Impact of mowing frequency on arthropod abundance and diversity in urban habitats: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Urbanization is an important driver of global insect decline. Yet, recent studies have demonstrated the potential of greenspaces in cities to promote biodiversity conservation. One of many factors negatively affecting arthropods in urban areas are unsuitable habitats, as non-woody greenspaces predominantly consist of manicured lawns. Maintenance practices such as high mowing frequencies, can have direct and indirect negative impacts on the local flora and fauna. The present study examines the effects of different mowing regimes on arthropod abundance and diversity by conducting meta-analyses of studies assessing the effect of mowing on arthropod abundance (46 datasets) and taxa richness (23 datasets) in urban environments. Due to a geographical bias in the literature, only data from the temperate, northern hemisphere are analyzed. While our meta-analysis on arthropod abundance showed a medium positive effect (effect size: g = 0.54) of reduced mowing, the cumulative positive effect of reduced mowing on arthropod taxa richness was large (g = 1.25). Grouping the studies not only resulted in lower heterogeneity, but also showed that manicured lawns disproportionately favor the abundance of “pest” species as well as ground-dwelling arthropods. There was also a significantly higher abundance of winged insects on sites with reduced mowing as compared to arthropods without wings. Overall, the findings of the present meta-analysis strongly support the notion that a reduction in mowing frequencies in urban greenspaces benefits insect biodiversity.