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| Title: | A Study of Beetle Biodiversity in the Forests, Gardens, and Vacant Lots of Detroit |
| Authors: | Cotton, Julie |
| Keywords: | beetle biodiversity
impacts of urbanization |
| Issue Date: | Apr-2009 |
| Abstract: | As the urban population of the world grows, ecologists are taking interest in the
impacts of urbanization. Arthropods, and particularly carabid beetles (Coleoptera:
Carabidae), are common focal organisms. However, beetle communities in shrinking urban
areas are not well studied. This thesis compares the abundance, species richness and
morphological composition of beetles captured in pitfall traps placed in remnant forests,
community gardens and vacant lots of Detroit during May-August of 2007. The twelve study
sites (four replicates of each habitat type) were also characterized using land cover and
floristic measures. A total of 1039 beetles, including 183 morphospecies and 27 families
were identified. Of the 199 carabid individuals of 30 species captured, over half were found
in forest habitats. The large, carnivorous carabid beetles of forests are associated with open
ground and canopy cover. The influence of environmental parameters indicated that the
grassy ground cover of vacant lots is associated with a reduced capture rate of carabid
beetles. In general, the urban habitats were dominated by flying species of carabid beetles,
indicating that beetles that do not have the ability to migrate may have not survived the
isolation of the site caused by urbanization. The forest of Belle Isle is notable because all the
carabid species captured there are native to North America. The abundance and diversity of
all the captured beetles was greatest in the urban gardens, which contain more abundant
herbaceous and predatory beetles than gardens or forests. Gardens and vacant lots shared
several species of beetles, while forest beetles were chiefly exclusive to forest habitats.
Vacant lots were significantly lower in beetle abundance and diversity than either of the two
habitats. A comparison of the beetle morphospecies, families and a subset of only grounddwelling
beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae and Carabidae) found that the taxonomic
grouping does affect the interpretation of the site similarities; the ground-dwelling beetle
grouping appears to best represent the species diversity fostered by these habitats. |
| Appears in Collections: | Dissertations and Theses (Ph.D. and Master's)
Natural Resources and Environment, School of (SNRE)
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| JulieCottonThesis.pdf | | 4339Kb | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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