Urban greening with shrubs can supercharge invertebrate abundance and diversity.
Functional diversity
Invertebrate abundance and richness
Mid-story vegetation
Urban ecosystems
Vegetation management
Young trees
Journal
Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
Titre abrégé: Sci Rep
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101563288
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024
Historique:
received:
16
09
2023
accepted:
04
04
2024
medline:
17
4
2024
pubmed:
17
4
2024
entrez:
16
4
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
In urban areas, diverse and complex habitats for biodiversity are often lacking. This lack of diversity not only compromises essential ecological processes, such as pollination and nutrient cycling, but also diminishes the resilience of urban ecosystems to pests and diseases. To enhance urban biodiversity, a possible solution is to integrate shrubs alongside trees, thereby increasing the overall amount of vegetation, structural complexity and the associated resource diversity. Here, using a common garden experiment involving a variety of trees and shrubs planted alone and in combination, we evaluate how canopy-associated invertebrate assemblages are influenced by vegetation type. In particular, we test whether the presence of shrubs, alone or with trees, results in increased abundance and taxonomic richness of invertebrates, compared to trees on their own. We found that the overall abundance of invertebrates, and that of specific functional groups (e.g., herbivores, pollinators, detritivores), was higher on shrubs, compared to trees, and when trees and shrubs were planted in combination (relative to trees on their own). Our results suggest that planting shrub and tree species with wide and dense crowns can increase the associated abundance and taxonomic and functional group richness of invertebrate communities. Overall, our findings indicate that urban planning would benefit from incorporating shrubs alongside urban trees to maximise invertebrate abundance, diversity and function in urban landscapes.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38627432
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58909-8
pii: 10.1038/s41598-024-58909-8
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
8735Subventions
Organisme : Hort Innovation
ID : GC15002
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
Références
Fenoglio, M. S., Rossetti, M. R., Videla, M. & Baselga, A. Negative effects of urbanization on terrestrial arthropod communities: A meta-analysis. Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 29, 1412–1429. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13107 (2020).
doi: 10.1111/geb.13107
Haines-Young, R. & Potschin, M. in Ecosystem Ecology (eds D. G. Raffaelli & L. J. Frid) Ch. 6, 110–139 (Cambridge University Press, 2010).
Gómez-Baggethun, E. et al. in Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment (eds T. Elmqvist et al.) 175–251 (Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 2013).
Threlfall, C. G. et al. The conservation value of urban green space habitats for Australian native bee communities. Biol. Conserv. 187, 240–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.05.003 (2015).
doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.05.003
Mata, L. et al. Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces. Ecol. Appl. 31, e02309. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2309 (2021).
doi: 10.1002/eap.2309
pubmed: 33605502
Baldock, K. C. et al. Where is the UK’s pollinator biodiversity? The importance of urban areas for flower-visiting insects. Proc. R. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 282, 20142849. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2849 (2015).
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2849
Del Toro, I., Ribbons, R. R. & Pelini, S. L. The little things that run the world revisited: A review of ant-mediated ecosystem services and disservices (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecol. News 17, 133–146 (2012).
van Lenteren, J. C., Bolckmans, K., Köhl, J., Ravensberg, W. J. & Urbaneja, A. Biological control using invertebrates and microorganisms: plenty of new opportunities. BioControl 63, 39–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-017-9801-4 (2017).
doi: 10.1007/s10526-017-9801-4
Eisenhauer, N. & Hines, J. Invertebrate biodiversity and conservation. Curr. Biol. 31, R1214–R1218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.058 (2021).
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.058
pubmed: 34637734
Seto, K. C., Guneralp, B. & Hutyra, L. R. Global forecasts of urban expansion to 2030 and direct impacts on biodiversity and carbon pools. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 109, 16083–16088. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1211658109 (2012).
