| 1. |
- Aguilera, Guillermo, et al.
(författare)
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Intensive management reduces butterfly diversity over time in urban green spaces
- 2019
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 22:2, s. 335-344
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Loss and fragmentation of semi-natural grasslands have had negative consequences for grassland biodiversity, such as butterflies. Urban parks and other urban green spaces have so far largely been overlooked as suitable butterfly habitats, although they could potentially sustain diverse butterfly populations over time. We analysed the temporal change in butterfly species assemblages in urban green spaces in the city of Malmö, Southern Sweden. We studied changes in species richness and abundance of butterflies between 2006 and 2015 in 20 public urban green spaces, characterized by different management regimes. We sampled butterflies in traditional parks with intense grass cutting regimes, in semi-natural grasslands mowed only a few times per year, and in un-managed or irregularly managed ruderal sites. We found a slight increase in the total number of butterfly species in the study area, but a general decline in local species numbers in urban green spaces. Traditional urban parks had the greatest loss of species over time, and altogether the lowest number of species. In contrast, semi-natural parks and ruderal sites had higher numbers of butterfly species and also lost fewer species over time. Our study shows that intensive management strategies in urban green spaces have a negative impact on butterfly assemblages over time. We suggest that less intensive management strategies can be used to create high-quality areas for flower-visiting insects in urban green spaces, possibly in combination with planting larval host plant species, depending on the park type and design.
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| 2. |
- Blicharska, Malgorzata, 1979-, et al.
(författare)
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Is there a relationship between socio-economic factors and biodiversity in urban ponds? : A study in the city of Stockholm
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20:6, s. 1209-1220
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban small water bodies, such as ponds, are essential elements of human socio-economic landscapes. Ponds also provide important habitats for species that would otherwise not survive in the urban environment. Knowledge on the biodiversity of urban ponds and the relationship between their ecological value and factors linked to urbanization and socio-economic status is crucial for decisions on where and how to establish and manage ponds in cities to deliver maximum biodiversity benefits. Our study investigates if the pattern of urban-pond biodiversity can be related to different socio-economic factors, such as level of wealth, education or percentage of buildings of different types. Because of lack of previous studies investigating that, our study is of exploratory character and many different variables are used. We found that the biodiversity of aquatic insects was significantly negatively associated with urbanisation variables such as amount of buildings and number of residents living around ponds. This relationship did not differ depending on the spatial scale of our investigation. In contrast, we did not find a significant relationship with variables representing socio-economic status, such as education level and wealth of people. This latter result suggests that the socio-economic status of residents does not lead to any particular effect in terms of the management and function of ponds that would affect biodiversity. However, there is a need for a finer-scale investigation of the different potential mechanism in which residents in areas with differing socio-economic status could indirectly influence ponds.
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| 3. |
- Busse Nielsen, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Spatial configurations of urban forest in different landscape and socio-political contexts: identifying patterns for green infrastructure planning
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20, s. 379-392
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract Rapid urbanisation and climate change have motivated the development of urban green infrastructure (UGI) as a planning strategy to support the wellbeing of urban people and ecosystems while parallel adapting cities to climate change. Forest (tree-covered areas >0.5 ha) is a key UGI component that afford a wider range of ecosystem services and mitigate urban heat islands more effectively than non-wooded green spaces. However, understanding of spatial configurations (variation in patch size and frequency) of forests across the gradient of urbanisation and between cities is limited to case studies. This represents a considerable knowledge gap for identification of general patterns that can inform integration of forest resources in UGI planning that have value beyond the individual city level. In this study we used Geographic Information Systems to explore the spatial configuration of forests across cities located within landscapes characterised by different levels of anthropogenic modification (degree of forest cover) and socio-political contexts, i.e. all Danish and Swedish cities >10,000 inhabitants (n = 176). We applied general linear modelling to investigate the relationship between forest cover, patch size and frequency with 1) regional landscape type, 2) demographic trends 1960-2010, and 3) the gradient of urbanisation (measured in three zones: urban core (0.2 km from city boundary), urban fringe (0.2-2 km), and urban periphery (2-5 km)). Regardless of demographic trends, forest cover was lowest in cities settled in large-scale agricultural regions, higher in regions with mosaics of forest and farming, and highest in forest-dominated regions. However, in all cities forest cover was lowest in the urban zone and peaked on the urban fringe rather than on the urban periphery. Furthermore, pocket woods (0.5-2 ha) accounted for over 50 % of patches in all three urban zones, irrespective of regional landscape type. We conclude by discussing how these general patterns could inform strategies for integration of urban forests in UGI planning.
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| 4. |
- Busse Nielsen, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Species richness in urban parks and its drivers: A review of empirical evidence
- 2014
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 17, s. 305-327
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is growing recognition of urban areas as hosts for innovative ways to conserve and promote biodiversity. Parks, as one specific type of urban green space, constitute particularly important biodiversity hotspots in the cityscape. We reviewed empirical findings on the species richness in urban parks across all species groups that have been studied. The aim was to assess and discuss the overall species richness of urban parks, its community attributes and drivers. Search and subsequent selection process resulted in 62 papers from 25 different countries. For all examined species groups, the findings consistently show that parks are among the most species rich types of urban green spaces, but also that exotics constitute large shares, especially of plant species. Key ecological theories like the gradient approach and the island habitat ecological theory, and fundamental ecological relationships such as the species-area relationship are valid despite the manipulated 'nature' of parks and the surrounding urban matrix. Most studies surveyed large number of parks and applied 'multi-scale' approaches in tests of confounding variables, providing methodological strength. While matrix effects are consistently found to affect species richness negatively, the diversity of habitats and microhabitat heterogeneity contained in urban parks appears as the most decisive factor for the overall species richness. However, a constraint of research to date is the limitation of individual studies to one or a few species groups, rarely bridging between flora and fauna. Adopting 'multi-species group' approaches in future research is needed to further advance the understanding of the overall biodiversity of urban parks, and its drivers.
