Raw data: Local habitat factors and spatial connectivity jointly shape an urban insect community

As the world becomes more and more urbanized, it is increasingly important
to understand the impacts of urban landscapes on biodiversity.
Urbanization can change local habitat factors and decrease connectivity
among local habitats, with major impacts on the structure of natural food
webs. However, most studies have focused on single species, or compared
rural to urban habitats, which do not inform us on how to design and
manage cities to optimize biodiversity. To understand the local and
spatial drivers of ecological communities within urban landscapes, we
assessed the relative impact of local habitat factors (sunlight exposure
and leaf litter) and spatial connectivity on an oak-associated herbivore
community within an urban landscape. From the local habitat factors, leaf
litter but not sunlight exposure was related to herbivore species
richness, with leaf litter contributing to the maintenance of high species
richness on isolated trees. Guilds and species differed strongly in their
response to local habitat factors and connectivity, resulting in
predictable variation in insect community composition among urban oaks.
Taken together, our study shows an interactive effect of local and spatial
factors on species richness and species composition within an urban
context, with guild- and species-specific life histories determining the
response of insects to urban landscapes. To maintain biodiversity in the
urban landscape, preserving a dense network of local habitats is
essential. Moreover, allowing leaf litter to accumulate can be a simple,
cost-effective conservation management practice.