Wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera) associated to trees in urban parks of Bogota’s city, Colombia

Abstract

Urban trees are a source of food resources, habitat and refuge for the biodiversity that occurs in cities. However, the taxonomic identity and status of each plant species as native and / or exotic of in an ecosystem influences its interactions with biodiversity. Wasps are one of the main insects present in terrestrial ecosystems, including urban ecosystems, as components of their biodiversity, playing an important role as biocontrol agents (predators and parasitoids) of populations of other insects associated with urban flora or as phytophagous. Seeking to deepen into the knowledge of the diversity of wasps in the city of Bogotá and their ecological interactions, in this study the diversity of wasps associated with three native and three exotic species frequently in urban parks of the city was evaluated. In total, 22 wasp families and 227 morphospecies were identified. The families Bethylidae, Chalcididae and Crabronidae are recorded for the first time in Bogotá. On the other part, the families Eulophidae, Ichneumonidae and Braconidae were the ones that contributed with the most richness and abundance in this study. Regarding their association with the evaluated plant species, a greater diversity of morphospecies associated with native tree species was found, however, there is an effect of the taxonomic identity and the factor park on the results that are discussed. It highlighting the importance of conserving the native urban flora in green spaces of Bogota’s city, in order to maintain and preserve the diversity of wasps principally with parasitoid and predator habits and thus enhance their role as natural biocontrol agents of insects that affect the health of urban trees, at the same time that ecological processes and functionality of this urban ecosystem would be stimulated.