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| 5. |
- De Pauw, Karen, et al.
(författare)
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The urban heat island accelerates litter decomposition through microclimatic warming in temperate urban forests
- 2024
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Forests worldwide are experiencing fragmentation, with especially important consequences for ecosystems bordering urbanized areas. Urban forests are exposed to local warming due to the urban heat island which affects their biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. A key ecosystem function affecting carbon and nutrient cycling in forests is litter decomposition, a process driven by the local microclimate. Thus, our aim was to clarify the impact of the urban heat island on litter decomposition in urban forests. We studied soil microclimate and litter decomposition in six urban forests across Europe and along local gradients from the urban forest edge to the interior. To quantify decomposition independent from local forest composition and litter quality, we used standardized green tea and rooibos tea litterbags. We determined the role of the soil microclimate and other environmental drivers for litter decomposition. Secondly, we assessed effects of edge proximity and landscape context on the soil microclimate. Soil characteristics were only driving green tea and not rooibos tea decomposition. On the contrary, higher soil temperatures resulted in faster rates of litter decomposition for both green and rooibos tea and were related to the proximity to the forest edge and the proportion of built-up area in the landscape. Via structural equation modelling we detected cascading effects of the urban heat island on litter decomposition. Such changes in litter decomposition have the potential to alter the soil food web, nutrient cycling and carbon drawdown in urban forests, and could result in significant interactions between urbanisation and ongoing climate change.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Gunnarsson, Bengt, 1954, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of biodiversity and environment-related attitude on perception of urban green space
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20:1, s. 37-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Green space in cities contributes to the quality of life for city dwellers, e.g., by increasing the opportunity for recreation. However, perception of urban green space is influenced by multiple factors. We investigated effects of biodiversity and environment-related attitudes on visual and auditory perceptions of urban green space. Field measurements of biodiversity were conducted in six sites across an urban gradient in Gothenburg, Sweden, and three categories of biodiversity—high, medium, low—were established. Households were sent a survey on aesthetic perception of urban green space, sound perception and the importance of trees and plants for the perception of bird species. Each respondent focused on the site that was located nearby. The environment-related attitudes comprised “Nature-oriented” and “Urban-oriented” persons and were based on participants’ own attitude estimations. It was shown that participants’ “subjective” aesthetic and sound-related perception of urban greenery were in line with the “objectively” measured subdivisions of high, medium and low biodiversity. So also were their estimations of the importance of trees and plants for perception of bird species in urban greenery, although differing only between high and medium/low biodiversity conditions. Persons rating themselves as highly nature-oriented were shown to give higher scores to urban green space aesthetics and to value greenery-related sounds higher, and to attach greater importance to trees and plants in their perception of bird species in urban greenery, than less nature-oriented persons. Highly urban-oriented persons compared to less urban-oriented persons did the same, but only regarding urban greenery-related aesthetics and sounds of nature. We conclude that environment-related attitudes influence perceptions of green space. Moreover, our findings support the idea that biodiversity per se also influences perceptions; people value green space significantly more with high than with low measured biodiversity. Urban planning needs to provide city inhabitants with green spaces that are species-rich, lush, varied and rich with natural sounds.
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| 8. |
- Haaland, Christine
(författare)
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Bumblebees and butterflies in green structure elements in Malmo, Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 26, s. 1559–1572-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Within the BiodiverCity project in Malmo (Sweden), green structure elements were implemented aiming to support biodiversity and enhancing amenity in denser parts of the city. In this study, bumblebee and butterfly abundances and species richness were studied in 20 green structure elements in three areas in Malmo. The investigated green structure elements consisted of objects established within the BiodiverCity project and other green structure elements in their surroundings (e.g. road verges, lawns and flowerbeds). Observed bumblebee and butterfly abundances and species richness was generally low. In total, 528 bumblebees of eight species were recorded, with 97% of all bumblebees belonging to two species, Bombus lapidarius and B. terrestris/lucorum. A total of 154 butterflies from 10 species were detected, most commonly Pieris species. There were no significant differences in mean individual or species numbers (bumblebees and butterflies) between green structure elements designed to support biodiversity and conventional ones. Bumblebee species richness and abundance were positively correlated with mean cover of flowering vegetation and mean number of flowering plant species. Butterfly species richness and abundance were positively correlated with mean number of flowering plant species and size of the green structure. Observations of flower visits showed that the two groups of insects had different preferences. The results of this study show that enhancing bumblebee and butterfly diversity and abundances in densely built city areas can be challenging. To support bumblebees and butterflies more successfully, the habitat requirements of these insect groups need to be better considered from the beginning in the design of green structure elements.