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1211658109
pubmed: 22988086
pmcid: 3479537
Ives, C. D. et al. Cities are hotspots for threatened species. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 25, 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12404 (2016).
doi: 10.1111/geb.12404
Soanes, K. & Lentini, P. E. When cities are the last chance for saving species. Front. Ecol. Environ. 17, 225–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2032 (2019).
doi: 10.1002/fee.2032
Jim, C. Y. Urban soil characteristics and limitations for landscape planting in Hong Kong. Landscape Urban Plann. 40, 235–249 (1998).
doi: 10.1016/S0169-2046(97)00117-5
Aronson, M. F. J. et al. Biodiversity in the city: key challenges for urban green space management. Front. Ecol. Environ. 15, 189–196. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.1480 (2017).
doi: 10.1002/fee.1480
Le Roux, D. S. et al. Reduced availability of habitat structures in urban landscapes: Implications for policy and practice. Landsc. Urban Plann. 125, 57–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.015 (2014).
doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.015
McCoy, E. D. & Bell, S. S. in Habitat structure: the physical arrangement of objects in space (eds S.S. Bell, E.D. McCoy, & H.R. Mushinsky) 3–27 (Chapman & Hall, 1991).
Lassau, S. A., Hochuli, D. F., Cassis, G. & Reid, C. A. M. Effects of habitat complexity on forest beetle diversity: Do functional groups respond consistently?. Divers. Distrib. 11, 73–82 (2005).
doi: 10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00124.x
Galle, R., Urak, I., Nikolett, G. S. & Hartel, T. Sparse trees and shrubs confers a high biodiversity to pastures: Case study on spiders from Transylvania. PLoS One 12, e0183465. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183465 (2017).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183465
pubmed: 28886058
pmcid: 5590833
Raupp, M. J., Shrewsbury, P. M. & Herms, D. A. Ecology of herbivorous arthropods in urban landscapes. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 55, 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-112408-085351 (2010).
doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-112408-085351
pubmed: 19961321
Lequerica Tamara, M. E., Latty, T., Threlfall, C. G., Young, A. & Hochuli, D. F. Responses of hover fly diversity and abundance to urbanisation and local attributes of urban greenspaces. Basic Appl. Ecol. 70, 12–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2023.04.002 (2023).
Nooten, S. S. et al. What shapes plant and animal diversity on urban golf courses?. Urban Ecosyst. 21, 565–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-017-0728-4 (2018).
doi: 10.1007/s11252-017-0728-4
Threlfall, C. G. et al. Variation in vegetation structure and composition across urban green space types. Front. Ecol. Evol. 4, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2016.00066 (2016).
doi: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00066
Lepczyk, C. A. et al. Biodiversity in the city: Fundamental questions for understanding the ecology of urban green spaces for biodiversity conservation. Bioscience 67, 799–807. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix079 (2017).
doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix079
Gómez‐Aparicio, L., Gómez, J. M., Zamora, R. & Boettinger, J. L. Canopy vs. soil effects of shrubs facilitating tree seedlings in Mediterranean montane ecosystems. J. Veg. Sci. 16, 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2005.tb02355.x (2005).
Braschler, B. et al. Ground-dwelling invertebrate diversity in domestic gardens along a rural-urban gradient: Landscape characteristics are more important than garden characteristics. PLoS One 15, e0240061. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240061 (2020).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240061
pubmed: 33007013
pmcid: 7531831
Kotze, D. J. et al. Urban forest invertebrates: How they shape and respond to the urban environment. Urban Ecosyst. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-022-01240-9 (2022).
doi: 10.1007/s11252-022-01240-9
Angold, P. G. et al. Biodiversity in urban habitat patches. Sci. Total Environ. 360, 196–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.08.035 (2006).
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.08.035
pubmed: 16297440
Barratt, B. I. P. et al. Biodiversity of Coleoptera and other invertebrates in urban gardens: A case study in a New Zealand city. Insect Conserv. Divers. 8, 428–437. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12120 (2015).
doi: 10.1111/icad.12120
Uhey, D. A., Riskas, H. L., Smith, A. D. & Hofstetter, R. W. Ground-dwelling arthropods of pinyon-juniper woodlands: Arthropod community patterns are driven by climate and overall plant productivity, not host tree species. PLoS One 15, e0238219. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238219 (2020).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238219
pubmed: 32845929
pmcid: 7449382
Matteson, K. C. & Langellotto, G. A. Determinates of inner city butterfly and bee species richness. Urban Ecosyst. 13, 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-010-0122-y (2010).
