Spider and Beetle Communities Across Urban Greenspaces in Cleveland, Ohio
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Spider and Beetle Communities across Urban Greenspaces in Cleveland, Ohio: Distributions, Patterns, and Processes Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Yvan A. Delgado de la flor, B.S. Graduate Program in Entomology The Ohio State University 2020 Dissertation Committee: Mary M. Gardiner, Adviser Luis Cañas Robert J. Gates Andrew P. Michel William O.C. Symondson Copyright by Yvan A. Delgado de la flor 2020 Abstract Urban areas are often considered adverse environments for wildlife communities given that the colonization and establishment of local species pools are disrupted by biotic and abiotic changes at different spatial scales such as the introduction of invasive species, periodic mowing, and changes in soil and air quality. Although the number of people residing in cities has increased in the last century, over 300 cities worldwide have shrunk due to prolonged economic decline and population loss, resulting in thousands of newly available greenspaces scattered throughout cities. Consequently, interest in urban greenspaces as sites for conservation has grown considerably, raising questions about the ability of these habitats to support wildlife. As novel ecosystems, urban areas represent a set of new challenges for local species pools, yet the mechanisms driving community assembly processes within cities is a major knowledge gap. My work focused on identifying species distributions, patterns, and processes leading to the successful establishment arthropods in cities. For this, I chose to work with beetle and spider assemblages as they are considered biological indicators of environmental changes at small and large spatial scales and are taxonomically and functionally diverse predatory groups. In Chapter 1, my objective was to determine how urban greenspaces management and design impacts Carabidae and Staphylinidae beetles using taxonomic and life-history trait approaches. I found that ecological and morphological traits were good indicators of how beetles were responding to greenspace management strategies. Most species were negatively associated with building structures, while undisturbed habitats supported more hygrophilous and brachypterous beetle populations. In Chapter 2, I investigated the importance of local and landscape ii characteristics on spider communities using taxonomic and functional diversity approaches. I found that Pardosa milvina (Lycosidae) was the most abundant spider in our system. Plant height favored larger species, while mowing frequency benefited small spiders, leading to lower than expected functional alpha and beta diversity of spider communities. I also found that patch isolation and impervious surface increased the functional dissimilarity of spider communities. In Chapter 3, I examined the dietary niche breadth and niche overlap of the generalist spider P. milvina using DNA gut-content analysis. I found that dietary niche breadth was not greater within urban pockets, and Diptera, Hemiptera, and Collembola were often preyed by this urban- adapted spider. I also found that P. milvina predation patterns were driven by foraging strategies, suggesting that taxonomic identify and nutritional content were more important than prey availability. In Chapter 4, my goal was to determine the habitat characteristics and landscape variables influencing spider functional groups directly and indirectly. Using structural equation modeling, I found that web spiders were negatively correlated with plant biomass, hunting spiders were positively associated with available prey breadth, and both spider functional groups were positively correlated with heavy-metal pollution in the soil. In summary, my work showed that urban greenspace management and design play important roles shaping beetle and spider communities within cities. I also highlighted the importance of using multi-trophic and molecular approaches coupled with multivariate methodologies to disentangle local food web interactions and elucidate the mechanisms shaping community assembly processes of urban species pools. Investments in managed greenspaces that require infrequent mowing (i.e. urban prairies) will enhance the populations of beneficial arthropods, such as spiders and beetles, and beautify local neighborhoods. iii Dedication A mi papá Jesus y mi mamá Roxana, que de jóvenes arriesgaron mucho para que nada me faltara y me enseñaron que podría alcanzar cualquier meta que me trazara. A mi familia, en especial Angela, Beatriz y Alexis, y a mis amigos del Trian, que a pesar de la distancia me brindaron su apoyo incondicional y me acompañaron durante estos años. A mis mentores, quienes me enseñaron a navegar los mares de la educación, me guiaron por muchos años y me ayudaron a crecer como estudiante y persona. A mi asesora Mary por formarme como profesional, guiarme y apoyarme en todo momento, y a mis compañeros de laboratorio, en especial Chris, con quienes compartí y aprendí tanto. A mi prometida Melissa por ser la mejor compañera que pude haber anhelado, por apoyarme y mantenerse a mi lado en todo momento. A todos ustedes que de alguna u otra forma estuvieron conmigo durante esta travesía; Gracias. iv Acknowledgements I want to acknowledge members of my graduate committee Luis Cañas, Andy Michel, Robert Gates, and William Symondson for their support and guidance. My friends and colleagues in the Gardiner Lab: Mary, Alex, Chelsea, Chris, Denisha, Emily, Frances, Kayla, Katie, Leo, Lydia, MaLisa, Molly, Nicole, Sarah and Scott for their help and advice during my years in graduate school. My collaborators Caitlin Burkman, Christopher Riley, Denisha Parker, Kayla Perry, Katherine Turo, Jennifer Thompson, Larry Phelan, Lyndsie Collins, Rodney Richardson, and Taro Eldredge for their expertise. Faculty, staff, and graduate students in the Department of Entomology for their willingness to help and positive attitude during my years as a graduate student. The Ohio State University and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-1343012) for the support, resources and opportunities to succeed in graduate school. I also want to thank the hard work put by several summer fieldwork assistants. Without this list of individuals, my research would have not been possible. v Vita 2003...................................... Precursores de la Independencia Nacional High School - Lima, Peru 2011.............................................................. A.A. Evergreen Valley College - San Jose, California 2014................................................................ B.S. Humboldt State University - Arcata, California 2020................................................................. Ph.D. The Ohio State University - Columbus, Ohio Publications Delgado de la flor, Y. A., K.I. Perry, K.J. Turo, D.M. Parker, J.L. Thompson, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Local and landscape features as drivers of the functional diversity and taxonomic of spiders across urban greenspaces. Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13636 Perry, K.I., N.C. Hoekstra, Y.A. Delgado de la flor, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Disentangling landscape and local drivers of ground-dwelling beetle community assembly in an urban ecosystem. Ecological Applications (In Press). Parker D.M., K.J. Turo, Y.A. Delgado de la flor, and M.M. Gardiner. 2020. Landscape context influences the abundance and richness of native lady beetles occupying urban vacant land. Urban Ecosystems (In Press). Delgado de la flor, Y.A., C.E. Burkman, T.K. Eldredge, and M.M. Gardiner. 2017. Patch and landscape-scale variables influence the taxonomic and functional composition of beetles in urban greenspaces. Ecosphere 8(11):e2007. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2007 Delgado de la flor, Y.A. and M.D. Johnson. 2015. Influence of invasive European beachgrass on mesopredator activity in the coastal dunes of northern California. Western Wildlife 2:29-34. Fields of Study Major Field: Entomology vi Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................v Vita ................................................................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Patch and landscape-scale variables influence the taxonomic and functional composition of beetles in urban greenspaces ...................................................................................1 1. Abstract ........................................................................................................................................1 2. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................2 3. Methods........................................................................................................................................6