Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) are a globally threatened group of insects due to habitat loss and fragmentation, light pollution, climate change and pesticides. However, against all odds, some firefly populations persist in urbanized environments where all four of these factors are present simul...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2023-12-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/16622.pdf |
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| author | Cisteil X. Pérez-Hernández Ana María Gutiérrez Mancillas Ek del-Val Luis Mendoza-Cuenca |
| author_facet | Cisteil X. Pérez-Hernández Ana María Gutiérrez Mancillas Ek del-Val Luis Mendoza-Cuenca |
| author_sort | Cisteil X. Pérez-Hernández |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) are a globally threatened group of insects due to habitat loss and fragmentation, light pollution, climate change and pesticides. However, against all odds, some firefly populations persist in urbanized environments where all four of these factors are present simultaneously. In this work, we compiled several data sources to document the diversity of fireflies in the urbanized area of Morelia, characterize their current habitats, and determine the main stressors affecting these bioluminescent insects. We found seven genera and 26 species of fireflies (19 nocturnal, seven diurnal) associated with 32 urban, peri-urban and extra-urban areas; at least, 14 are new records for Michoacán, and the list for the state now includes nine genera and 41 species. Five additional sites were documented as extinction sites. We compared the characteristics of these five sites with those of the sites with extant populations. We found that in Morelia, fireflies are mainly associated with areas that have high to moderate proportions of vegetation cover, are near water bodies, have very gentle to moderate slopes, and are exposed to low levels of light pollution. In contrast, the extinction sites showed high proportions of artificial surfaces and high levels of light pollution. Because some fireflies are considered bioindicators of ecosystem integrity as they are associated to specific habitats, are highly diverse and due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, we consider that sites from Morelia’s urban core and extinction sites show the highest levels of environmental degradation, threatening most fireflies and other insects living in the urban core with local extinction. At the same time, our results also suggest that implementing conservation strategies and sustainable planning for the urban development of Morelia in the short term could allow fireflies and other vital elements of the city’s insect communities to persist for future generations. Restoration and conservation of green areas and nighttime environments are essential for biodiversity and human health, especially in intra-urban zones. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:50:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c64229ee63742ecabdb342ecdd888ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T22:50:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c64229ee63742ecabdb342ecdd888ea2023-12-16T15:05:15ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592023-12-0111e1662210.7717/peerj.16622Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoCisteil X. Pérez-Hernández0Ana María Gutiérrez Mancillas1Ek del-Val2Luis Mendoza-Cuenca3IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland, Gland, SwitzerlandUniversidad Autónoma de Occidente, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, MexicoInstituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoFaculty of Biology, Behavioral Ecology Laboratory, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoFireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) are a globally threatened group of insects due to habitat loss and fragmentation, light pollution, climate change and pesticides. However, against all odds, some firefly populations persist in urbanized environments where all four of these factors are present simultaneously. In this work, we compiled several data sources to document the diversity of fireflies in the urbanized area of Morelia, characterize their current habitats, and determine the main stressors affecting these bioluminescent insects. We found seven genera and 26 species of fireflies (19 nocturnal, seven diurnal) associated with 32 urban, peri-urban and extra-urban areas; at least, 14 are new records for Michoacán, and the list for the state now includes nine genera and 41 species. Five additional sites were documented as extinction sites. We compared the characteristics of these five sites with those of the sites with extant populations. We found that in Morelia, fireflies are mainly associated with areas that have high to moderate proportions of vegetation cover, are near water bodies, have very gentle to moderate slopes, and are exposed to low levels of light pollution. In contrast, the extinction sites showed high proportions of artificial surfaces and high levels of light pollution. Because some fireflies are considered bioindicators of ecosystem integrity as they are associated to specific habitats, are highly diverse and due to their sensitivity to environmental changes, we consider that sites from Morelia’s urban core and extinction sites show the highest levels of environmental degradation, threatening most fireflies and other insects living in the urban core with local extinction. At the same time, our results also suggest that implementing conservation strategies and sustainable planning for the urban development of Morelia in the short term could allow fireflies and other vital elements of the city’s insect communities to persist for future generations. Restoration and conservation of green areas and nighttime environments are essential for biodiversity and human health, especially in intra-urban zones.https://peerj.com/articles/16622.pdfUrbanizationLocal extinctionNocturnal insectsPeri-urbanizationLight pollutionUrban green areas |
| spellingShingle | Cisteil X. Pérez-Hernández Ana María Gutiérrez Mancillas Ek del-Val Luis Mendoza-Cuenca Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico PeerJ Urbanization Local extinction Nocturnal insects Peri-urbanization Light pollution Urban green areas |
| title | Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico |
| title_full | Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico |
| title_short | Living on the edge: urban fireflies (Coleoptera, Lampyridae) in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico |
| title_sort | living on the edge urban fireflies coleoptera lampyridae in morelia michoacan mexico |
| topic | Urbanization Local extinction Nocturnal insects Peri-urbanization Light pollution Urban green areas |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/16622.pdf |
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