Effects of Anthropogenic Activities on Selected Insect Species Orders (Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and Hemiptera) in Afuremo, Oye-Egbo and Faalex Areas of Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

The vast diversity of insects, comprising over one million described species, is significantly impacted by anthropogenic factors, which play a critical role in shaping their diversity and abundance in various environments, thereby influencing the complex range of shapes, sizes, colours, and behaviours that characterize these multicellular organisms. The objective of this paper is to assess the effects of anthropogenic activities on selected insect species orders (Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and Hemiptera) composition in Afuremo, Oye-Egbo, and Faalex areas in Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria using appropriate standard methods and a total of 1,167 insects belonging to 3 orders, 23 families, and 66 species were recorded. Hymenoptera was the most dominant order while Hemiptera was the least dominant order. Afuremo had the highest diversity and abundance while Oye- Egbo had the lowest diversity and abundance. The results showed significant differences in insect species composition among the three locations, with Faalex having the highest dominance (0.883) and Berger-Parker index (0.939), indicating a high level of species dominance. In contrast, Afuremo had the highest Shannon (0.736) and Evenness (0.696) indices, indicating a high level of species diversity and evenness. Oye-Egbo had the highest Margalef (0.338) and Fisher-alpha (0.446) indices, indicating a high level of species richness and diversity. The study showed that anthropogenic activities have devastating effects on insect biodiversity effects in the study locations. Further studies should focus on understanding the specific anthropogenic conditions that influence insect populations.