Abstract
Urbanization effects on terrestrial isopod (Isopoda, Oniscidea) populations were studied in forested areas along a rural-to-urban gradient including a native beech forest, suburban and urban forest fragments in Sorø, Denmark. The seasonal activity patterns of the dominating species (Oniscus asellus, Philoscia muscorum and Porcellio scaber) indicated differences among the areas, but these patterns were idiosyncratic. There were more females than males in most areas. The seasonal patterns of males and non-gravid females were similar and often bimodal; gravid females showed markedly different, usually unimodal activity patterns. Temporal changes of sex ratios were — in each species — characterized by an early summer activity peak of males, followed by the activity peak of gravid females. We suggest that these trends might indicate a reproduction-driven surface activity of males. The small response of the three isopod species to urbanization may reflect their wide ecological tolerance as well as the “soft management” of the urban park.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Achouri, M.S., F. Charfi-Cheikhrouha and M. Zimmer. 2008. Reproductive patterns in syntopic terrestrial isopod species (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) from Morocco, Pedobiologia 52:127–137.
Andreev, V. 2004. Urban Climate and Air Quality – a Review. in: L. Penev et al. (eds.), Ecology of the City of Sofia. Species and Communities in an Urban Environment. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia – Moscow, pp. 55–82.
Anichtchenko A. et al. 2012. Carabidae of the World. http://www.carabidae.pro; accessed: 13 July 2017
Araujo, P.B. and G. Bond-Buckup. 2005. Population structure and reproductive biology of Atlantoscia floridana (van Name, 1940) (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in southern Brazil. Acta Oecol. 28:289–298.
Arrontes, J. 1992. Sex-ratio variation in an intertidal isopod. Oikos 63:131–138.
Bogyó, D. and Z. Korsós. 2009. Effect of urbanization on diplopods – Faunistical results. Természetvédelmi Közlemények 15:412–421. (in Hungarian)
Bouchon, D., T. Rigaud and P. Juchault. 1998. Evidence for widespread Wolbachia infection in isopod crustaceans: molecular identification and host feminization. Proc. Biol. Sci. 265:1081–1090.
Cochard, P.O., F. Vilisics and E. Séchet. 2010. Alien terrestrial crustaceans (Isopods and Amphipods). In: A. Roques, J.Y. Rasplus, W. Rabistch, C. Lopez-Vaamonde, M. Kenis, W. Nentwig and D. Roy (eds.), Terrestrial Arthropod Invasions in Europe. BioRisk 4:81–96.
Coleman, D.C. and P.F. Hendrix. 2000. Invertebrates as Webmasters in Ecosystems. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.
Cordaux, R., A. Michel-Salzat and D. Bouchon, 2001. Wolbachia infection in crustaceans: novel hosts and potential routes for horizontal transmission. J. Evol. Biol. 14:237–243.
Devictor, V., R. Julliard, D. Couvet, A. Lee and F. Jiguet. 2007. Functional homogenization effect of urbanization on bird communities. Conserv. Biol. 21:741–751.
Dias, N. and M. Sprung. 2003. Population dynamics and production of the isopod Tylos ponticus in a Ria Formosa saltmarsh (South Portugal). In: A. Sfenthourakis, P.B. Araujo, E. Hornung, H. Schmalfuss, S. Taiti and K. Szlávecz (eds.), The Biology of Terrestrial Isopods V. (Crustaceana Monographs, 2), Brill Academic Publisher, Leiden, pp. 133–149.
Elek, Z. and G.L. Lövei. 2005. Ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) assemblages along an urbanization gradient near Sorø, Zealand, Denmark. Entomol. Med. 73:115–121.
Elek, Z., G.L. Lövei. 2007. Patterns in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages along an urbanization gradient in Denmark. Acta Oecol. 32:104–111.
Farkas, S. 1998. Population dynamics, spatial distribution, and sex ratio of Trachelipus rathkei (Brandt, 1833) (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in a wetland forest by the Drava River. Isr. J. Zool. 44:323–332.