doi: 10.1007/s11252-010-0122-y
Ossola, A., Nash, M. A., Christie, F. J., Hahs, A. K. & Livesley, S. J. Urban habitat complexity affects species richness but not environmental filtering of morphologically-diverse ants. PeerJ 3, e1356. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1356 (2015).
doi: 10.7717/peerj.1356
pubmed: 26528416
pmcid: 4627909
Peng, M. H., Hung, Y. C., Liu, K. L. & Neoh, K. B. Landscape configuration and habitat complexity shape arthropod assemblage in urban parks. Sci. Rep. 10, 16043. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73121-0 (2020).
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73121-0
pubmed: 32994537
pmcid: 7525568
Grimbacher, P. S. et al. Temporal variation in abundance of leaf litter beetles and ants in an Australian lowland tropical rainforest is driven by climate and litter fall. Biodivers. Conserv. 27, 2625–2640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-018-1558-2 (2018).
doi: 10.1007/s10531-018-1558-2
Zuliani, M., Ghazian, N. & Lortie, C. J. Shrub density effects on the community structure and composition of a desert animal community. Wildl. Biol. 1–13, 2021. https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00774 (2021).
doi: 10.2981/wlb.00774
Ulyshen, M. D. Arthropod vertical stratification in temperate deciduous forests: Implications for conservation-oriented management. For. Ecol. Manage. 261, 1479–1489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2011.01.033 (2011).
doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.01.033
Gotmark, F., Gotmark, E. & Jensen, A. M. Why be a shrub? A basic model and hypotheses for the adaptive values of a common growth form. Front. Plant Sci. 7, 1095. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01095 (2016).
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01095
pubmed: 27507981
pmcid: 4961008
Grof-Tisza, P., LoPresti, E., Heath, S. K. & Karban, R. Plant structural complexity and mechanical defenses mediate predator-prey interactions in an odonate-bird system. Ecol. Evol. 7, 1650–1659. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2705 (2017).
doi: 10.1002/ece3.2705
pubmed: 28261473
pmcid: 5330893
Smith, I. A., Dearborn, V. K. & Hutyra, L. R. Live fast, die young: Accelerated growth, mortality, and turnover in street trees. PLoS One 14, e0215846. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215846 (2019).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215846
pubmed: 31067257
pmcid: 6505744
Tews, J. et al. Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures. J. Biogeogr. 31, 79–92 (2004).
doi: 10.1046/j.0305-0270.2003.00994.x
Wardhaugh, C. W., Stork, N. E., Edwards, W. & Grimbacher, P. S. The overlooked biodiversity of flower-visiting invertebrates. PLoS One 7, e45796. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045796 (2012).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045796
pubmed: 23029246
pmcid: 3446946
Baldock, K. C. et al. A systems approach reveals urban pollinator hotspots and conservation opportunities. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 3, 363–373. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0769-y (2019).
doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0769-y
pubmed: 30643247
pmcid: 6445365
Popic, T. J., Davila, Y. C. & Wardle, G. M. Evaluation of common methods for sampling invertebrate pollinator assemblages: net sampling out-perform pan traps. PLoS One 8, e66665. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066665 (2013).
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066665
pubmed: 23799127
pmcid: 3684574
Theodorou, P. et al. Urban fragmentation leads to lower floral diversity, with knock-on impacts on bee biodiversity. Sci. Rep. 10, 21756. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78736-x (2020).
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78736-x
pubmed: 33303909
pmcid: 7730174
Jones, B. A. Planting urban trees to improve quality of life? The life satisfaction impacts of urban afforestation. Forest Policy Econ. 125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102408 (2021).
