLLINATORS ACROSS A RURAL-URBAN GRADIENT(University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, 2018-08-20) PRASHANT, HULAMANI; BELAVADI, V. V.Massive and ever increasing rate of urbanization known to alter the natural landscape in a more dramatic and persistent fashion than any other anthropogenic landuse. However, the potential effects of urbanization on wildlife remain a poorly understood, especially in developing countries. In this context, the present study was conducted to investigate the diversity of pollinators along a gradient of increasing urbanization in Bangalore, which has experienced rapid and uncontrolled growth in the last decades. Pollinators are important component of biodiversity since they provide pollination services for agriculture and are thus indispensable in food production. To census them, yellow pan traps were employed at 180 farm sites at 3 urbanization stages (urban, peri-urban, rural) in two transects north and south of the city. The lowest richness and abundance of pollinators was recorded in the peri-urban areas, while the highest pollinator diversity was found in the rural areas, followed by the urban areas. These results not only indicated a negative effect of urbanization on pollinator diversity but also show that it is possible to maintain relatively high numbers of pollinators within the city. Pollinator abundance as well as richness positive correlated with the availability of floral resources at the landscape scale. Furthermore, analyses also indicated pollinator community composition, as well as influence of urbanization on ecological traits. Thus, the present study highlighted the need for more research on the effects of urbanization on ecology in developing countries, as the vast majority of future urban expansion will take place in developing regions.