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| 9. |
- Hedblom, Marcus, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of urban matrix on reproductive performance of Great Tit (Parus major) in urban woodlands
- 2012
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 15, s. 167-180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract In urban areas the density of breeding tits (Paridae) is generally higher and reproductive performance lower compared to rural areas. To explain these landscape differences several hypotheses have been proposed, e.g. differences in habitat quality, interand intra-specific competition, predation and food abundance. How breeding performance of birds within remnants of natural vegetation in urban areas is affected by adjacent matrix has been less studied. We performed an experimental study in four urban woodlands surrounded by three types of habitat matrix: residential, high-rise building and grassland/ golf course. We placed 300 nest boxes for tits (great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus) in 15 transects that were 200 m long, extending from the adjacent matrix 150 m into urban woodland. Density of breeding great tit pairs was highest in residential areas and hatch date was earlier in the residential habitat compared to the other two habitats, however, nestling condition was lower in residential areas. Hatching date was earlier but hatching spread (heaviest nestling/lightest nestling) higher in the three types of urban matrix than inside the urban woodlands. In contrast to previous large-scale comparisons of urban and rural matrix, we almost exclusively found differences in qualitative measures (nestling condition and hatchling spread) at the small scale in which this study was conducted. Adjacent matrix affect great tits breeding in remnant urban woodlands, thus we suggest that management of the surrounding matrix should be included in conservation plans for urban woodlands
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Khalil, Hussein
(författare)
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Basic urban services fail to neutralise environmental determinants of 'rattiness', a composite metric of rat abundance
- 2024
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 27, s. 757–771-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Globally, low-income urban communities suffer from poor provision of services and degraded environments, favouring opportunistic zoonotic reservoirs, such as rats. Large-scale infrastructural improvements in these contexts are limited, but targeted control of disease reservoirs has sometimes been achieved. A starting point for the targeted control of rats is assessing the impact of existing basic services on rat abundance. However, there is no gold-standard metric for rat abundance, and studies have used different or multiple metrics. Here, therefore, in four low-income urban Brazilian communities, we address the question of whether basic urban services (BUS) - trash collection, rodenticide application and health community agent visits - affect rat abundance, through the first application of the rattiness modelling framework. This recently-developed geostatistical method combines multiple abundance metrics (here, three) to generate rattiness, a proxy for rat abundance, a spatially-continuous latent process common to all metrics. In a cross-sectional study, we exploited spatial heterogeneities in BUS to evaluate its association with the presence of rat signs, rat marks on track plates, and live-trapped rats, and with rattiness, which combined these three imperfect metrics. Rattiness proved to be a useful tool for pooling information among the three metrics and was associated with a greater range of baseline predictors than any single metric. Rat signs and rattiness were positively associated with higher levels of BUS provision and environmental variables known to provide resources for rats. The strong association of baseline environmental variables with rat abundance highlights the need for targeted, small-scale environmental modifications to reduce resources for rats.
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| 12. |
- Khalil, Hussein
(författare)
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Demographic drivers of Norway rat populations from urban slums in Brazil
- 2021
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 24, s. 801-809
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Norway rat is a globally distributed pest, known for its resilience to eradication and control programs. Efficient population control, especially in urban settings, is dependent on knowledge of rat demography and population ecology. We analyzed the relationship between four demographic outcomes, estimated by live-trapping data, and fine-scale environmental features measured at the capture site. Wounds, a proxy for agonistic interactions, were associated with mature individuals. Areas with environmental features favorable to rats, such as open sewers and unpaved earth, were associated with more mature individuals with a better body condition index. The control measures (environmental stressors) are likely to be disrupting the social structure of rat colonies, increasing the frequency and distribution of agonistic interactions, which were common in both sexes and maturity states. The relationship between the favorable environmental conditions and the demographic markers analyzed indicate possible targets for infestation control through environmental manipulation, and could be incorporated into current pest management programs to achieve long-term success. Our study indicate that urban interventions focused on removal of potential resources for rats could be potential long-term solutions by reducing the carrying capacity of the environment.
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| 13. |
- Konijnendijk, Cecil
(författare)
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The influence of small urban parks characteristics on bird diversity: A case study of Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20, s. 227-243
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The capacity of small urban park to serve as urban habitats are rarely explored. This study analyses the characteristics of small urban parks and their potential to support urban biodiversity and ecological functions. Nine small urban parks were studied in Malaysia in August and September 2014 using the combined field survey method of structured observation and field measurements. The measured variables were divided into three broad categories of physical characteristics, species richness and human factors. Bird species richness and abundance were used as the indicators for assessing biodiversity. Pearson correlations and multiple regressions were conducted to analyse the relationships between variables and to identify which variables had a significant effect on bird species richness and abundance. The results demonstrated that park area and vegetation variables (e.g. the percentage of tree canopy cover, open grass/ground, native-exotic plants) are the important predictors of bird species richness and abundance. The percentage of canopy covers (negative relation) and park area (positive relation) are the best predictors of bird species richness in small urban parks. Meanwhile, the best predictors for bird abundance are the percentage of canopy covers (negative relation) and native vegetation species (positive relation). Human activities and park surroundings have a marginal effect on the presence of bird species in small parks. Based on the findings, we provide two general recommendations that could probably increase bird diversity in small urban parks: (1) the park development and management plan should incorporate a social-ecological approach that can benefit both city-dwellers and bird species, and (2) findings from the study should be used to rethink the planting design and composition of especially newly established small urban parks.
