URBANIZATION AND PARASITOIDS: AN UNEXPLORED FIELD OF RESEARCH

FENOGLIO, M.S.; SALVO, A

Advances in Environmental Research. Volume 11

Nova Science Publishers, Inc

Año: 2010; p. 1 - 14

Several studies have described the detrimental impact of urbanization on abundance, species richness and community composition in different groups of insects. However, few of these have particularly focused on parasitoids of herbivore insects. In this chapter we review the available literature on this topic, with emphasis on our own studies, in order to find patterns in urban effects on parasitoids. We also point up unexplored aspects to be considered in future research. Studies reviewed in the literature analyze the effects of urbanization on parasitoid populations or communities using the urban-rural approach, through habitat fragmentation, or by comparing variables regarding parasitoids in different habitats including urban systems. The most frequently measured variables in all studies were species richness, abundance and parasitism rates, although changes in structure of parasitoid communities were also observed. Even though very few studies dealt with the effect of urbanization on parasitoids, they revealed that urbanization negatively affected or had no effect on parasitoids. Possible explanations for these results are discussed in order to understand the differences found with other studies. Given the increase in urbanization on a global scale as well as the importance of the role of parasitoids in controlling herbivorous insects, further research is needed to obtain a complete picture of the relationships of this group of insects in highly disturbed habitats such as cities.