Arthropod Diversity in an Urban Forest from Miami Dade County, Florida, US

Abstract

Arthropods are excellent candidates for studying how the formation of urban ecosystems impacts the environment for several reasons. Foremost of these is the variety of roles played by arthropods in ecosystem functioning (e.g., food web dynamics, nutrient cycling and redistribution, and pollination) with many of these roles being economically important [e.g. pollination by domestic bees is an $18 billion/year industry in the US alone]. Urban ecosystems have been neglected in ecological research. Arthropods are abundant in urban settings, but little is known about how these animals respond to urbanization. In this project, we present data on species composition and structure of the communities of arthropods from Saint Thomas University Urban Forest, in the city of Miami Gardens, Miami Dade County, State of Florida, USA. In order to conduct our samplings, we set up 16 pitfall traps, as is usually done for invertebrate soil biodiversity. We then sorted and identified collected individuals using a Dissecting Microscope. Data were analyzed using PAST to calculate diversity indices of the sites studied and species organization. We collected a total of 31 species distributed in 21 Families and 13 Orders. Most species were identified up to the species level. Total number of individuals was 2147, representing a high abundance. The most abundant species was Solenopsis molesta, represented by 1313 individuals. Invertebrates are sensitive to climatic and ecological alterations. Their small bodies desiccate easily, a factor which may limit their evolutionary response to accelerated temperature increases. Consequently, the understanding, preservation, and development of urban forests can provide an avenue through which the conservation of local communities is sustained, starting with some of its most numerous and ecologically sensitive species.