Owners' perceptions do not match actual ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity in their gardens

Urban gardens are important for human well-being, biodiversity and other ecosystem functions. Biodiversity-promoting initiatives would benefit from their owners being aware of the state of biodiversity in their gardens. We examined whether garden owners' perceptions match actual biodiversity in their gardens and whether perceptions are influenced by the owners' ecological knowledge. We used a structured interview to assess the motivations and biodiversity knowledge of owners of 33 domestic gardens in the city of Basel (Switzerland) and related them to a survey of native plants and several groups of ground-dwelling invertebrates in their gardens. Owners showed different priorities, with promotion of habitat for biodiversity, receiving, on average, higher scores than cultivation, recreation and garden designing. Owners prioritizing biodiversity promotion had gardens with high habitat richness. The garden owners' perceptions of both native plant and overall invertebrate diversity were not correlated with actual diversity data for native plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates. The perceptions of the abundance of invertebrate groups by garden owners with good biodiversity knowledge were not more accurate than those from owners with less knowledge. Despite their willingness, many owners do not know all the opportunities to promote biodiversity. Initiatives to further biodiversity-friendly gardening should thus transfer knowledge

Functional diversity and habitat preferences of native grassland plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates in private gardens along an urbanization gradient

Urbanization is occurring around the globe, changing environmental conditions and influencing biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Urban domestic gardens represent a small-grained mosaic of diverse habitats for numerous species. The challenging conditions in urban gardens support species possessing certain traits, and exclude other species. Functional diversity is therefore often altered in urban gardens. By using a multi-taxa approach focused on native grassland plants and ground-dwelling invertebrates with overall low mobility (snails, slugs, spiders, millipedes, woodlice, ants, rove beetles), we examined the effects of urbanization (distance to city center, percentage of sealed area) and garden characteristics on functional dispersion, functional evenness, habitat preferences and body size. We conducted a field survey in 35 domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient in Basel, Switzerland. The various groups showed different responses to urbanization. Functional dispersion of native grassland plants decreased with increasing distance to the city center, while functional dispersion of ants decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area. Functional evenness of ants increased with increasing distance to the city center and that of rove beetles decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area. Contrary to our expectation, in rove beetles, the proportion of generalists decreased with increasing percentage of sealed area in the surroundings, and the proportion of species preferring dry conditions increased with increasing distance to the city center. Body size of species increased with distance to city center for slugs, spiders, millipedes, ants, and rove beetles. Local garden characteristics had few effects on functional diversity and habitat preferences of the groups examined. Our study supports the importance of using multi-taxa approaches when examining effects of environmental change on biodiversity. Considering only a single group may result in misleading findings for overall biodiversity. The ground-dwelling invertebrates investigated may be affected in different ways from the more often-studied flying pollinators or birds

The “Alluvial Mesovoid Shallow Substratum”, a new subterranean habitat

Received: April 5, 2013; Accepted: August 23, 2013; Published: October 4, 2013In this paper we describe a new type of subterranean habitat associated with dry watercourses in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula, the “Alluvial Mesovoid Shallow Substratum” (alluvial MSS). Historical observations and data from field sampling specially designed to study MSS fauna in the streambeds of temporary watercourses support the description of this new habitat. To conduct the sampling, 16 subterranean sampling devices were placed in a region of Eastern Spain. The traps were operated for 12 months and temperature and relative humidity data were recorded to characterise the habitat. A large number of species was captured, many of which belonged to the arthropod group, with marked hygrophilous, geophilic, lucifugous and mesothermal habits. In addition, there was also a substantial number of species showing markedly ripicolous traits. The results confirm that the network of spaces which forms in alluvial deposits of temporary watercourses merits the category of habitat, and here we propose the name of “alluvial MSS”. The “alluvial MSS” may be covered or not by a layer of soil, is extremely damp, provides a buffer against above ground temperatures and is aphotic. In addition, compared to other types of MSS, it is a very unstable habitat. It is possible that the “alluvial MSS” may be found in other areas of the world with strongly seasonal climatic regimes, and could play an important role as a biogeographic corridor and as a refuge from climatic changes.The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for funded this research project (CGL2010-19924) and the Ministry of Education and Science programme "Juan de la Cierva". This research Project (CGL2010-19924) was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.The Ministry of Education and Science programme "Juan de la Cierva" funded the research activity of one of the authors (A. J-V.).Peer reviewe

Distinctive Collembola communities in the mesovoid shallow substratum: first data for the Sierra de Guadarrama national park (central Spain) and a description of two new species of Orchesella (Entomobryidae)

