The taxonomic and functional diversity of urban ground arthropods with a special focus on phorids

Urban environments can host diverse arthropod communities that provide critical ecosystem services. Yet cities are complex, heterogenous habitats with many different land management practices at small spatial scales, often with variable effects on arthropods. Arthropods should be considered during urban development, which often involves habitat modification that alters arthropod biodiversity and the services they provide, such as pollination and pest-control. In this study, I investigated how urban land use types impact the taxonomic and functional diversity of ground arthropods. I compared arthropod communities from industrial, greenbelt, and residential land use types across twelve sites (n=4 per land use type) in Prince George, a mid-sized British Columbia city, sampled in 2015. I also focused on phorids (Diptera: Phoridae) in chapter two, which represent one of the most taxonomically rich and abundant insect groups in urban spaces. I sampled phorids from 30 sites during the summer of 2022. For ground arthropods, neither functional nor taxonomic diversity differed significantly between land use types. Composition of communities, however, was distinct and urbanized land use types favoured herbivorous taxa. For the 2022 data, 99 operational taxonomic units were detected with DNA barcoding, with greenbelt, edge, and residential areas harbouring the most diverse and abundant fly communities. Overall, Prince George hosts species-rich, functionally diverse arthropod communities, even in its most urbanized land use types. This suggests that highly modified habitats can be managed to support high arthropod diversity and ecosystem function, especially in large grassy areas and should be included in urban conservation projects. However, not all taxa tolerate industrial sites well, including phorids, which are some of the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse arthropods. Therefor, other land use types must be preserved to ensure that high gamma diversity in maintained. This work provides a foundation for management and preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in similar urban habitats.