The Joint Effects of Habitat Types and Surrounding Landscape Patterns on the Diversity of True Bugs in Southwest China.

Understanding the drivers of arthropod community diversity is essential for effective biodiversity conservation, particularly in human-dominated landscapes. True bugs (Hemiptera) are morphologically and ecologically diverse, differing in feeding strategy, specialization, and mobility, and thus occupy a wide range of habitats. We sampled true bugs using sweep nets across 257 plots in the Xishuangbanna Biodiversity Priority Area, Southwest China, including natural forests, planted forests, cultivated lands, and complex habitats comprising mosaics of these land-use types. We quantified morphological traits and assessed how habitat type and surrounding landscape structure at multiple spatial scales influence taxonomic and functional diversity. Species richness and abundance were lowest in cultivated lands, whereas functional diversity remained relatively consistent across habitats. Landscape composition and configuration significantly shaped community structure, with effects varying by habitat type and spatial scale. Overall, landscape heterogeneity promoted species richness and abundance, while connectivity and fragmentation showed contrasting effects depending on habitat context. Complex habitats and forests generally supported higher diversity under heterogeneous and well-connected landscapes. These results demonstrate that habitat characteristics and landscape structure jointly regulate true bug diversity, highlighting the need for habitat-specific landscape management that enhances heterogeneity and connectivity in natural and complex habitats while reducing isolation and simplification in human-modified systems.