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Zhang M, Fan S, Li X, Li Y, Li K, Xu Y, Dong L. Supporting function of vegetation in urban riparian ecological corridors for ground-dwelling faunal diversity in Beijing, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171150. [PMID: 38395166 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Rapid global urbanization has resulted in increased biodiversity problems, particularly the loss of ground-dwelling fauna in urban areas. Urban riparian corridors are an important green infrastructure for biodiversity conservation, in which urban vegetation plays an essential role. The influence of urban vegetation on ground-dwelling faunal diversity is poorly understood. In this study, we used camera traps to collect the species, functional and phylogenetic diversity of ground-dwelling fauna in the Wenyu River-North Canal riparian corridor in Beijing, and analyzed the effects of the vegetation structure and plant community composition on the diversity and community composition of ground-dwelling animals. A plant-ground dwelling animal interaction network was also built to investigate the food supply of plants for ground-nesting animals. We found that at the vegetation structure level, the high connectivity within a radius of 2000 m and the homogeneous distribution within a radius of 1000 m of vegetation patches had generally positive effects on ground-dwelling animals, and shrublands exhibited a supportive role for mammals in riparian corridors. At the plant community level, tall herbs were instrumental in increasing the willingness of ground-dwelling animals to stay in and pass through the area. Native plants were the main plant food resource for ground-dwelling animals. Given the significant effects of vegetation on ground-dwelling fauna, we advocate that habitat conservation and food supply for ground-dwelling animals be supported through appropriate plant landscape planning and design strategies in ecological corridors in urban areas in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Zhang
- College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Laboratory of Beijing Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing, China; National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing, China.
| | - Shuxin Fan
- College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Laboratory of Beijing Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing, China; National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaolu Li
- College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Laboratory of Beijing Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing, China; National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing, China.
| | - Yitong Li
- College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Laboratory of Beijing Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing, China; National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Li
- College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
| | - Yiding Xu
- Landscape Architecture and Landscape Research Branch, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Li Dong
- College of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China; Laboratory of Beijing Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing, China; National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing, China.
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Breitbart ST, Agrawal AA, Wagner HH, Johnson MTJ. Urbanization and a green corridor do not impact genetic divergence in common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.). Sci Rep 2023; 13:20437. [PMID: 37993590 PMCID: PMC10665382 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47524-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is altering landscapes globally at an unprecedented rate. While ecological differences between urban and rural environments often promote phenotypic divergence among populations, it is unclear to what degree these trait differences arise from genetic divergence as opposed to phenotypic plasticity. Furthermore, little is known about how specific landscape elements, such as green corridors, impact genetic divergence in urban environments. We tested the hypotheses that: (1) urbanization, and (2) proximity to an urban green corridor influence genetic divergence in common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) populations for phenotypic traits. Using seeds from 52 populations along three urban-to-rural subtransects in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, one of which followed a green corridor, we grew ~ 1000 plants in a common garden setup and measured > 20 ecologically-important traits associated with plant defense/damage, reproduction, and growth over four years. We found significant heritable variation for nine traits within common milkweed populations and weak phenotypic divergence among populations. However, neither urbanization nor an urban green corridor influenced genetic divergence in individual traits or multivariate phenotype. These findings contrast with the expanding literature demonstrating that urbanization promotes rapid evolutionary change and offer preliminary insights into the eco-evolutionary role of green corridors in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie T Breitbart
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada.
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
- Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
| | - Anurag A Agrawal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E145 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, 2126 Comstock Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Helene H Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
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Shiri K, Mlambo D, Mutungwazi L. Effects of road and woodland type on the invasibility of woodlands invaded by Lantana camara in southern Africa. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2023.103912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
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Bastos JR, Capellesso ES, Vibrans AC, C. M. Marques M. Human impacts, habitat quantity and quality affect the dimensions of diversity and carbon stocks in subtropical forests: a landscape-based approach. J Nat Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
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He S, Xiong K, Song S, Chi Y, Fang J, He C. Research Progress of Grassland Ecosystem Structure and Stability and Inspiration for Improving Its Service Capacity in the Karst Desertification Control. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:770. [PMID: 36840118 PMCID: PMC9959505 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The structure and stability of grassland ecosystems have a significant impact on biodiversity, material cycling and productivity for ecosystem services. However, the issue of the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems has not been systematically reviewed. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we used the systematic-review method and screened 133 papers to describe and analyze the frontiers of research into the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems. The research results showed that: (1) The number of articles about the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems is gradually increasing, and the research themes are becoming increasingly diverse. (2) There is a high degree of consistency between the study area and the spatial distribution of grassland. (3) Based on the changes in ecosystem patterns and their interrelationships with ecosystem processes, we reviewed the research progress and landmark results on the structure, stability, structure-stability relationship and their influencing factors of grassland ecosystems; among them, the study of structure is the main research focus (51.12%), followed by the study of the influencing factors of structure and stability (37.57%). (4) Key scientific questions on structural optimization, stability enhancement and harmonizing the relationship between structure and stability are explored. (5) Based on the background of karst desertification control (KDC) and its geographical characteristics, three insights are proposed to optimize the spatial allocation, enhance the stability of grassland for rocky desertification control and coordinate the regulation mechanism of grassland structure and stability. This study provided some references for grassland managers and relevant policy makers to optimize the structure and enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems. It also provided important insights to enhance the service capacity of grassland ecosystems in KDC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Kangning Xiong
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Shuzhen Song
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Yongkuan Chi
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Jinzhong Fang
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Chen He
- School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
- State Engineering Technology Institute for Karst Desertification Control of China, 116 Baoshan North Road, Guiyang 550001, China
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Deeley B, Petrovskaya N. Propagation of invasive plant species in the presence of a road. J Theor Biol 2022; 548:111196. [PMID: 35716722 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Invasive plant species pose a significant threat to biodiversity and the economy, yet their management is often resource-intensive and expensive, and further research is required to make control measures more efficient. Evidence suggests that roads can have an important effect on the spread of invasive plant species, although little is known about the underlying mechanisms at play. We have developed a novel mathematical model to analyse the impact of roads on the propagation of invasive plants. The integro-difference equation model is formulated for stage-structured population and incorporates a road sub-domain in the spatial domain. The results of our study reveal, that, depending on the definition of the growth function in the model, there are three distinct types of behaviour in front of the road. Roads can act as barriers to invasion, lead to a formation of a beachhead in front of the road, or act as corridors allowing the invasive species to invade the domain in front of the road. Analytical and computational findings on how roads can impact the spread of invasive species show that a small change in conditions of the environment favouring the invasive species can change the case for the road, allowing the invasive species to invade the domain in front of the road where it previously could not spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradly Deeley
- School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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