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| 14. |
- Kuussaari, Mikko, et al.
(författare)
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Butterfly species’ responses to urbanization : differing effects of human population density and built-up area
- 2021
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 24:3, s. 515-527
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Good knowledge on how increasing urbanization affects biodiversity is essential in order to preserve biodiversity in urban green spaces. We examined how urban development affects species richness and total abundance of butterflies as well as the occurrence and abundance of individual species within the Helsinki metropolitan area in Northern Europe. Repeated butterfly counts in 167 separate 1-km-long transects within Helsinki covered the entire urbanization gradient, quantified by human population density and the proportion of built-up area (within a 50-m buffer surrounding each butterfly transect). We found consistently negative effects of both human population density and built-up area on all studied butterfly variables, though butterflies responded markedly more negatively to increasing human population density than to built-up area. Responses in butterfly species richness and total abundance showed higher variability in relation to proportion of built-up area than to human density, especially in areas of high human density. Increasing human density negatively affected both the abundance and the occurrence of 47% of the 19 most abundant species, whereas, for the proportion of built-up area, the corresponding percentages were 32% and 32%, respectively. Species with high habitat specificity and low mobility showed higher sensitivity to urbanization (especially high human population density) than habitat generalists and mobile species that dominated the urban butterfly communities. Our results suggest that human population density provides a better indicator of urbanization effects on butterflies compared to the proportion of built-up area. The generality of this finding should be verified in other contexts and taxonomic groups.
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| 15. |
- Lehvävirta, Susanna
(författare)
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Vegetated roofs in boreal climate support mobile open habitat arthropods, with differentiation between meadow and succulent roofs
- 2020
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 23, s. 1239-1252
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vegetated roofs are hoped to benefit urban wildlife, yet there are few empirical results regarding the conservation potential of such roofs. In this paper, we focus on arthropods on vegetated roofs. We vacuum sampled 17 succulent, meadow or succulent-meadow roofs, in Helsinki, Finland, and used order to species level information together with trait data to describe the communities. We evaluated the importance of biophysical roof characteristics on shaping arthropod assemblages to provide information concerning roof designs that promote rich arthropod fauna. Arthropod communities differed between the three roof types and the influence of roof variables varied between and within arthropod orders. The main local drivers of arthropod abundance across the individually analysed taxa were roof height and vegetation, with mainly positive effects of height (up to 11 m) and litter cover, and mainly negative effects of grass cover. Based on trait data from true bugs, spiders and ants, the roofs consisted mainly of common dispersive species that are generalist feeders and associated with dry open habitats or have wide habitat tolerance. We found one true bug species new to the country and assume that it arrived with imported vegetation. Based on these findings, vegetated roofs of varying height and size benefit common generalists and fauna of open dry habitats, but seem to lack rare native specialists and may introduce non-natives if imported plant material is used. Because the responses to vegetation characteristics are taxon-specific, high diversity of roof vegetation types would benefit arthropod conservation.
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| 16. |
- Lindberg, Fredrik, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Nature of vegetation and building morphology characteristics across a city: Influence on shadow patterns and mean radiant temperatures in London
- 2011
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 14:4, s. 617-634
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vegetation and building morphology characteristics are investigated at 19 sites on a north-south LiDAR transect across the megacity of London. Local maxima of mean building height and building plan area density at the city centre are evident. Surprisingly, the mean vegetation height (zv3) is also found to be highest in the city centre. From the LiDAR data various morphological parameters are derived as well as shadow patterns. Continuous images of the effects of buildings and of buildings plus vegetation on sky view factor (SVF) are derived. A general reduction of SVF is found, indicating the importance of including vegetation when deriving SVF in urban areas. The contribution of vegetation to the shadowing at ground level is higher during summer than in autumn. Using these 3D data the influence on urban climate and mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) is calculated with SOLWEIG. The results from these simulations highlight that vegetation can be most effective at reducing heat stress within dense urban environments in summer. The daytime average Tmrt is found to be lowest in the densest urban environments due to shadowing, foremost from buildings but also from trees. It is clearly shown that this method could be used to quantify the influence of vegetation on Tmrt within the urban environment. The results presented in this paper highlight a number of possible climate sensitive planning practices for urban areas at the local scale (i.e. 102- 5×10^3 m).
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| 17. |
- Lindberg, Fredrik, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Observations and modelling of mosquito prevalence within urban areas – A case study from Uppsala, Sweden
- 2024
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban green–blue infrastructure (GBI) can provide important benefits to urban residents but may also affect mosquito abundance, with associated negative nuisance and infection transmission impacts. This study addresses important knowledge and quantification gaps for the relationships between mosquito prevalence and GBI features within cities. This is done for the city of Uppsala in Sweden as an urban case example, where mosquitos were captured and ambient air temperature and humidity were observed at seven different locations in the summer of 2022. A weighted multi-critera analysis (WMCA) model was developed based on relevant open data and open tools for resolving the mosquito (Culex pipiens) variations based on geographical variables, such as land cover/use, leaf area index, and building and green (vegetation) area fractions, within the city. The results show a clear relationship between mosquito prevalence and green-area fraction (of grass and trees), indicating that urban GBI extension can enhance mosquito prevalence, with possible associated negative impacts. This relationship is supported directly by data, showing significantly higher mosquito prevalence with higher ambient humidity, which in turn is related to larger green-area fraction. The developed WMCA model emerges as a promising tool, e.g., for urban development planning that needs to account for and seek relevant trade-off balances between positive and negative effects of urban GBI changes.
