Recent Scientific Papers
Urban Ecosystems
| Latest Results for Urban Ecosystems | ||
| The latest content available from Springer | ||
| Numeric response of a neotropical raptor to urbanization gradient in central Argentina | ||
| 05. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Human activities, through the development of agricultural and urbanized areas, are considered a threat to wildlife species. However, there are species that can be unaffected or even benefited by these man-made scenarios. This could be the case of the chimango caracara (Milvago chimango), a raptor species that may prove to be highly adapted to anthropogenic modifications of its habitat, requiring more detailed local population information to scientifically support that hypothesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate variation of density of chimango caracara in a... | ||
| Reassessing the role of herbivores on urban coral reefs: A case study from a heavily impacted reef near Cartagena Bay, Colombia | ||
| 05. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Coral reefs are beginning to experience conditions unlike any in recent history. Understanding ecosystem function on future reefs will require reassessing ecological processes under novel environmental regimes. For many coastal reefs, severely degraded water quality will be a hallmark of these novel regimes. While herbivory has traditionally been considered essential for maintaining coral dominance, recent evidence from urban reefs suggests this pattern may be changing. Here, we reexamined the impacts of herbivores on a shallow, turbid reef exposed to extensive... | ||
| Soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes in open lawns, treed lawns and urban woodlands in Angers, France | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Urban green spaces (UGSs) are mostly represented by lawns and wooded areas. These UGSs can store carbon in soil and above-ground biomass, potentially modulated by management intensity and vegetation cover. Trees in lawns can create a local microclimate modifying soil biogeochemical cycles affecting in turn greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of trees on microclimate (temperature and moisture) and soil properties influencing GHG fluxes in contrasted UGS types. We monthly monitored (from March to November 2021... | ||
| Urban development reduces bee abundance and diversity | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Wild bee communities persist in cities despite major disruption of nesting and food resources by urban development. Bee diversity and abundance is key for urban agriculture and maintenance of plant diversity, and assessing what aspects of cities enhance bee populations will promote our capacity to retain and provision bee habitat. Here, we assessed how variation in land cover and neighborhood development history affected bee communities in the midwestern US urban landscape of Madison, Wisconsin. We sampled bee communities across 38 stratified sites with... | ||
| Investigating the impacts of humans and dogs on the spatial and temporal activity of wildlife in urban woodlands | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Humans can derive enormous benefit from the natural environment and the wildlife they see there, but increasing human use of natural environments may negatively impact wildlife, particularly in urban green spaces. Few studies have focused on the trade-offs between intensive human use and wildlife use of shared green spaces in urban areas. In this paper, we investigate the impacts of humans and their dogs on wildlife within an urban green space using camera trap data from Hampstead Heath, London. Spatial and temporal activity of common woodland bird and mammal... | ||
| Contributions of urban green and blue spaces on local-scale climate in the core area of Beijing, China | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Construction of urban green and blue spaces (UGBS) has long been proved as an effective mitigation to urban heat island effect. Yet we spotted a rarity of studies evaluating UGBS’s climatic effect difference in different land-uses, and a rarity of empirical evidence on better UGBS allocation for better cooling. In this study, we conducted field measurements of nighttime air temperature (Ta) and relative humidity (Rh) along an enclosed transect at the core area of Beijing, China, and evaluated the contributions of UGBS on local-scale climate. Land-cover types... | ||
| Not all cities are the same: variation in animal phenotypes across cities within urban ecology studies | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract The sustained expansion of urban environments has been paralleled by an increase in the number of studies investigating the phenotypic changes of animals driven by urbanization. Most of these studies have been confined to only one urban center. However, as the types and strength of anthropogenic stressors differ across cities, a generalizable understanding of the effects of urbanization on urban-dwelling species can only be reached by comparing the responses of urban populations from the same species across more than one city. We conducted phylogenetic... | ||
| City dwellers’ experiences and attitudes towards wild places based on an urban river | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract In the context of socio-ecological change, developing people-nature connections in cities could potentially improve city dwellers’ well-being while developing an attachment to other living beings. Increasing wildness by limiting management interventions may promote biodiversity in cities, but little is known about the ways in which city dwellers relate to wild places. In this study, we analyse how city dwellers use and experience an urban near-wild river flowing through the centre of a historic French city. We firstly presented the interweaving of historical... | ||
| Associations between the perception of ecosystem services and well-being in urban parks | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract The benefits of Ecosystem Services (ES) for the population’s well-being have been studied from different perspectives. One of these perspectives is the relationship between urban green areas and levels of well-being among users of urban parks. The objective of this study was to analyze possible associations between the perception of cultural ES and aspects related to well-being among users of a set of urban parks in a Latin American metropolis. 481 surveys were carried out with users of ten urban parks in the City of Recife, Northeast Brazil. The questions... | ||
| Functional urban ground-cover plants: identifying traits that promote rainwater retention and dissipation | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Urban vegetation can influence urban hydrology and reduce the risk of flooding. Urban forestry studies have suggested that tree type and species choice affect the amount of rainwater intercepted and retained. Little information exists, however, for other landscape typologies, and the sorts of ground-cover plants that are best used to retain/detain rainwater during storm events. This is important as many urban spaces are too small to facilitate trees, but can accommodate roadside vegetation, buffer strips, rain gardens, green roofs and stormwater planters. Thus... | ||
