Urbanization alters the abundance and composition of predator communities and leads to aphid outbreaks on urban trees

摘要: Urbanization can affect arthropod abundance in different ways. While species with narrow habitat range and low dispersal ability often respond negatively to urban environments, many generalist good reach high densities city centers. This filtering effect of habitats strongly influence predator-prey-mutualist interactions may therefore the predatory phytophagous both directly indirectly. Here, we assessed urbanization on aphids, arthropods, ants field maple (Acer campestre) trees around Budapest, Hungary. We used percentage impervious surfaces within a 500 m radius each site as an index degree urbanization. found that aphids increased increasing level However, arthropods occurrence poorly dispersing predator community were related urbanization, identified these two independent factors significant predictors aphid abundances. The decreased contrary our expectations, did not pattern aphids. Our results suggest by altering composition communities, disrupt biological control populations, thus contribute outbreaks trees.