Domestication of highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, affects community composition

Agricultural fields now constitute an important habitat for insects. The overwhelming majority of these fields are composed of domesticated crops subject to deliberate breeding programs. Traditionally, such programs have emphasized things like yield, fruit size, flavor, and color. However, researchers have only begun to explore the other consequences of domestication. For example, have breeding programs changed crop plants' defenses against herbivory? If so, this could affect the composition of arthropod communities that form around these plants.

In this study, I assess differences between communities on wild and domesticated highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum. I sampled arthropods on adjacent wild and cultivated populations of V. corymbosum at ten different sites in the Pinelands region of southern New Jersey throughout summer 2013. I compare wild and cultivated samples for species present, diversity, evenness, and abundance.