EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON INSECT FAUNA: DIVERSITY OF POLLINATORS ACROSS A RURAL-URBAN GRADIENT
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Date
2018-08-20
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru
Abstract
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.
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