Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) diversity in urban and forest islands in the agricultural landscape of central Illinois

Agricultural and urban development causes habitat fragmentation and loss which can greatly impact arthropod communities and diversity. However, unlike most agricultural landscapes, urban areas can potentially retain some native diversity if tree cover remains largely intact. We sampled an urban to forest gradient in Champaign County, Illinois to examine patterns of diversity in ground beetles and ants. Specifically, we used pitfall traps and litter samples to survey three habitat types: a residential neighborhood, a disturbed/recovering deciduous upland forest, and an “intact” deciduous upland forest. We found more than 40 ant species and 80 recognizable taxonomic units (RTUs) of beetles including over 20 species of carabids. Relative abundance and species accumulation curves revealed that the diversity of these two groups was greatest in urban neighborhoods.  These results suggest that the diversity of some arthropod groups can remain high in residential neighborhoods.