Response of Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Communities to Effect of Urbanization in Southern Osaka: an Analytical Approach Using GIS
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sustainability Article Response of Ground Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Communities to Effect of Urbanization in Southern Osaka: An Analytical Approach Using GIS Jin-Wook Park 1 and Cheol Min Lee 2,* 1 Department of Landscape Architecture, Daegu Catholic University, 13-13 Hayang-ro, Hayang-eup, Gyeongsan-si, Daegu 38430, Korea; [email protected] 2 California Department of Food and Agriculture, 2710 Gateway Oaks Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833, USA * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-714-580-2234 Abstract: Urbanization involves the profound alteration of original habitats and causes habitat loss and biodiversity decline. This study aims to clarify the response of ground beetle communities to the effect of urbanization in southern Osaka, Japan. In total, 2950 individuals from 53 species of ground beetle were collected in nine urban green areas. The categories of land use regarding the study sites were determined based on GIS data. The community index was not significantly different between areas. Urban areas and roads in land use mainly have a negative influence on ground beetles. Paddies, fields, parks and green spaces, and open space were positively correlated with species richness of forest species and large-sized species, and open space was positively correlated with species richness and the density of open land species. However, ground beetle communities in different areas of varying sizes did not group separately. These results suggest that changes in Citation: Park, J.-W.; Lee, C.M. paddies, fields, parks and green spaces, forests, and open space associated with the expanding urban Response of Ground Beetle area and road greatly influenced species composition, and the community structure remained similar. (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Communities to Effect of Urbanization in Southern Keywords: ground beetle; urbanization; land use; urban green area; GIS Osaka: An Analytical Approach Using GIS. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7134. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13137134 1. Introduction Academic Editors: Volker Mauerhofer Urbanization drives global environmental changes and is one of the major anthro- and Ranjay K. Singh pogenic activities that impacts biodiversity and ecosystem processes [1–3]. Currently, 55% of the global human population lives in urban areas, and this trend is expected to continue Received: 2 May 2021 in the coming decades [4]. Urbanization has a significant impact on abiotic and biotic Accepted: 22 June 2021 factors in nature and leads to substantial changes in natural habitats with profound effects Published: 25 June 2021 on wildlife and their activity pattern, spatial distribution, phenology, productivity, and biotic interactions [5–7]. The diversity and community structure of wildlife will change Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral significantly in urban habitats compared with rural ones [3,8–10]. with regard to jurisdictional claims in Ground beetles are useful bio-indicators because they are sufficiently varied both published maps and institutional affil- taxonomically and ecologically, abundant, and sensitive to the anthropogenic effect [11,12]. iations. Urbanization has a huge effect at various levels of the biological organization on ground beetles in urban habitats [13]. Ground beetles with large body sizes, predatory feeding habits, strict forest habitat requirements, and poor dispersal ability were most sensitive to urbanization [6]. Many studies have been conducted to clarify the relationships be- Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. tween ground beetle diversity and the effect of urbanization according to the urban–rural Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. gradient [8,14,15]. This article is an open access article There is a need for studies on the responses of ground beetle communities according distributed under the terms and to different areas and land use. To our knowledge, this is the first study to clarify the conditions of the Creative Commons response of ground beetles to the effect of urbanization using the GIS method. This study Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// was carried out in nine urban green areas in southern Osaka. We tested the following creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ questions: (1) How does the ground beetle community respond according to the area and 4.0/). Sustainability 2021, 13, 7134. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137134 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2021, 13, x 2 of 13 Sustainability 2021, 13, 7134 response of ground beetles to the effect of urbanization using the GIS method. This2 study of 13 was carried out in nine urban green areas in southern Osaka. We tested the following questions: (1) How does the ground beetle community respond according to the area and landland use? use? (2) (2) Which Which species species are are more more vulnerable vulnerable to to the the effect effect of of urbanization? urbanization? (3) (3) Which Which environmentalenvironmental factorsfactors influenceinfluence positively,positively, or or negatively, negatively, the the ground ground beetle beetle community? community? Finally,Finally, we we propose propose an an alternative alternative to to improve improve ground ground beetle beetle diversity diversity in in urban urban areas. areas. 2.2. Materials Materials and and Methods Methods 2.1.2.1. Study Study Sites Sites OsakaOsaka Prefecture Prefecture is is the the second second largest largest metropolitan metropolitan area area in Japan, in Japan, and its and area its is area about is 2 1905about km 1905and km the2 and population the population is about is about 8.8 million 8.8 millio as ofn as April of April 2021. 2021. Osaka Osaka Prefecture Prefecture is surroundedis surrounded by by Mt. Mt. Izumikatsuragi, Izumikatsuragi, Mt. Mt. Iwawaki, Iwawaki, Mt. Mt. Kongo, Kongo, Mt. Mt. Iwahashiyama, Iwahashiyama, and and Mt.Mt. Ikoma.Ikoma. Yodo Yodo River River and and Yamato Yamato River River flow flow through through Osaka. Osaka. Many Many areas areas in inOsaka Osaka are arecomprised comprised of houses, of houses, apartments, apartments, and andother other buildings buildings (Figure (Figure 1). However,1). However, Osaka Osaka Prefec- Prefectureture has remnant has remnant forests forests between between mountain mountain areas and areas flatland and flatland areas, and areas, paddy and fields paddy in fieldssuburban in suburban areas. There areas. are Therealso large are urban also large green urban areas, green such as areas, urban such parks, as urbanurban forests, parks, urbantemples, forests, shrines, temples, university shrines, campuses, university etc. campuses, Urban green etc. areas Urban have green been areas fragmented have been by fragmentedurban areas by and urban separated areas and from separated other surroun from otherding surroundingnatural areas. natural However, areas. urban However, green urbanareas greenplay an areas important play an role important in maintaining role in maintainingwater and air water quality, and providing air quality, wildlife providing hab- wildlifeitat, and habitat, supporting and supportingmeta-populations meta-populations of regional offlora regional and fauna, flora andas well fauna, as recreational as well as recreationalareas for human areas forwellbeing human [2,16,17]. wellbeing The [2,16 urba,17].n Thegreen urban areas green should areas be shouldproperly be evaluated properly evaluatedto maintain to maintaintheir ecological their ecological value in the value urban in the ecosystem. urban ecosystem. FigureFigure 1. 1.Map Map of of study study area. area. WeWe chose chose nine nine urban urban green green areas areas in in southern southern Osaka Osaka (Figure (Figure2). 2) Suzunomiya. Suzunomiya park park (SU),(SU), Chayama Chayama parkpark (CH),(CH), Niwasiro park park (NI) (NI),, and and Kouzen Kouzen park park (KO) (KO) are are surrounded surrounded by byresidential residential areas, areas, apartment apartment complexes, complexes, and and roads. roads. Izumigaokaryokuchi Izumigaokaryokuchi (IZ), (IZ), Kurotori- Kuro- toriyamayama park park (KU), (KU), and and Koumyouike Koumyouike park park (KM) (KM) are are partially partially connected connected to naturalnatural habitats.habitats. TakasagoTakasago park park (TA) (TA) and and Umitonohureaihiroba Umitonohureaihiroba (UM) (UM) are are located located in in landfill landfill areas. areas. The The de-de- tailedtailed informationinformation ofof eacheach sitesite is is included included in in Table Table1. 1. The The nine nine urban urban green green areas areas were were classifiedclassified intointo threethree groupsgroups based on size: size: small small area area (<5 (<5 ha), ha), medium medium area area (>5 (>5 ha haand and <15 <15ha), ha), and and large large area area (>15 (>15 ha). ha). Sustainability 2021, 13, x 4 of 13 Sustainability 2021, 13, 7134 3 of 13 Figure 2. MapFigure of the 2. studyMap of sites. the SU:study Suzunomiya sites. SU: Suzunomiya park, CH: Chayama park, CH: park, Chayama TA: Takasago park, TA: park, Takasago IZ: Izumigaokaryokuchi, park, NI: NiwasiroIZ: park, Izumigaokaryokuchi, KU: Kurotoriyama NI: park, Niwasiro UM: Umitonohureaihiroba, park, KU: Kurotoriyama KO: park, Kouzen UM: park, Umitonohureaihiroba, KM: Koumyouike park. KO: Kouzen park, KM: Koumyouike park. 2.2. Survey and Ground Beetle Identification 2.2. Survey and Ground Beetle Identification The survey was carried out 18 times from April to December 2007 using pitfall traps in The surveynine was urban carried green out areas 18 times in southern from April Osaka. to December A plastic cup2007 (diameter using pitfall