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

<b>Abstract</b><br/><p>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.</p>

**摘要**<br/>气候变化、栖息地丧失与环境污染这三重威胁，引发了学界关于如何改造城市区域以同时缓解气温升高，并为昆虫等野生动物提供栖息生境的广泛讨论。诸多城市已采纳利用树木降低气温的相关策略。然而，全球范围内栽植的绝大多数行道树（street trees）均为外来物种。针对非城市区域开展的研究表明，与本土植物相比，外来植物难以维系本土昆虫的物种多样性。本研究依托数据库方法，对加拿大温哥华市76种最常见栽植行道树所关联的本土鳞翅目（Lepidoptera）物种数量进行量化分析。我们针对「相较于外来行道树，本土行道树可支撑更高多样性且独具特征的本土鳞翅目群落」这一研究假说开展了检验。结果与假说一致：本土行道树所关联的本土鳞翅目物种数量是外来行道树的5倍，且二者支撑的鳞翅目群落结构存在显著差异。阔叶行道树与针叶行道树在本土鳞翅目关联物种方面并无显著差异。本研究结果与此前采用主动采样技术、针对小范围本土与外来树种开展的昆虫物种丰富度调查结果相一致。综合来看，本研究数据充分证明，相较于外来树种，栽植本土行道树有助于遏制城市区域的昆虫多样性丧失。