title: Conserving herbivorous and predatory insects in urban green spaces.
abstract: Insects are key components of urban ecological networks and are greatly impacted by anthropogenic activities. Yet, few studies have examined how insect functional groups respond to changes to urban vegetation associated with different management actions. We investigated the response of herbivorous and predatory heteropteran bugs to differences in vegetation structure and diversity in golf courses, gardens and parks. We assessed how the species richness of these groups varied amongst green space types, and the effect of vegetation volume and plant diversity on trophic- and species-specific occupancy. We found that golf courses sustain higher species richness of herbivores and predators than parks and gardens. At the trophic- and species-specific levels, herbivores and predators show strong positive responses to vegetation volume. The effect of plant diversity, however, is distinctly species-specific, with species showing both positive and negative responses. Our findings further suggest that high occupancy of bugs is obtained in green spaces with specific combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. The challenge for managers is to boost green space conservation value through actions promoting synergistic combinations of vegetation structure and diversity. Tackling this conservation challenge could provide enormous benefits for other elements of urban ecological networks and people that live in cities.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Research Group, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.affiliation: School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Richmond 3121, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Caragh G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Threlfall
authors.affiliation: School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Richmond 3121, Victoria, Australia.|Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria c/o School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas S G
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria c/o School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Amy K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hahs
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Mallik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malipatil
authors.affiliation: Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Nigel E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Stork
authors.affiliation: School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Richmond 3121, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Livesley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002947:Cities; D017753:Ecosystem; D000072506:Gardens; D007313:Insecta / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development*; D000068316:Parks, Recreational