Cambios en la diversidad funcional de lepidópteros nocturnos como respuesta a la antropización de ecosistemas urbanos

Abstract

Abstract: Urbanization is a process that generates drastic changes in the conditions of natural habitats, which can have significant effects on biodiversity and ecosystems. In this study, we evaluated the effect of urbanization on the functional diversity of moth communities in the city of Loja. Moth samples were obtained from four land-use zones with different levels of urbanization, and the morphofunctional traits of 602 species of moths from the family Geometridae were measured. Our results show a loss of community functional richness and an increase in body size in urban areas. Natural habitat fragmentation appears to be a filtering force for species at both the community and population scales. Therefore, urbanization has a unidirectional effect on moth morphofunctional traits, favoring larger body sizes, which in turn promotes the loss of functional diversity and biotic homogenization.