Two new species of the genus Orchesella Templeton, 1836 have been identified following intensive sampling in the Colluvial Milieu Souterrain Superficiel (Mesovoid Shallow Substratum, or MSS) of the Sierra de Guadarrama using Subterranean Sampling Devices (SSD). The data were obtained from the first extraction of the traps between May and October of 2015. During a study of the Collembola taxon, 32 different genera (61 species) were identified. The highest representative genus presence in almost all traps was Orchesella, with two new species. One of the two species described had been misidentified until this study was carried out, indicating that their preferential habitat had not been sampled; the second species had never been identified. The community of the Orchesella species in the Colluvial MSS was investigated, leading to the conclusion that this environment has its own assemblage of characteristic species. The opportunity to study specimens that belong to five species of the genus Orchesella, including three previously recollected, has allowed for obtaining reliable information regarding their macrochaetotaxy. A part of this chaetotaxy is proposed as a useful diagnostic tool for the species of the genus. In conclusion, it can be affirmed that this study has demonstrated that the Colluvial Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (Colluvial MSS) has its own fauna, and it supports the hypothesis that it constitutes a new biotope, at least for Collembola

Hidden in plain sight: six millipede species (Myriapoda: Diplopoda) new for the fauna of Switzerland

Diplopoda are poorly studied in many regions. The last comprehensive work on the millipede fauna of Switzerland was published in 1993 and listed 124 outdoor-living species. Recent sampling efforts have resulted in the discovery' of six millipede species of European origin that were not previously known to occur in Switzerland: Cylindroiulus britannicus (Verhoeff, 1891). C. salicivorus Verhoeff. 1908. C. vulnerarius (Berlese, 1888), Heteroiulus intermedius (Brolemann, 1892), Anamastigona pulchella (Silvestri, 1894) and Macrosternodesmus palicola Brolemann, 1908. None of them is currently invasive in Switzerland, but some are rapidly expanding across Europe and other regions of the world. A species which was previously only known from northern Italy. H. intermedius, was found in a forest close to Bellinzona. It is likely a native Swiss species which has previously been overlooked. The other five species were collected in human-made habitats in the city of Basel and its surroundings, suggesting human-caused introduction. Two species, C. britannicus and M. palicola, likely have an Atlantic origin, while the three remaining species, C. salicivorus, C. vulnerarius and A. pulchella, are originally from Italy. The biogeography of these six species is discussed, and photographs of specimens of each species and their gonopods are presented

Description of the female morphology of the relict troglobiont millipede Cantabrodesmus lorioli Mauriès 1971 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Chelodesmidae), and new records in the deepest pit of Spain

The troglobiont millipede, Cantabrodesmus lorioli Mauries, 1971, inhabits a few caves in a small region of Northern Spain. It is considered a relict species because of its geographical isolation compared to others in its family, and its to some extent uncertain systematic position. Cantabrodesmus lorioli has been placed in three different families, and now is considered a member of the Chelodesmidae, a family with only one other known native European representative. There are few records of this species. and almost nothing is known about its biology. The only available information on this species is the description of the male and a list of caves where it has been captured. In the present work, we provide the first description of the female morphology, illustrated by scanning electron microscopy, and a series of new records from caves in a region where it had never been captured before, including the deepest known pit in Spain, Torca del Porren. The female morphology does not show many differences from that of the male, but several characters are discussed. All of the known information on the morphology of the species is used to discuss the implications for its biology and systematic position

The hypogean Iberian genus Typhlopsychrosoma Mauriès, 1982 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Vandeleumatidae): distribution map, key to species, first record in a Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS) and detailed iconography of T. baeticaense (Mauriès, 2013)

Gilgado, José D., Enghoff, Henrik, Ortuño, Vicente M. (2015): The hypogean Iberian genus Typhlopsychrosoma Mauriès, 1982 (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida, Vandeleumatidae): distribution map, key to species, first record in a Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS) and detailed iconography of T. baeticaense (Mauriès, 2013). Zootaxa 3937 (2): 337-346, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3937.2.

Out of the dark void: Ommatoiulus longicornis n. sp., a new julid from Spain (Diplopoda, Julida) with notes on some troglobiomorphic traits in millipedes

A new millipede species, Ommatoiulus longicornis n. sp. is described from the subterranean habitat in eastern Spain, and the elongation of its antennae is discussed in relation to the habitat where it dwells. We take the occasion to discuss the elongation of appendages as a troglobiomorphic character in millipedes and shed the light on the various, sometimes controversial, hypotheses that could have led to these modifications in millipedes and other subterranean arthropods

Presence of Crumomyia glacialis (Meigen, 1830) (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) in the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Guadarrama National Parks (Spain): first record from the Iberian Peninsula, and evidence of its presence in the Mesovoid Shallow Substratum

The sphaerocerid Crumomyia glacialis (Meigen, 1830) is recorded from the Iberian Peninsula for the first time. The specimens were captured in two Spanish National Parks (Sierra Nevada N. P. and Sierra de Guadarrama N. P.). Most of the specimens (6 out of 7) were captured in the Mesovoid Shallow Substratum by means of subterranean sampling devices (SSD), and only one with epigean pitfall traps. In addition to this first record, the implications of the presence of this species in the high mountain MSS are discussed