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| 18. |
- Mak, Chunglim, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainable drainage system site assessment method using urban ecosystem services
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20:2, s. 293-307
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The United Kingdom’s recently updated approach to sustainable drainage enhanced biodiversity and amenity objectives by incorporating the ecosystem approach and the ecosystem services concept. However, cost-effective and reliable methods to appraise the biodiversity and amenity values of potential sustainable drainage system (SuDS) sites and their surrounding areas are still lacking, as is a method to enable designers to distinguish and link the amenity and biodiversity benefits that SuDS schemes can offer. In this paper, therefore, the authors propose two ecosystem services- and disservices-based methods (i.e. vegetation structure cover-abundance examination and cultural ecosystem services and disservices variables appraisal) to aid SuDS designers to distinguish and link amenity and biodiversity benefits, and allow initial site assessments to be performed in a cost-effective and reliable fashion. Forty-nine representative sites within Greater Manchester were selected to test the two methods. Amenity and biodiversity were successfully assessed and habitat for species, carbon sequestration, recreation and education ecosystem services scores were produced, which will support SuDS retrofit design decision-making. Large vegetated SuDS sites with permanent aquatic features were found to be most capable of enhancing biodiversity- and amenity-related ecosystem services. Habitat for species and recreation ecosystem services were also found to be positively linked to each other. Finally, waste bins on site were found to help reduce dog faeces and litter coverage. Overall, the findings presented here enable future SuDS retrofit designs to be more wildlife friendly and socially inclusive.
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| 19. |
- Mörtberg, Ulla, et al.
(författare)
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Urban ecosystems and sustainable urban development-analysing and assessing interacting systems in the Stockholm region
- 2013
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 16:4, s. 763-782
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to build competence for sustainability analysis and assessment of urban systems, it is seen as essential to build on models representing urban form, landuse and transportation, urban metabolism, as well as ecological processes. This type of analysis of interacting sub-systems requires an advanced model integration platform, yet open for learning and for further development. Moreover, since the aim is to increase urban experience with ecosystem management in the wide sense, the platform needs to be open and easily available, with high visualisation capacity. For this purpose, the LEAM model was applied to the Stockholm Region and two potential future scenarios were developed, resulting from alternative policies. The scenarios differed widely and the dense urban development of Scenario Compact could be visualised, destroying much of the Greenstructure of Stockholm, while Scenario Urban Nature steered the development more to outer suburbs and some sprawl. For demonstration of the need for further development of biodiversity assessment models, a network model tied to a prioritised ecological profile was applied and altered by the scenarios. It could be shown that the Greenstructure did not support this profile very well. Thus, there is a need for dynamic models for negotiations, finding alternative solutions and interacting with other models. The LEAM Stockholm case study is planned to be further developed, to interact with more advanced transport and land use models, as well as analysing energy systems and urban water issues. This will enable integrated sustainability analysis and assessment of complex urban systems, for integration in the planning process in Stockholm as well as for comparative sustainability studies between different cities, with the goal to build more sustainable urban systems and to increase urban experiences in ecosystem management.
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| 20. |
- Ode Sang, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Urban ecosystem services in strategic planningin Swedish municipalities
- 2021
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 24, s. 1343-1357
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research to date on urban ecosystem services has mainly been conducted in large cities, particularly in China, the USA and someEuropean countries. This study examined the provision of urban ecosystem services in a Swedish municipality context, based oninterviews with municipal stakeholders in strategic management and planning from six municipalities and a review of existingpublications readily available to practitioners. The analysis focused on (1) the ecosystem services explicitly covered, (2) whethermultifunctionality was covered and specific synergies and trade-offs identified and, (3) the spatial scale and context used forecosystem services (valuation/mapping, planning, design or maintenance) in practical application. The results showed thatregulatory services are very much the focus in municipal operations as well as in publications available to practitioners. Thisis reflected in the implementation of the concept through problem solving often related to regulatory services, usingmultifunctionality and win-win situations in ecosystem service supply. These findings contribute to the growing body of workexploring how the concept of ecosystem services is adapted and utilised in practice.
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| 21. |
- Persson, Anna S., et al.
(författare)
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Backyard buzz : human population density modifies the value of vegetation cover for insect pollinators in a subtropical city
- 2022
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urbanisation drives overall declines in insect pollinators. Although urban green spaces can provide suitable habitat for pollinators much remains to be learned about how urban landscapes either promote or negatively impact pollinators. We investigated how backyard design, local (100 m) and landscape (500 m) scale vegetation cover and human population density were associated with non-eusocial native bee species, eusocial bees (Apis mellifera and Tetragonula spp.), and hoverflies, in residential green spaces of the subtropical city Brisbane, Australia. We found that associations between bee abundance and vegetation cover were moderated by human density, but the direction of this effect differed for non-eusocial and eusocial species. Non-eusocial bee abundance was positively associated with tree cover at local and landscape scales when human densities were low, but negatively so at high human population densities. We suggest this may be because the quality of vegetation for non-eusocial bees deteriorates as human density increases. In contrast, abundance of eusocial bees was negatively associated with increasing local cover of grass and shrubs at low levels of human density, but positively associated at high densities. This affinity to humans could partly be explained by domesticated “kept” hives. We found no effect of urban gradients on bee species richness. Hoverfly abundance was negatively related to human density and positively related to vegetation cover at local and landscape scales. At the backyard scale, both bee species richness and bee and hoverfly abundances were positively associated to flower abundance. Backyards with more vegetation cover had higher densities of non-eusocial bees. Our results thus support the idea that urban greening in densely populated areas at multiple spatial scales can benefit a range of insect pollinators.
