How do anthropogenic disturbance, insect diversity and bird diversity intersect? A study based on three sites in Northern Ohio

Location

PANEL: Biodiversity and Species Distributions
Science Center A154
Moderator: Abby Aresty

Document Type

Presentation - Open Access

Start Date

5-1-2026 4:30 PM

End Date

5-1-2026 5:30 PM

Abstract

Human land use can influence bird and arthropod diversity as they change food availability, create edge effects between forest patches and developed land, and impact habitat composition. Many studies have been done to understand the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on bird and arthropod diversity showing forest-dependent species decreasing and generalist species increasing as forest composition changes. Our research aims to expand upon the factors that affect bird and arthropod diversity in three sites that vary in land use and human disruption. To determine the influence of anthropogenic activity, we focused on the variation of bird diversity across our sites related to invertebrate diversity. To do this, we conducted morning point counts and collected and identified invertebrates using combination traps. Our study found that the diversity of bird and invertebrate species varied greatly across the three parks. We saw a slightly higher bird species richness in Sandy Ridge and the Arboretum-the two sites with highest amount of development in the surrounding area, and higher Arthropod diversity in Caley-the site that is mostly surrounded by cultivated crops. Additionally, we found that in all three sites the Cicadellidae family had the highest relative abundance of individuals identified. Our results suggest that the influence of human activity on insect diversity may induce differences in the composition of the bird community in each of our sites. With this analysis, we aim to contribute to a longer-term research question addressing the impact of anthropogenic activity on bird diversity through its effect on insect diversity.

Keywords:

Birds, Arthropods, Biodiversity patterns

Notes

Presenters: Micaela Tahta, Ella Kavanaugh, and Isla McCullough

Major

Biology; Politics

Project Mentor(s)

Jason Gleditsch, Biology

2026

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May 1st, 4:30 PM May 1st, 5:30 PM

How do anthropogenic disturbance, insect diversity and bird diversity intersect? A study based on three sites in Northern Ohio

PANEL: Biodiversity and Species Distributions
Science Center A154
Moderator: Abby Aresty

Human land use can influence bird and arthropod diversity as they change food availability, create edge effects between forest patches and developed land, and impact habitat composition. Many studies have been done to understand the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on bird and arthropod diversity showing forest-dependent species decreasing and generalist species increasing as forest composition changes. Our research aims to expand upon the factors that affect bird and arthropod diversity in three sites that vary in land use and human disruption. To determine the influence of anthropogenic activity, we focused on the variation of bird diversity across our sites related to invertebrate diversity. To do this, we conducted morning point counts and collected and identified invertebrates using combination traps. Our study found that the diversity of bird and invertebrate species varied greatly across the three parks. We saw a slightly higher bird species richness in Sandy Ridge and the Arboretum-the two sites with highest amount of development in the surrounding area, and higher Arthropod diversity in Caley-the site that is mostly surrounded by cultivated crops. Additionally, we found that in all three sites the Cicadellidae family had the highest relative abundance of individuals identified. Our results suggest that the influence of human activity on insect diversity may induce differences in the composition of the bird community in each of our sites. With this analysis, we aim to contribute to a longer-term research question addressing the impact of anthropogenic activity on bird diversity through its effect on insect diversity.