Caterpillar survival in the city: attack rates on model lepidopteran larvae along an urban-rural gradient show no increase in predation with increasing urban intensity

Nason, Lindsay D.; Eason, Perri K.; Carreiro, Margaret M.; Cherry, Amy; Lawson, Jacob T

doi:10.1007/s11252-020-01091-2

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 71 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Predation is an ecosystem service that helps to shape urban biological communities but is itself highly altered by urbanisation (Ferrante et al 2014, Pena et al 2021). Predation pressure varies both within and between habitats due to differences in community and predator density (Cagnolo & Valladares 2011, García et al 2007), fragmentation (Koh & Menge 2006), vegetation structure and complexity (Nason et al 2021), substrate type (e.g., ground, leaves and stems) (Sinu et al 2021, Tvardikova & Novotny 2012), seasonal (Ferrante et al 2014), disturbances (e.g., traffic volume, high temperature and noise) (Pena et al 2021), prey coloration (Ferrante et al 2017a) and levels of urbanisation (Ferrante et al 2014, Posa et al 2007). Tropical forests are key in the global carbon cycle and are home to more than half of the world’s species (Taubert et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attack rates on artificial caterpillars in urban areas are higher than in suburban areas in Colombia

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Growing urban expansion can alter ecological processes within trophic networks. Predation on herbivores is known to vary with the size of the area covered by vegetation, successional stage, altitude and predator community structure; however there are gaps in understanding how this occurs in urban and suburban environments. The purpose of this study was to determine whether predation pressure on artificial models of caterpillars varied with the degree of urbanisation and type of substrate. Artificial caterpillars were placed on two types of substrates (leaf vs. stem) in two areas of the city (urban vs. suburban). Total predation was measured as the number of models with evidence of attack by predators, with the predation rate estimated on a weekly basis. Predation was affected by the degree of urbanisation, being higher in urban (x̄ = 9.88%; SD = 4.09%, n = 8) than suburban areas (x̄ = 5.75%, SD = 4.21%, n = 8). Attack marks were observed in 23.8% (n = 125) of artificial caterpillars. The weekly predation rate on leaves (x̄ = 9.63%, SD = 5.95%, n = 8) was higher than that on stems (x̄ = 6%, SD = 4.2%, n = 8). These results suggest that the incidence of predation might vary with the degree of urbanisation and by the type of substrate on which prey organisms are found.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attack rates on artificial caterpillars in urban areas are higher than in suburban areas in Colombia

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Nevertheless, the greater abundance and species richness of birds in urban areas did not seem to elevate the predation pressure on butterflies, which had similar abundance and diversity in urban and rural environments. This could be due to increased dominance of non-predatory functional groups of birds, with Nason et al (2021) finding a greater abundance of granivorous and omnivorous birds rather than insectivores in urban areas, perhaps due to the abundance of discarded food available there, causing a decline in overall bird attacks on animal prey. Indeed, urban dominance by omnivorous House Sparrows, Hooded Crows, and Yellow-Legged Gulls on Lipsi may have reduced predation pressure on butterflies in urban areas.…”

Section: Birdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-intensity urbanisation alters community composition across multiple trophic levels on Lipsi Island, Greece

Hawkins,

Macrina,

Malcom-McKay

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urbanisation has reduced the abundance and diversity of many taxonomic groups, and the effects may be more pronounced on islands, which have a smaller regional species pool to compensate. Green spaces within urban environments may help to safeguard wildlife assemblages, and the associated habitat heterogeneity can even increase species diversity. Here, total abundance and species diversity of butterflies, birds, and vegetation at nine rural and nine urban locations were quantified on Lipsi Island, Greece. Sites were assessed using Pollard walks for butterflies, point-count surveys for birds, and quadrats for vegetation. There was no significant difference in the abundance or species diversity of butterflies or vegetation among rural and urban locations, which could pertain to the low building density within urbanised areas and the minimal extent of urbanisation on the island. However, urban areas hosted a significantly greater abundance and richness of birds compared to rural sites. The community composition of butterflies, birds, and vegetation also differed significantly between urban and rural locations, highlighting the impact of urbanisation on species across a broad range of trophic groups. This study contributes to ecological knowledge on the impacts of urbanisation across multiple trophic levels in island ecosystems, with comparisons across a gradient of island size and urbanisation intensity needed in future research.

show abstract

“…Artificial caterpillars have been used as prey sentinels to estimate predation rates of both vertebrate and invertebrate predators in multiple studies [32,54,55]. Due to its simplicity in relation to real prey, the method has been proposed for assessing the invertebrate predation service [49,56].…”

Section: Overall Predation Pressurementioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Infrastructures May Enhance Lepidopterans Predation in Irrigated Mediterranean Farmland, Depending on Their Typology and the Predator Guild

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecological infrastructures (EIs) are considered relevant components in agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services. We used the predatory attacks on lepidopteran dummies as a proxy to assess predation rates in the agricultural matrix and different EIs types according to their location and vegetation structure. We aimed at comparing the effect of different types of EI on the predation intensity in two intensively irrigated agricultural areas located in the Sorraia and Tagus river valleys in central Portugal. We hypothesized that: (1) the predation rate would be higher near EIs compared with the agricultural matrix, (2) the positive effect of EIs on predation rate would differ with their typologies, and (3) the EIs’ proximity and proportion in the surrounding landscape would have a positive effect on the predation rate in agricultural fields. The EI typologies influenced differently the predator groups and the overall predation rate. Major differences were observed for bird predation, being higher in woody EIs. A positive correlation between predation rate and EIs area of the surrounding landscape, as well as a negative correlation with the distance to the nearest riparian and woody EIs, was observed for birds. The observed dissimilarities in the predators’ response may be related to habitat differences and its functional connectivity. The overall monthly low predation rates are possibly related to the intensive agricultural system and the small area occupied by EIs.

show abstract

Caterpillar survival in the city: attack rates on model lepidopteran larvae along an urban-rural gradient show no increase in predation with increasing urban intensity

Cited by 10 publications

References 71 publications

Attack rates on artificial caterpillars in urban areas are higher than in suburban areas in Colombia

Attack rates on artificial caterpillars in urban areas are higher than in suburban areas in Colombia

Low-intensity urbanisation alters community composition across multiple trophic levels on Lipsi Island, Greece

Ecological Infrastructures May Enhance Lepidopterans Predation in Irrigated Mediterranean Farmland, Depending on Their Typology and the Predator Guild

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About