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Patterns and Drivers of Ant Biodiversity Along Urbanization Gradients

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Patterns and Drivers of Ant Biodiversity Along Urbanization Gradients PATTERNS AND DRIVERS OF ANT BIODIVERSITY ALONG URBANIZATION GRADIENTS by JAIME ABRAHAM PEREZ Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Advisor: Dr. Sarah E. Diamond Department of Biology CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of Jaime A. Perez candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Committee Chair: Karen Abbott Committee Member: Sarah Diamond Committee Member: Jean Burns Committee Member: Michael Benard Committee Member: Andrew Suarez Date of Defense: April 28th, 2020 ii DEDICATION To Terry McGlynn - without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for believing in me and introducing me to the little things that run the world iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ............................................................................................................vii List of Figures ...........................................................................................................viii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................ix Abstract .....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Introduction ..........................................................................................3 Chapter 2: Idiosyncrasies in cities: evaluating patterns and drivers of ant biodiversity along urbanization gradients .............................................................7 Abstract ......................................................................................................................7 Introduction ................................................................................................................8 Materials and Methods:..............................................................................................10 Study area and sampling design .............................................................................10 Ant species assemblages and diversity ...................................................................13 Statistical analyses: .................................................................................................14 Characterizing biodiversity patterns across urbanization gradients.....................14 Evaluating the mechanisms of urban biodiversity patterns .................................16 Results and Discussion: ............................................................................................17 Positive, but mixed support for the maintenance of urban biodiversity in ants ......18 Non-native species introductions can contribute positively to species diversity, but do not entirely explain the maintenance of urban biodiversity .........................19 No indication of differential phenologies in communities along urbanization gradients ..................................................................................................................21 Study limitations and future directions ...................................................................23 Tables .........................................................................................................................25 Figures........................................................................................................................28 Supplementary Tables ................................................................................................33 iv Supplementary Figures ..............................................................................................43 Chapter 3: Urbanization shifts ant communities towards thermophilic species across multiple cities ............................................................................................................46 Abstract ......................................................................................................................46 Introduction ................................................................................................................46 Materials and Methods:..............................................................................................49 Study area and sampling design ..............................................................................49 Trait assignments: ...................................................................................................51 Estimating species geographic range location .....................................................51 Quantifying species mean heat tolerance and aridity tolerance ...........................52 Statistical Analyses: ................................................................................................53 The effect of urbanization on species geographic range location ........................53 The effect of urbanization on species tolerance traits ..........................................54 Results: .......................................................................................................................55 Urbanization consistently favors ant species from southerly and westerly distributions.............................................................................................................55 Urbanization consistently favors thermophilic species ...........................................55 Discussion: .................................................................................................................56 Implications and future directions ..........................................................................59 Tables ........................................................................................................................62 Figures........................................................................................................................64 Supplementary Table ................................................................................................68 Chapter 4: Urbanization dampens the latitude-diversity cline in ants ...............69 Abstract ......................................................................................................................69 Introduction ................................................................................................................69 Materials and Methods:..............................................................................................72 v Developing the ant species richness and community composition database ..........72 Controlling for intercity variation in the degree of urbanization ............................74 Statistical analyses: .................................................................................................74 The effect of urbanization on the latitude-diversity cline ....................................74 The effect of urbanization on community composition .......................................77 Results: .......................................................................................................................79 Urbanization dampens the latitude-diversity cline in ants ......................................77 Urban community composition is similar to nonurban at high latitude, but very divergent at low latitude..........................................................................................79 Discussion ..................................................................................................................79 Tables .........................................................................................................................85 Figures........................................................................................................................88 Supplementary Table .................................................................................................93 Supplementary Figure ................................................................................................101 Chapter 5: Conclusions: ..........................................................................................102 Future directions .....................................................................................................102 Figure ......................................................................................................................105 Bibliography: ............................................................................................................106 vi LIST OF TABLES Chapter 2: Table 2.1: ...............................................................................................................25 Table 2.2 .................................................................................................................26 Table 2.3 .................................................................................................................27 Table S2.1...............................................................................................................33 Table S2.2...............................................................................................................35 Table S2.3...............................................................................................................36 Table S2.4...............................................................................................................37 Table S2.5...............................................................................................................39
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