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| 22. |
- Randrup, Thomas
(författare)
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Moving beyond the nature-based solutions discourse: introducing nature-based thinking
- 2020
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 23, s. 919-926
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Suites of concepts and approaches have been launched during recent years to promote urban nature and greener cities. However, it is doubtable whether tinkering within the current economic and political system can provide adequate solutions. Nature-based Solutions can be seen as a new conceptual approach to the human-ecological connection, and as an outcome of an evolutionary development of socio-ecological concepts. In this Communication, we argue for drawing up inspiration by nature as an outset for the development of more sustainable and inclusive cities, balancing anthropocentric and ecocentric values and acknowledging the importance of the social and governance dimensions in a more balanced socio-ecological perspective. We call this approach Nature-based Thinking.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Sand, Emilia, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of ground surface permeability on the growth of urban linden trees
- 2018
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 21, s. 691-696
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Street trees are an important part of urban vegetation due to their provisioning of different types of ecosystem services such as local climate regulation and contribution to aesthetical and recreational values. In order to provide these services, urban trees need to endure many stress factors not present in natural environments, such as the widespread use of impervious surfaces in the vicinity of street trees. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of this potential stress factor on urban tree growth. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate how ground surface permeability affects stem and current-year shoot growth of linden (Tilia europaea) street trees in Gothenburg, Sweden. We found that a small fraction of permeable ground surface in the vertically projected tree crown area caused lower stem growth and strongly suppressed current-year shoot growth. This finding can guide future city planning, demonstrating that the vitality of street trees is compromised when the permeable surface area in the vicinity of the tree is small.
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| 25. |
- Setälä, H., et al.
(författare)
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Urban and agricultural soils : Conflicts and trade-offs in the optimization of ecosystem services
- 2014
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 17:1, s. 239-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On-going human population growth and changing patterns of resource consumption are increasing global demand for ecosystem services, many of which are provided by soils. Some of these ecosystem services are linearly related to the surface area of pervious soil, whereas others show non-linear relationships, making ecosystem service optimization a complex task. As limited land availability creates conflicting demands among various types of land use, a central challenge is how to weigh these conflicting interests and how to achieve the best solutions possible from a perspective of sustainable societal development. These conflicting interests become most apparent in soils that are the most heavily used by humans for specific purposes: urban soils used for green spaces, housing, and other infrastructure and agricultural soils for producing food, fibres and biofuels. We argue that, despite their seemingly divergent uses of land, agricultural and urban soils share common features with regards to interactions between ecosystem services, and that the trade-offs associated with decision-making, while scale- and context-dependent, can be surprisingly similar between the two systems. We propose that the trade-offs within land use types and their soil-related ecosystems services are often disproportional, and quantifying these will enable ecologists and soil scientists to help policy makers optimizing management decisions when confronted with demands for multiple services under limited land availability.
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| 26. |
- Sjöman, Henrik
(författare)
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Improving confidence in tree species selection for challenging urban sites: a role for leaf turgor loss
- 2018
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 21, s. 1171-1188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High species diversity is argued to be the most important requisite for a resilient urban forest. In spite of this, there are many cities in the northern hemisphere that have very limited species diversity within their tree population. Consequently, there is an immense risk to urban canopy cover, if these over-used species succumb to serious pests or pathogens. Recognition of this should motivate the use of less commonly used species. Analysis of plant traits, such as the leaf water potential at turgor loss ((P0)), can provide useful insights into a species' capacity to grow in warm and dry urban environments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate (P0) of 45 tree species, the majority of which are rare in urban environments. To help evaluate the potential for using (P0) data to support future decision-making, a survey of professionals engaged with establishing trees in urban environments was also used to assess the relationship between the measured (P0) and the perceived drought tolerance of selected species. This study demonstrates that (P0) gives strong evidence for a species' capacity to tolerate dry growing conditions and is a trait that varies substantially across species. Furthermore, (P0) was shown to closely relate to the experience of professionals involved in establishing trees in urban environments, thus providing evidence of its practical significance. Use of plant traits, such as (P0), should, therefore, give those specifying trees confidence to recommend non-traditional species for challenging urban environments.
