Characterizing Oklahoma’s Dune Insect Communities with Comparison to the Surrounding Environment

Abstract

Oklahoma is host to several spatially distinct sand dune habitats found within multiple ecoregions across the state. However, the insect communities of these habitats remain largely unknown. The present study seeks to characterize these communities and asks if they are distinct from those found in the surrounding environment. In the summer of 2024, we sampled insects from habitats representing (i) dune-adjacent, (ii) stabilized sand-sheet, and (iii) non-dune habitats, targeting aculeate Hymenoptera and select Coleopteran families. We found that the overall communities of all target taxa, as well as the Hymenoptera communities, significantly differ across habitat types based primarily on species relative abundance, whereas the Coleoptera communities significantly differs based on species incidence (i.e., presence/absence). Differences were strongest between dune-adjacent and non-dune habitats while no significant differences were observed between sand-sheet habitats and either of the other two habitat types. We identified 3 species significantly associated with dune-adjacent habitats and 5 associated with both dune-adjacent and sand sheet habitats. Differences between these habitat types and presence of strongly associated sand specialist species indicate that despite large geographic distances this habitat type harbors a distinct insect community. Furthermore, we identified 5 species of conservation concern and 4 new state records collected exclusively from dune-adjacent and sand-sheet habitats. These data suggest that sand dunes and their associated habitats should be considered when assessing Oklahoma’s invertebrate conservation priorities.