Fazekas, J., F. Kádár, M. Sárospataki and G.L. Lövei, 1997. Seasonal activity, age structure and egg production of the ground beetle Anisodactylus signatus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Hungary. Eur. J. Entomol. 94:473–484.
Fisher, R.A. 1930. The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection. Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK
Grimm, N.B., S.H. Faeth, N.E. Golubiewski, C.L. Redman, J. Wu, X. Bai and J.M. Briggs. 2008. Global change and the ecology of cities, Science 319:756–760.
Godfray, H.C.J. and J.H Werren. 1996. Recent developments in sex ratio studies. Trends. Ecol. Evol. 11:59–63.
Gonçalves, S.C., M.A. Pardal, P.G. Cardoso, S.M. Ferreira and J.C. Marques. 2005. Biology, population dynamics and secondary production of Tylos europaeus (Isopoda, Tylidae) on the western coast of Portugal. Marine Biol. 147:631–641.
Holway, D.A. and A.V. Suarez. 2006. Homogenization of ant communities in mediterranean California: the effects of urbanization and invasion. Biol. Conserv. 127:319–326.
Hornung, E. and M.R. Warburg. 1998. Plasticity of a Porcellio ficulneus population under extrem weather conditions (a case study). Isr. J. Zool. 44:395–398.
Hornung, E., B. Tóthmérész, T. Magura and F. Vilisics. 2007. Changes of isopod assemblages along an urban — suburban — rural gradient in Hungary. Eur. J. Soil Biol. 44:158–165.
Horváth, R., Z. Elek and G.L.Lövei. 2014. Compositional changes in spider (Araneae) assemblages along an urbanisation gradient near a Danish town. Bull. Insectology 67:255–264.
Magura,T., G.L. Lövei and B. Tóthmérész. 2010. Does urbanization decrease diversity in ground beetle (Carabidae) assemblages? Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 19:16–26.
Meinertz, T. 1964.The distribution of the terrestrial isopods in Denmark up to 1963. Vidensk. Medd. Dan. Naturhist. Foren. 126:465–496.
McIntyre, N.E., J. Rango, W.F. Fagan and S.H. Faeth. 2001. Ground arthropod community structure in a heterogeneous urban environment. Landscape Urb. Plan. 52:257–274.
Nair, G.A. 1998. Reproductive and population biology of Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Oniscidea) in Benghazi, Libya. Isr. J. Zool. 44:399–412.
Niemelä, J., J. Kotze, A. Ashworth, P. Brandmayr, K. Desender, T. New, L. Penev, M. Samways and J. Spence. 2000. The search for common anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity: a global network. J. Ins.Conserv. 4:3–9.
Niemelä, J., J.H. Breuste, G. Guntenspergen, N.E. McIntyre, T. Elmqvist and P. James, 2011. Urban Ecology — Patterns, Processes, and Applications. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
O’Neill, S.L., A.A. Hoffmann and J.H. Werren, 1997. Influential Passengers: Inherited Microorganisms and Invertebrate Reproduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK
Paoletti, M.G. and C.M. Cantarino. 2002. Sex ratio alterations in terrestrial woodlice populations (Isopoda: Oniscidea) from agroecosystems subjected to different agricultural practices in Italy. Appl. Soil. Ecol. 19:113–120.
Pavao-Zuckerman, M.A. and D.C. Coleman. 2007. Urbanization alters the functional composition, but not taxonomic diversity, of the soil nematode community. App. Soil Ecol. 35:329–339.
Rigaud, T., D. Antoine, I. Marcede and P. Juchault. 1997. The effect of temperature on sex ratio in the isopod Porcellionides pruinosus: Environmental sex determination or a by-product of cytoplasmic sex determination? Evol. Ecol. 11:205–215.
Roques, A., W. Rabitsch, J.Y. Rasplus, C. Lopez-Vaamonde, W. Nentwig and M. Kenis. 2009. Alien Terrestrial Invertebrates of Europe. Handbook of Alien Species in Europe. Invading Nature — Springer Series in Invasion Ecology 3, pp. 63–79.
