Urbanization increases fluctuating asymmetry and affects behavioral traits of a common grasshopper

Abstract

Urbanization has a major impact on biodiversity. For many organisms, the urbanization process means environmental stress caused by fragmentation and increased temperatures in cities and atmospheric, soil, light, and noise pollution. Such environmental stress can influence both the morphology and behavior of animals. Hence, individuals might be selected for survival-facilitating traits under high pressures in urban areas. The specific impact of urbanization on insect behavior is still largely unexplored. We studied the impact of urbanization on one of the most common grasshopper species in Germany, Chorthippus biguttulus, by comparing morphological and behavioral traits of individuals sampled from grasslands with low, medium, and high urbanization levels. We first investigated whether urbanization as a stressor affected body size and fluctuating asymmetry in the locomotor organs. Next, we examined whether urbanization induced changes in the individuals' boldness and activity. Our results showed that fluctuating asymmetry of grasshoppers' locomotory organs increased more than twofold with urbanization level. Further, individuals' boldness and walking activity increased from areas with low to high urbanization levels. Our results indicate strong responses of grasshoppers in terms of morphology and behavior to the urban environment. To compensate for urbanization effects on arthropod populations, management strategies need to be developed that maintain ecological processes and reduce environmental stress in urban areas.