Do land cover changes shape sensitivity to forest fires in peri-urban areas?

The present study assesses the spatial distribution of selected land cover classes at two years (1975 and 2000) in a Mediterranean urban area (Athens, Greece) to test the hypothesis that land cover changes determine an increase in the sensitivity of landscape to forest fires on a regional scale. While urban and agricultural areas increased, although with different rates of growth, forests and semi-natural areas decreased in the study area. These changes are reflected in a significant increase of vegetation sensitivity to forest fires measured by the forest fire risk (FR) index developed in the framework of MEDALUS project. The cover classes which contributed the most to the increase of the FR index were crop mosaic, mixed agricultural-natural areas and discontinuous, low-density settlements. Results of the present study indicate that the transformation of the fringe landscape towards low-quality agricultural and pasture areas and fragmented forest patches is potentially detrimental for environmental quality and the ecological fragility of land.     

Studying the spatial evolutionary behavior of urban forest patches from the perspective of pattern-process relationships

Urban forest dynamics can influence the provision of ecosystem services provision. Considerable research has been conducted to understand how these dynamics respond to urbanization, from individual patches to entire landscapes. However, most of these are cross-sectional studies based on landscape metrics, and research using a process-based perspective in this context is scarce. In this study, we present a “pattern-process” analytical framework to quantify the evolutionary behavior of urban forest patches. We combine this framework with land cover classification data based on high-resolution remote sensing images (< 1 m) from 2002, 2013, and 2019 to detect the dynamic characteristics of four processes of forest patches in Beijing urban areas. These dynamic characteristics include: size distribution, aggregation and fragmentation, transfer, and self-stabilization. The results showed that 1) the average size of the patches in the study area is increasing, and patches larger than 50 m² have a more positive influence on the process of patch structure evolution, 2) patch fragmentation shifts with the direction of urban sprawl, 3) transfer between urban forest and bare land is increasing, and 4) urban forest network construction positively enhances the stability of patches. This framework can provide a useful basis for understanding the spatial and temporal evolution of urban forest landscapes during urban development and contribute to the sustainable management of urban forests.     

Patterns in bat functional guilds across multiple urban centres in south-eastern Australia

Understanding the impacts of landscape change on species behaviour is a major challenge in landscape ecology. A focus on the functional traits of species may improve this understanding if species with similar traits (functional guilds) are impacted by landscape change in similar ways, but this idea has not been widely tested on bat communities in urban landscapes. We examined changes in bat species richness and the activity level of species in different functional guilds within 72 residential neighbourhoods across 18 towns and cities spanning over 250,000 square km in south-eastern Australia. Species richness increased close to native vegetation, declined with increasing urbanization, and had a hump-shaped relationship with neighbourhood vegetation cover. Also, the activity level of all bat species combined peaked at mid-range values of neighbourhood vegetation cover. The activity of species in the open-adapted guild was not strongly related to any urban characteristic, but our results concur with previous findings that the activity of most open-adapted species does not appear to be negatively impacted by urbanization. Conversely, clutter-adapted species appear more sensitive to urbanization and their activity level was negatively related to urban intensity and increased closer to native vegetation, consistent with previous studies. The functional-trait approach may improve the capacity to make generalisations across different landscape contexts for clutter-adapted and open-adapted guilds, but is currently hampered for other bat species owing to variation in the behaviour of different species assigned to the same functional guild, and a lack of ecological knowledge regarding the impacts of different types of landscape change on particular species.     

How good are tropical forest patches for ecosystem services provisioning?

Native forests play an important role regarding ecosystem services related to biodiversity, water, and nutrient cycling, and the intensity of those services should be related to the amount, configuration and quality of the forest. However, in highly dynamic landscapes, such as some tropical regions, ecosystem services are potentially affected not only by the present landscape structure, but also by the historical land use. Here we propose a simple methodological framework to evaluate the contribution of past landscape dynamics and present landscape structure in the provision of ecosystem services. We applied this framework to a traditional agricultural landscape from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest hotspot, where natural forests cover has increased from 8 to 16 % in the last 60 years (1962–2008), and where old forests are being reduced while young forests are being regenerated. Forests of different ages, in association with current landscape structure, reveal a mosaic of forest patches under different conditions, implying different abilities to deliver ecosystem services. With the replacement of old-growth forests by young-regenerating forests and a high level of forest fragmentation, less than 1/4 of the current forest cover is able to fully satisfy the ecosystem service demands. To avoid such tendency, government policies should not only focus on increasing forest cover, but also in conserving old-growth forest fragments or increasing forest quality. The proposed methodology allows integrating historical land use and current landscape structure to evaluate ecosystem services provision and can be useful to establish programs of payment for ecosystem services.     