| Bumblebees and butterflies in green structure elements in Malmö, Sweden | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Within the BiodiverCity project in Malmö (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 Malmö. 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... | ||
| Home range and habitat use of vervet monkeys in the urban forest mosaic landscape of Durban, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Generally, urbanisation affects biodiversity negatively; however, some species thrive in urban areas. One mammalian species thriving in the urban forest mosaic landscape is the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), particularly in Durban, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Vervet monkeys’ spatial use can provide important ecological information to understand their behavioural plasticity in an urban forest mosaic landscape. We, therefore, captured and collared vervet monkeys with Global Positioning System (GPS)-Ultra High... | ||
| Using citizen science data to investigate annual survival rates of resident birds in relation to noise and light pollution | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Exponential increases in anthropogenic noise and light pollution have accompanied growth of the built environment. Noise and light cause negative consequences for birds, such as disrupted navigation during migration, mortality from collisions with windows and other infrastructure, and reduced reproductive success, as well as some positive consequences, such as expanded night niches for behaviors associated with feeding, territoriality, and mating. Relatively less is known about noise and light effects on annual survival of non-migratory birds, so we conducted... | ||
| Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus) | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Urbanization is rapidly changing habitats of wild birds around the world. Food availability is one of the important factors leading to phenotypic differences between urban and rural bird populations. Comparing the physiological plasticity responses of urban and rural bird populations to different food conditions can reveal the mechanism of bird adaptation to urban environment. In this study, we hypothesized that the glycogenolysis, glycogenesis and gluconeogenesis of urban birds have been adjusted to cope with food shortage in urban areas. To test this, we... | ||
| Resilient plant species selection for urban green infrastructure development in arid regions: a case of Qom, Iran | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract In regard to the ecological challenges stand facing green infrastructure in hot-arid regions, selecting resilient species of plants, as a determining factor, can significantly contribute to GI sustainability. Therefore, the present study aimed to establish a framework for the selection of resilient plant species in these regions, particularly in the city of Qom, Central Iran. To this end, the main criteria were ascertained based on the related thematic literature. Then, any existing (dominant) and proposed species exploited for the development of GI in this... | ||
| Urban growth and loss of green spaces in the metropolitan areas of São Paulo and Mexico City: effects of land-cover changes on climate and water flow regulation | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Urban green spaces provide ecosystem services that directly or indirectly benefit people, however, urban growth (especially in developing countries) generates the loss of these green areas and consequently of their ecosystem services. This paper aims to present the effects of land use and land cover changes in the last 30 years on two basic urban ecosystem services, water flow regulation and local and regional climate in two of main Latin American megacities (São Paulo and Mexico City). The study focuses on urban green spaces because they reduce the urban... | ||
| Florivory on an alien tree as a potential case of biotic resistance provided by urban parrots | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Alien plants grown in urban areas can spread through natural and anthropogenic ecosystems, adversely impacting native biota. Propagule pressure (i.e., seed, individual, and introduction number) increases the spreading probability, but native herbivorous predators can limit it via biotic resistance. Parrots are primary consumers, and although they interact antagonistically with alien plants, their role in biotic resistance seems overlooked. Here, we highlight the potential role of urban parrots in biotic resistance based on florivory activity in Gliricidia... | ||
| Green infrastructure in cities for the achievement of the un sustainable development goals: a systematic review | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Cities, in continuous growth, are at a critical moment to guarantee economic, social and environmental stability, as recognised by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study aims to demonstrate how Green Infrastructure (GI) can contribute, as spaces of opportunity in cities, to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in metropolitan areas. And by doing that, more substantial support from urban planners and decision-makers may be performed. A systematic literature review based on the PRISMA method was conducted, 694 records were identified... | ||
| First steps of pollinator-promoting interventions in Eastern European urban areas – positive outcomes, challenges, and recommendations | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Urbanisation has a strong role in pollinator decline, while properly managed green spaces could promote pollinators – especially bees and butterflies – by providing foraging and nesting habitats in cities. In public spaces, several opportunities exist to help pollinators including rare mowing, flower strip sowing, and bee hotel establishment. However, pollinator-promoting interventions are almost lacking and still understudied in Eastern Europe. We aimed to investigate the impact of rare mowing and annual flower-sowing interventions on pollinators, floral... | ||
| Urban yards as potential conservation space: large, diverse gardens may be valuable resource patches for butterflies | ||
| 01. Dezember 2023 | ||
| Abstract Public and private flower gardens could be valuable for slowing pollinator decline in urbanized areas, as they can potentially provide crucial foraging and reproductive resources in fragmented landscapes. We conducted surveys of adult butterflies at 26 gardens that contained a majority of native species; we then evaluated how the impervious surface percentage (IS%) surrounding each site and the gardens’ local characteristics (garden area, plant species richness, and planting density) influenced butterfly communities. Butterfly diversity and abundance were... | ||
