Data for: Sun, Ogushi, Tseng -Lepidoptera species richness and community composition in urban street trees

The triple threats of climate change, habitat loss, and environmental
pollution have stimulated discussion on how urban areas can be modified to
both mitigate heat increases and provide habitat for wildlife such as
insects. The strategy of using trees to reduce temperatures has been
adopted by numerous cities. However, the majority of street trees planted
around the world are non-native. Studies conducted in non-urban areas have
demonstrated in comparison to native plants, non-native plants are less
likely to support native insect diversity. Here we use a database approach
to quantify the number of native Lepidoptera species associated with 76 of
the most common street tree species planted in Vancouver, Canada. We
tested the prediction that compared to non-native trees, native street
trees will support a higher diversity and unique community of native
Lepidoptera. As predicted, native street trees were associated with five
times as many native Lepidoptera species, and the Lepidoptera communities
supported by native vs. non-native street trees were distinct. There was
no difference in native Lepidoptera associations between broadleaf vs.
coniferous street trees. These results are consistent with studies that
have used active sampling techniques to investigate insect richness on a
smaller subset of native and non-native tree species. Collectively, these
data provide good evidence that the planting native instead of non-native
trees will help stem the loss of insect diversity in urban areas.