Variation in local communities of insect pollinators in different land-use types in Northeastern Thailand

Variations in land-use types reflect different levels of human activity, which can affect local biodiversity. We examined how land-use types influenced the composition of local insect communities. We analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of four key pollinating insect groups: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera (CDHL) across four land-use types: agricultural land, abandoned land, urban area, and a forest patch in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand, over three seasons. The forest patch supported the highest diversity and species richness of CDHL, whereas the abandoned land supported the highest insect abundance. Species turnover was more pronounced between land-use types than seasons and the urban area had the highest seasonal variation. Lepidoptera were the most abundant group in both space and time, contributing to 76% of all CDHL records. Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera comprised 15.75%, 5.74% and 2.52% of the records, respectively. Apis florea was the most abundant bee, but A. cerana and A. dorsata showed considerably low numbers. Diversity and abundance of ground flowers were significantly correlated with insect abundance. Air temperature, humidity, and species richness of trees appeared to affect the overall abundance and distribution at the family level of CDHL. Implications for insect conservation The data provide a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of pollinator communities in human-dominated landscapes. The results suggest a negative effect of urbanization on pollinating insect communities and highlight the importance of conserving both natural and human-modified green mosaics that maintain ecological connectivity across landscape matrices.