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Sjöman, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Vulnerability of ten major Nordic cities to potential tree losses caused by longhorned beetles
- 2019
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 22, s. 385-395
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban forest and urban trees are currently facing several challenges arising from a changing climate, complex inner-city environments and severe threats of pathogen and insect attacks. The latter have already had serious consequences for many cities, with outbreaks of diseases and pests causing large-scale tree losses that will take a long time to resolve. The pest species Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and citrus longhorned beetle (A. chinensis) have large numbers of host species and genera and can hence be classified as one of the most serious future threats to the urban (and natural) tree landscape. The question is not whether these new threats will arrive in northern Europe, but rather when an infestation will occur and how well prepared are cities to deal with it. This study presents an up-to-date compilation of the urban tree population in 10 major Nordic cities, based on recent tree inventories, and investigates and discusses the effects of an outbreak of the two longhorned beetle species, based on information taken from a review of 35 papers presenting host-related data on these species. Evaluation of the data on host susceptibility to the two longhorned beetles revealed clear differences in tree losses between scenarios, with predicted tree losses of 15-98% in the different cities.
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| 29. |
- Smithers, Richard J., et al.
(författare)
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Comparing the relative abilities of tree species to cool the urban environment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : SPRINGER. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 21:5, s. 851-862
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing urbanisation poses numerous challenges to human quality of life. Cities are particularly vulnerable to the urban heat-island effect, which will be amplified by climate change. Increasing tree cover may be one of the most cost-effective ways of moderating urban temperatures. Trees cool their surroundings by casting shade, reflecting solar radiation, transpiring, and intercepting rainfall that subsequently evaporates. However, the potential of trees to reduce the urban heat-island effect is underutilised. The aim of this study was to synthesise understanding of the relative abilities of different tree species to provide urban cooling in temperate regions of the world and thereby develop a pragmatic approach for choosing those trees that have greatest potential in that regard. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with leading experts, we developed a series of scenarios to illustrate the impacts of a tree's cooling mechanisms and tree species' attributes on components of the surface-energy balance equation. This enabled us to select parameters and propose simple equations that can be used to compare the relative abilities of tree species in relation to each of the cooling mechanisms. The parameters selected were for: transpiration - crown diameter, Leaf Area Index (LAI), canopy aspect ratio, and stomatal conductance or growth rate; reflection - albedo, crown diameter and LAI; shading - canopy aspect ratio, crown diameter, LAI and tree height. The approach is intended for use by urban planners and managers who wish to make informed decisions about which tree species to select for planting to counter the urban heat-island effect.
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| 30. |
- Soultan, Alaaeldin
(författare)
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The relationship between landscape features and domestic species on the occupancy of native mammals in urban forests
- 2021
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 24, s. 1117-1128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Landscape features such as roads, hiking trails, and forest edge are prevalent features of urban forests. These features can negatively influence biodiversity through fragmentation and facilitate the penetration of invasive species, particularly predators such as domestic dogs and cats. This study examined how these landscape features affect the distribution of native and domestic mammals and how domestic species affect the occupancy and activity patterns of native mammals. To this end, we conducted camera trap surveys in forested urban and suburban parks in Indiana and Kentucky, USA, to record the presence of native species (deer, raccoons, coyote, and opossums) and non-native predators (domesticated cats and dogs) in relation to distance to nearest roads, hiking trails, and forest edge. We found negative correlations between proximity to roads, hiking trails, and forest edge and the occupancy of the native species with this effect extending up to 300 m. We also found evidence that the presence of dog and cat was negatively correlated with the occupancy for all native species. We recommend park management consider the impact of roads, hiking trails, and forest edge when designing parks and the enforcement of dog leash regulations for the conservation of large mammals in urban parks.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Stålhammar, Sanna, et al.
(författare)
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‘Urban biocultural diversity’ as a framework for human–nature interactions: reflections from a Brazilian favela
- 2020
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 23:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biocultural diversity (BCD), denoting the ‘inextricable link’ between biological and cultural diversity, has traditionally highlighted the coevolution between highly biodiverse regions and the ethnic–linguistic diversity of indigenous communities. Recently, European researchers have relaunched BCD as a conceptual foundation for urban greenspace planning capable of overcoming challenges of the ecosystem services paradigm. However, the methodological foundation for this particular approach to ‘urban BCD’ is still in its infancy, obscuring preciselyhowthe framework is an advancement for studying different urban residents’ experience of and connectedness to nature and biodiversity. In this paper, we further develop the urban BCD concept by using the culturally and biologically diverse city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a ‘critical case’. First, we employ qualitative field methods to investigate manifestations of human–nature relationships in thefavela(informal settlement) of Rocinha and the neighbouring Tijuca Forest. Second, we reflect on how the urban BCD framework and methodology emphasise i) interrelationships, ii) varied group values and iii) participation, and iv) are sensitising and reflexive. Our findings challenge the ‘usual’ narrative aboutfavelasas places of environmental degradation and disaster risk, revealing BCD and nature connectedness that are as related to popular culture, fitness ideals and citizen-building, as to traditional livelihoods and spiritual beliefs. Departing from interrelationships, BCD can portray aspects that a narrow focus on ‘services’ and ‘disservices’ cannot, but attention should be paid to how operationalisation risks perpetuating ecosystem services thinking. Nevertheless, we identify promising avenues for its use in highly diverse cities with unequal access to natural areas.
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| 33. |
- Xiu, Na, et al.
