The effects of urbanization on INsect diverSity And humaN-nature intEractions

Project Information

INSANE

Grant agreement ID: 101033024

DOI

10.3030/101033024

Project closed

EC signature date 24 March 2021

Start date 1 September 2021

End date 31 August 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 259 398,72

EU contribution

€ 259 398,72

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INSANE (The effects of urbanization on INsect diverSity And humaN-nature intEractions)

Reporting period: 2021-09-01 to 2024-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Urbanization is considered one of the most extreme human impacts on the Earth's ecosystems with negative effects on biodiversity. However, there are still few urban studies on insects despite being a key group for understanding the impact of urbanization on biodiversity given their high diversity, broad distribution, economic importance and ecological roles in key processes such as pollination or nutrient recycling. Another challenge of urbanization is the fast concentration of the human population, making cities critical places for human-nature interactions and their consequences (i.e. the extinction of experience: the fewer contact with nature, the more tolerant or indifferent they become to environmental degradation). Urban landscape organization (land-sharing or land-sparing) could influence these sociological effects to some extent through the accessibility to green areas.
The project INSANE aims to provide novel and useful information on how to reconcile urban development and nature conservation. To do so, insect diversity in the Mediterranean region (a biodiversity hotspot poorly studied) will be analysed in urban and natural habitats. The objectives of the project are:
(1) To study the effect of urbanization on insect diversity.
(2) To analyse the association between urban landscape organization and insect diversity.
(3) Similarly, the association between urban landscape organization and human-nature interactions will be explored.
(4) Finally, a predictive tool estimating insect diversity values and human-nature interactions in relation to urban landscape organization will be developed.
The project has provided results that will shade light to the study of the effect of urbanization on insect diversity and the human-nature interactions in the Mediterranean region. Although I am still analysing the biodiversity data, the sociological study has been completed and no relationship between the land-sharing/sparing urban configuration and the subjective wellbeing of citizens, the extinction of experience or insect perception. Urban green areas in the Mediterranean do not seem to promote wellbeing or connection with nature and only visits to natural areas outside of the cities (specially during childhood) have positive effects on connection with nature and insect perception. Two more publications from the project are expected soon and the development of the predictive tool will be addressed as soon as I get the biodiversity results.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

First, I gathered all the permits needed to collect the insects, and bought all the materials needed for collecting, preserve and store the samples. Field work was performed in two seasons: spring and summer, with a total of three months duration. Citizens surveys were done simultaneously. Meanwhile, I also attended several teaching training courses and performed 80 hours of teaching. Also, in this period I was lead guest editor of a research topic on urban insects for the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
In the second year, the morphological identification of the samples as well as the DNA extractions were performed at the host institution. Then, I fulfilled the first secondment at the University of Trier (Germany) preparing the samples for the DNA metabarcoding. Again, I had 80 teaching hours in the academic year and attended a teaching training course. Further, I led an innovation teaching project and attended a congress on urban development (Urban Transitions 2022) with a poster.
In the last year I could retrieve all the metabarcoding data and performed the secondment to the University of Halle (Germany) to conduct the landscape analyses needed to finish my study, which I am currently preparing for submission. I also finished the analyses of the surveys and submitted the manuscript. I also performed 80 hours teaching and supervised a bachelor student who made the first illustrated guide to the moths of the city of Granada (about to be published). I also attended two international congresses as chair of two symposia on urban biodiversity (ECCB 2024) and ICE 2024), where I also contributed with a talk.

The results of the objectives 1 and 2 are now at the final step and the manuscripts (2) are being prepared for submission to high-impact journals. The results of objective 3 are completely analysed and the manuscript has been sent to publication in the top journal People and Nature. The objective 4 will be accomplished once the results of objective 2 are finished. In addition, the INSANE project has allowed the development of three extra manuscripts on the topic: a meta-analysis on urban arthropods (submitted to the journal Science of the Total Environment) and the other two through the supervision of two MSc students, one already published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and the other one (about to be submitted to Urban Ecosystems). All publications are (or will be) in open access. Furthermore, the final databases and methodologies used for publications are in the public repository of the University of Granada (https://digibug.ugr.es/).
The most remarkable exploitation result of the project is the contribution to the zoological collection of the department of Zoology (University of Granada). The reference collection of urban arthropods will count with more than 50,000 individuals. Also, several educational sheets have been created, named as “a walk through urban biodiversity” (available at the website).
Also, the project has been involved in several yearly outreach activities such as The European Researchers Night, the Science Week and the Women in Science Day. . The project also counted with a webpage as well as publicity in the research group “Animal EcoUrban” (Zoology department of the University of Granada). An exhibition called "Live cities: meet the urban fauna" was developed to celebrate the cities’ world day.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Although the main results of the project (objectives 1 and 2) are still being analyzed, the expected publications will be of relevance as they will constitute the first studies on the impact of urbanization in the Mediterranean area considering different seasons (spring and summer) and spatial replicates (four cities). The consideration of several insect taxa will also be new to this kind of studies and allow to have a broader perspective on the matter. Hopefully, these results would help improve urban design in Mediterranean cities in order to increase insect diversity. On the other hand, the results on the human-nature interaction show differences with previous studies in other geographical areas, suggesting that urban landscape organization alone would not be a determinant for the urban biodiversity, but that other factors should be considered (i.e. green areas composition or design). In relation with this, I will conduct a workshop with city planners and stakeholders to give the information achieved in the project to help improve urban landscape for hosting higher levels of insect diversity and promote human-nature interactions. The development of the predictive tool will be also fulfilled in the near future and it will help urban planners and citizens to make decisions.
Finally, the project INSANE has had a deep impact in my career by launching my research, improving my teaching and communication skills, establishing new international collaborations and achieving a permanent position at the host institution. I am very grateful for this opportunity.

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