Modelling dynamics of ecosystem services basket in Mediterranean landscapes: a tool for rational management

Natural ecosystems are life-supporting systems providing diverse ecosystem services (ESs) and benefits to human societies: e.g., food and clean water, recreation opportunities or climate regulation. The contribution of natural and semi-natural ecosystems to the provision of such services depends to a large extent on vegetation structure and composition, which, in turn, change as a result of interactions between human decisions about land management, and spontaneous biological and environmental processes. Rational management of these dynamic ecosystems requires an ability to predict short- and long-term effects of management decisions on the desired ESs. The vegetation then contributes to, and modifies, the products and services obtained from the land. We applied mathematical modeling to study these complex relationships. We developed a model for a Mediterranean ecosystem which predicts the dynamics of multiple services in response to management scenarios, mediated by vegetation changes. Six representative ESs representing different groups were selected, based on available scientific information, for a detailed study: (1) density of geophytes, (2) potential contribution to honey production, (3) energy density of fleshy fruits foraged by birds, (4) forage for goats, (5) forage for cattle, and (6) carbon retention in woody plants. Mean contributions to each service by different vegetation cover types were estimated, and the overall service provided by the site was calculated as a weighted mean of these contributions. Services were measured in their appropriate units and subsequently standardized to a percentage of the maximum value observed in the study area. We attempted to combine all studied ESs, despite their different nature, into one “ESs basket”. This paper presents the dynamics of simulated vegetation composition and values of services in response to management scenarios involving grazing, fire and their combinations. Our approach can help land managers to evaluate alternative management scenarios by presenting the “services basket” obtained from the entire managed area.     

Carbon storage in a peri-urban neotropical forest: Assessing its potential and patterns of change over half a century

Forest ecosystems are associated with environmental regulation services, such as carbon storage, which is an outstanding service. Carbon fluxes in cities are difficult to estimate due to the scale at which they are addressed, particularly at the local level. In this work, we were interested in determining the carbon stored in the aboveground biomass of the tropical montane cloud forest tree species located on the western periphery of the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. With these data, we interpolated the storage and sequestration over five decades through image satellites and aerial photography of this unique forest. Additionally, to assess this potential as a basis for a biodiversity contribution to city resilience, we conducted phytosociological sampling. Native species such as Quercus xalapensis, Liquidambar styraciflua var. mexicana and Q. lancifolia showed the most significant values of 72.92, 58.79, and 49.14 Mg ha⁻¹, respectively, of carbon. We used phytosociological sampling to better understand structural and functional features of urban forest biodiversity that can contribute to management practices for adaptation to climate change. In addition, the native species currently studied offer an opportunity for the city to implement better-targeted reforestation and ecological restoration programs for integrated landscaping in urban planning. Our results suggest that between 1966 and 2022, there was a forest recovery of 52.4 ha and an increase in urban areas of 63.4 ha, which is equivalent to an increase from 7,700.86 Mg ha⁻¹ in 1966 to 12,620.00 Mg ha⁻¹ in 2022. In this context, it is possible to both recover the vegetation cover and expand the city, thus avoiding part of the loss of ecosystem services that urbanization usually implies. This should be promoted among decision-makers and citizens in urban planning. Recovery processes can take place successfully in some cases even as urban areas expand. This possibility is relevant due to the many contributions that vegetation provides to citizens, including carbon storage. The opportunity to study five decades allows us to know the history, monitor the processes and make a projection to conserve the vegetation and improve management.     

Mapping recreation and aesthetic value of ecosystems in the Bilbao Metropolitan Greenbelt (northern Spain) to support landscape planning

This paper presents a method to quantify cultural ecosystem services (ES) and their spatial distribution in the landscape based on ecological structure and social evaluation approaches. The method aims to provide quantified assessments of ES to support land use planning decisions. A GIS-based approach was used to estimate and map the provision of recreation and aesthetic services supplied by ecosystems in a peri-urban area located in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Data of two different public participation processes (frequency of visits to 25 different sites within the study area and aesthetic value of different landscape units) were used to validate the maps. Three maps were obtained as results: a map showing the provision of recreation services, an aesthetic value map and a map of the correspondences and differences between both services. The data obtained in the participation processes were found useful for the validation of the maps. A weak spatial correlation was found between aesthetic quality and recreation provision services, with an overlap of the highest values for both services only in 7.2 % of the area. A consultation with decision-makers indicated that the results were considered useful to identify areas that can be targeted for improvement of landscape and recreation management.     

Stress-resistant trees are more common in urban than rural forests: A case study of Cleveland,Ohio’s natural parks

Natural parks are comprised of preserved forested natural areas that are undergoing natural ecological processes. These areas can offer a refuge for local biodiversity and contribute substantially to ecosystem services in both rural areas with relatively low population densities, as well as high-density urban areas. Forested natural parks located in urban areas should experience more stressful environmental conditions than nearby rural areas, yet we know relatively little about how urbanization impacts tree communities within these important natural habitats. To better understand the impact of urbanization on forests, we investigated the species composition, abundance, and diversity of midstory and canopy trees as well as tree seedlings in urban and rural natural parks in and around Cleveland, Ohio. We found that both urban and rural natural parks have similar tree abundance, but midstory and canopy trees as well as tree seedling communities in the urban natural parks included higher abundances of stress-tolerant species compared to rural parks. In addition, this pattern was driven by changes in native tree species, as we observed low abundance of invasive species. More stress-resistant native species in urban areas include Quercus rubra and Prunus serotina, in contrast to rural natural parks which are dominated by Acer spp. and Fagus grandifolia. Lastly, we show that urban and rural natural parks have similar species diversity within plots, but we found higher variation in community composition among urban natural parks compared to among rural parks. Furthermore, Q. rubra and P. serotina were significantly larger in rural natural parks, indicating that both environmental stress and successional stage could drive compositional differences. Thus, we show that urbanization can have unexpected effects on plant community composition and diversity. Our study refutes the idea that these are degraded habitats, highlights the need to conserve them, and suggests that characterization of local variation in self-assembled urban tree communities will provide the most accurate picture of their management needs and potential ecosystem services.     