Pincetl, S., Gillespie, T., Pataki, D. E., Saatchi, S. & Saphores, J.-D. Urban tree planting programs, function or fashion? Los Angeles and urban tree planting campaigns. GeoJournal 78, 475–493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-012-9446-x (2013).
doi: 10.1007/s10708-012-9446-x
Holl, K. D. & Brancalion, P. H. S. Tree planting is not a simple solution. Science 368, 580–581. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba8232 (2020).
doi: 10.1126/science.aba8232
pubmed: 32381704
Riley, C. B., Herms, D. A. & Gardiner, M. M. Exotic trees contribute to urban forest diversity and ecosystem services in inner-city Cleveland. OH. Urban For. Urban Green. 29, 367–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.01.004 (2018).
doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2017.01.004
dos Santos, A. R., da Rocha, C. F. D. & Bergallo, H. G. Native and exotic species in the urban landscape of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Density, richness, and arboreal deficit. Urban Ecosyst. 13, 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-009-0113-z (2009).
doi: 10.1007/s11252-009-0113-z
Samways, M. J., M., C. P. & Osborn Rae. Ground-living invertebrate assemblages in native, planted and invasive vegetation in South Africa. Ecosyst. Environ. 59, 19–32 (1996).
Burghardt, K. T., Tallamy, D. W. & Gregory Shriver, W. Impact of native plants on bird and butterfly biodiversity in suburban landscapes. Conserv. Biol. 23, 219–224, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01076.x (2009).
Salisbury, A. et al. Enhancing gardens as habitats for plant-associated invertebrates: Should we plant native or exotic species?. Biodivers. Conserv. 26, 2657–2673. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1377-x (2017).
doi: 10.1007/s10531-017-1377-x
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Climate statistics for Australian locations, http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=067021&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=statistics_summary&normals_years=1961-1990&tablesizebutt=normal (2021).
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Greater Sydney in summer 2019–20: warm, but wetter than average after a dry start, http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/nsw/archive/202002.sydney.shtml (2020).
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Daily maximum temperature; Richmond RAAF, http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=122&p_display_type=dailyDataFile&p_startYear=2020&p_c=-900621412&p_stn_num=067105 (2022).
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Greater Sydney in summer 2020–21: cooler than recent years, http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/season/nsw/archive/202102.sydney.shtml (2021).
Atlas of Living Australia. ALA for researchers, https://www.ala.org.au/ala-for-researchers/ (2024).
Belbin, L., Wallis, E., Hobern, D. & Zerger, A. The Atlas of Living Australia: History, current state and future directions. Biodivers Data J. 9, e65023. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e65023 (2021).
doi: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e65023
pubmed: 33935559
pmcid: 8081701
Esperon-Rodriguez, M. et al. Assessing the vulnerability of Australia’s urban forests to climate extremes. Plants, People, Planet 00, 1–11 (2019).
AS 2303:2018. Tree stock for landscape use. (Standards Australia, 2018).
Triplehorn, C. A., Johnson, N. F. & Borror, D. J. Borror and DeLong’s Introduction to the Study of Insects (Thompson Brooks/Cole, 2005).
Franceschi, E. et al. Crown shapes of urban trees-their dependences on tree species, tree age and local environment, and effects on ecosystem services. Forests 13, 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050748 (2022).
doi: 10.3390/f13050748
Li, Y., Kröber, W., Bruelheide, H., Härdtle, W. & von Oheimb, G. Crown and leaf traits as predictors of subtropical tree sapling growth rates. J. Plant. Ecol. 10, 136–145. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtw041 (2017).
doi: 10.1093/jpe/rtw041
Oksanen, J. et al. Vegan: community ecology package (version 2.5–6). The Comprehensive R Archive Network (2019).
Ripley, B. et al. Package ‘mass.’ CRAN Repos. Httpcran R‐Proj. OrgwebpackagesMASSMASS Pdf . (2013).
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B. & Walker, S. Fitting linear mixed-effects models using ime4. J. Stat. Softw. 67, 1–48. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01 (2015).
doi: 10.18637/jss.v067.i01
Hothorn, T., Bretz, F. & Westfall, P. Simultaneous inference in general parametric models. Biom. J. 50, 346–363 (2008).
doi: 10.1002/bimj.200810425
pubmed: 18481363
R Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, http://www.r-project.org , 2021).