(författare)
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A socio-ecological perspective of urban green networks: the Stockholm case
- 2017
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 20, s. 729-742
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Landscape fragmentation threatens habitats, biodiversity and other ecosystem services. In tackling this threat, the dynamic processes of social-ecological systems should be recognised and understood. Although network analysis based on graph theory has been recognised as an efficient way of spatially understanding landscape or habitat connectivity, only few studies have offered specific approaches or suggestions for integrating detailed social-ecological values into geographical distributions. As a contribution to bridging this gap, this paper introduces a social-ecological network model for the issue of landscape or habitat fragmentation applied to the case of Stockholm, Sweden. Graph theory was used in combination with sociotope and biotope maps for simple visualisation of network situations in two-dimensional maps. The European crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus), European common toad (Bufo bufo) and human beings were selected as indicator species, based on a landscape ecology analysis in Stockholm Municipality in 2009. Slope, land use and human disturbance maps were assessed in order to decide cost values of travelling from node to node. Lease-cost-path accumulation was used to create ideal reference maps of green networks. Three separate maps were then developed for suggesting efficient routes for three indicators in city scale that mainly connect from the Royal National City Park to the other parts of the city. The model in Hjorthagen neighbourhood to highlight two practical paths that link this fragmented community to its neighbouring park areas. Findings make it possible to address two scales of network improvement strategies, namely first for the city-scale green network that connects geographical habitats (nodes) and the regional green wedges of the city, and the second that of neighbourhood links between habitats in detailed layers of green networks. Strategic improvement potentials are presented based on ideal reference maps of green networks correspondingly.
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| 34. |
- Östberg, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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The state and use of municipal tree inventories in Swedish municipalities - results from a national survey
- 2018
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1083-8155 .- 1573-1642. ; 21, s. 467-477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urban trees are an essential component of urban ecosystems, and management of this resource constitutes an essential element of urban open space management. However, municipal tree inventories in Sweden and elsewhere have received limited attention. It is unknown how common municipal tree inventories are in Sweden, factors governing whether a municipality has an inventory and what the inventories are used for. This study therefore sought to: Create an overview of the state of Swedish municipal tree inventories and determine how municipality size, green space budget and management organisation affect the presence and scope of municipal tree inventories. The research questions examined were: What is the current state of Swedish municipal tree inventories? and what affects the status of these municipal tree inventories? A survey with questions related to strategic and operational perspectives of municipal tree inventories, e.g. how they are conducted and used, together with questions relating to budget and potential use of consultants, was sent to all 290 Swedish municipalities. The response rate was 55.5%. The main findings were that municipality size affects whether a municipality has an urban tree inventory and that the municipal organisation form affects how inventories are used. The existence of an inventory also increased the probability of the municipality having a tree management plan. Based on these results we recommend further research related to strategic management perspectives of tree inventories.
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| 35. |
- Wiström, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Creative management: a framework for designing multifunctional play biotopes - lessons from a Scandinavian landscape laboratory
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Ingår i: Urban Ecosystems. - 1083-8155.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most children grow up in urbanised settings with a low possibility to experience biodiversity and nature. However, experiencing nature and other species increases children’s wellbeing, health, learning abilities and their understanding of nature values. Play biotopes is one solution for supporting a co-existence between children and different species in nature-based play settings. Play biotopes are based on ecological theories, where structures in the morphology of landscapes at different scales and the content of flora and fauna can support children’s interplay with a part of the landscape. However, traditional landscape management is not adapted to support the dynamic nature of play biotopes, especially when considering multiple scales. This makes it interesting to explore more dynamic management concepts arching over multiple scales. Accordingly, we here explore creative management as a scale-based framework for design by management to further develop the concept of play biotopes. Using examples from a landscape laboratory in southern Sweden, we propose that a creative management framework combining the scales of landscape, biotope, place, and object together with play connectivity can support the creation and management of multifunctional play biotopes.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Wackett, Adrian A., et al.
(författare)
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Human-mediated introduction of geoengineering earthworms in the Fennoscandian arctic
- 2018
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Ingår i: Biological Invasions. - : Springer. - 1387-3547 .- 1573-1464. ; 20:6, s. 1377-1386
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is now well established that European earthworms are re-shaping formerly glaciated forests in North America with dramatic ecological consequences. However, few have considered the potential invasiveness of this species assemblage in the European arctic. Here we argue that some earthworm species (Lumbricus rubellus, Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea sp.) with great geomorphological impact (geoengineering species) are non-native and invasive in the Fennoscandian arctic birch forests, where they have been introduced by agrarian settlers and most recently through recreational fishing and gardening. Our exploratory surveys indicate no obvious historical dispersal mechanism that can explain early arrival of these earthworms into the Fennoscandian arctic: that is, these species do not appear to establish naturally along coastlines mimicking conditions following deglaciation in Fennoscandia, nor were they spread by early native (Sami) cultures. The importance of anthropogenic sources and the invasive characteristics of L. rubellus and Aporrectodea sp. in the arctic is evident from their radiation outwards from abandoned farms and modern cabin lawns into adjacent arctic birch forests. They appear to outcompete previously established litter-dwelling earthworm species (i.e. Dendrobaena octaedra) that likely colonized the Fennoscandian landscape rapidly following deglaciation via hydrochory and/or dispersal by early Sami settlements. The high geoengineering earthworm biomasses, their recognized ecological impact in other formerly glaciated environments, and their persistence once established leads us to suggest that geoengineering earthworms may pose a potent threat to some of the most remote and protected arctic environments in northern Europe.
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