Monitoring of arthropod bioindicators in urban areas: objectives, experiences, and perspectives

Abstract

Bioindicators have proven to be very useful tools for evaluating the state of disturbance or maturity of ecosystems, as well as for monitoring and detecting changes in the environment. Considering a series of criteria that justify the quality of the bioindicator groups, various arthropod taxa could be considered optimal. There are several studies that use arthropods as bioindicators, especially in urban areas. We present some monitoring experiences carried out in the last ten years by the UCM Biodiversity Monitoring Group at the Moncloa Campus, a peri-urban area located in the northwest of the city of Madrid, related to the monitoring of populations of arthropods (butterflies, ants, and dragonflies). Finally, some recommendations and future perspectives for the use of arthropods as bioindicators in urban areas are summarized