Open AccessArticle
Urban Pit-Building Insects Are Attracted to Walls for Multiple Reasons
by
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, , and
School of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 4 June 2021
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Revised: 22 June 2021
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Accepted: 3 July 2021
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Published: 8 July 2021
(This article belongs to the Section
Ecology)
Simple Summary
Wormlions are small fly larvae that dig pit-traps in loose soil to hunt ants and other prey. Their natural habitat is caves, but they are also abundant in Mediterranean cities below man-made shelters, even in thin layers of soil. They are especially common next to building walls. First, we show that wormlions are indeed closer to walls than expected by chance. Next, we tested several explanations for this observation: the possible effect of soil depth, soil particle size, shade, and prey abundance. We could not find a single explanation for the wormlion’s proximity to walls, and in each site, a different set of explanations held true. The final step was to conduct an experiment. We placed wormlions on clear sand either in the center or next to the wall and observed whether they moved after a day. Those placed in the center moved over longer distances, and we interpret this result to indicate that those adjacent to the wall are more satisfied with their location. Our study provides an example for how animals take advantage of human-made changes in the habitat and prosper in urban habitats.