Sapia, M., G.L. Lövei and Z. Elek. 2006. Effects of varying sampling effort on the observed diversity of carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Ent. Fenn. 17:345–350.
Sattler, T., P. Duelli, M.K. Obrist, R. Arlettaz and M. Moretti. 2010. Response of arthropod species richness and functional groups to urban habitat structure and management. Landscape Ecol. 25:941–954.
Scharff, N. and O. Gudik-Sørensen, 2006. Catalogue of the Spiders of Denmark (Araneae), Entomol. Medd. 74:3–71.
Schmalfuss, H. 2003. World catalog of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea). Stuttg. Beitr. Naturk., Ser. A 654:1–341.
Schowalter, T.D. 2012. Insect responses to major landscape-level disturbance. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 57:1–20.
Sutton, S.L. 1980. Woodlice. Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK.
Sunderland, K.D., M. Hassall and S.L. Sutton. 1976. The population dynamics of Philoscia muscorum (Crustacea, Oniscoidea) in a dune grassland ecosystem. J. Anim. Ecol. 45:487–506.
Tian, G., L. Brussard and B.T. Tang. 1995., Breakdown of plant residues with contrasting chemical composition under humid tropical conditions: effects of earthworms and millipedes. Soil Biol. Biochem. 27:277–280.
Tuf, I.H. 2003. Development of the community structure of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) after a summer flood. In: A. Sfenthourakis, P.B. Araujo, E. Hornung, H. Schmalfuss, S. Taiti and K. Szlávecz (eds.), The Biology of Terrestrial Isopods V. (Crustaceana Monographs, 2), Brill Academic Publisher, Leiden, pp. 231–242.
Vilisics, F., Z. Elek., G.L. Lövei and E. Hornung. 2007. Composition of terrestrial isopod assemblages under different urbanization stages in Denmark. Pedobiologia 51:45–53.
Vilisics, F. and E. Hornung. 2009. Urban areas as introduction hot-spots and shelters for native isopod species. Urban Ecosyst. 12:333–345.
Vilisics, F., D. Bogyó, T. Sattler and M. Moretti. 2012. Occurrence and assemblage composition of millipedes (Myriapoda, Diplopoda) and terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in urban areas of Switzerland. ZooKeys 176:199–214.
Wijnhoven, H. 2000. Landpissebedden van de Ooijpolder: deel 1. verspreiding (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea). Nederl. Faunist. Med. 11:55–131.
Zapparoli, M. 1997. Urban development and insect biodiversity of the Rome area, Italy. Landscape Urban Plan. 38:77–86.
Zimmer, M. and G. Kautz. 1997. Breeding phonological strategies of the common woodlouse, Porcellio scaber (Isopoda: Oniscidea). Eur. J. Soil Biol. 33:67–73.
Zimmer, M. and W. Topp. 1999. Relationships between woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea)and microbial density and activity in the field. Biol. Fert. Soils 30:117–123.
Acknowledgements
We thank the support of the Sorø Akademi Stilftelse, the former Danish Institute for Agricultural Sciences, Flakkebjerg Research Center, the International School of Biodiversity Studies (ISOBIS) Aarhus, Denmark and the Hungarian Scholarship Board (ZE), Dr. H. Schmalfuss (Natural History Museum, Stuttgart) for taxonomic help, and Dr. E. Hornung (Szent István University, Budapest) for comments. This is publication no. 14 of the Danglobe Project. Author contributions: GL and ZE designed the study, and performed field sampling; ZE and FV sorted and identified the material, FV, ZE and GL made the analysis and wrote the paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
About this article
Cite this article
Vilisics, F., Elek, Z. & Lövei, G.L. Temporal patterns in the activity density and sex ratio of isopods (Oniscidea, Isopoda) along an urbanization gradient in Denmark. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 19, 84–92 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2018.19.1.9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2018.19.1.9