Arthropod assemblages and functional responses along an urbanization gradient: A trait-based multi-taxa approach

Urbanization causes considerable alteration across a wide range of ecosystem functions at regional and global scales. These changes could be key drivers of habitat stability and ecosystem services in urban greenspaces. The aim of this study was to test the influence of urbanization on taxonomic and functional diversities of arthropods of different trophic levels. We collected predator spiders, polyphagous rove beetles, and decomposer woodlice along a rural-suburban-urban gradient by litter sifting. Neither the taxonomic, nor the functional diversity (Rao’s quadratic entropy) using a morphological trait (body size) and ecological traits (habitat affinity, humidity preference, and disturbance sensitivity) of the spiders were significantly different along the urbanization gradient. For rove beetles, taxonomic diversity was significantly higher in rural sites compared to suburban and urban ones, while functional diversity did not differ significantly between sites. Both the taxonomic and the functional diversities of woodlice were significantly higher in the rural sites than in the suburban or urban sites. Detrended canonical correspondence analysis also showed that urbanization did not cause considerably changes in composition of spider assemblages, while rove beetle and woodlouse assemblages showed clear separation between rural and urban sites. This study pointed out that trophic levels may be a crucial driver of the responses to urbanization. Our results suggest that urbanization has a less harmful effect on predator spiders, as they can easily recolonize the managed urban greenspaces. Contrarily, recolonization of arthropods at lower trophic levels (rove beetles and woodlice) into the urban habitats is considerably restricted.     

Ecosystem services from turfgrass landscapes

Turf is an important component of the urban and rural landscape. The natural plant formations/biomes that it mimics are the tropical savanna, the temperate grasslands (steppe and the prairies) and the tundra. Turf in a higher or lower degree provides all the ecosystem services of the other types of vegetation. Vegetation ecosystem services that have been previously emphasized include functional, aesthetical, recreational, social, and economic services as well as services related to people psychological or physical health. The purpose of this review is to gather updated information on turf ecosystem services, mainly on how they compare to other types of vegetation, or substitutes, and to suggest some future trends/areas of research.Turf has a unique role in aesthetics and, definitely, provides an irreplaceable surface for recreational sports/activities. From the available information, turf seems to have a higher potential than other types of vegetation for reducing runoff, increasing infiltration, purifying water from sediments and pollutants, controlling erosion, improving soil quality and reducing fire hazards. For the lawn owners the main turf benefits are: first the enhanced property aesthetics, second the increment in property value and third the provision of a recreation area. Turf, as all vegetation, uses water. Without the water its benefits may be reduced or annihilated. Mimicking nature may offer some solutions for saving water: summer brown lawns that green up in the fall, although losing some of the turf benefits, may be an appropriate choice where irrigation is not feasible and are worth some research. Research, should also be done on lawns using a mix of grasses and legumes: the presence of legumes may avoid N fertilization and, possibly allows for clippings removal and usage as biofuel, while keeping the soil accumulation of carbon, preventing N leaching and turning turf’s carbon footprint even more positive.     

基于价值—风险的阜平县生态分区研究

为了探究阜平县生态风险，以2010年、2015年、2020年土地利用数据为基础，采用生态系统服务模型、景观生态风险模型，对二者的时空演变特征进行了定量分析，通过Z-score标准化划分了4类生态分区，揭示了阜平县生态环境时空演变特征。结果表明：(1)6种地类均有不同程度的改变，耕地增加最多，草地减少最多。高价值区主要分布于夏庄乡、龙泉关镇西部等林地、草地植被覆盖度高、水热条件较好的地区。阜平县以调节服务为主，且林地提供价值最高。(2)阜平县以较低生态风险区为主，占总面积的50%以上。在空间上呈“东南高、西北低”的分布特征。高生态风险区分布于北果园乡、王林口镇等区域，此区域人口数量多、景观类型细碎、零散分布。(3)4类生态分区变化程度较小，表明阜平县处于较为稳定的状态，高生态系统服务价值—低生态风险区(Ⅳ)占比最高，低生态系统服务价值—低生态风险区(Ⅲ)占比最低。通过生态分区研究，可为防范和降低区域生态风险与协调人地关系提供理论基础。     

Feedbacks between vegetation pattern and resource loss dramatically decrease ecosystem resilience and restoration potential in a simple dryland model

Conceptual frameworks of dryland degradation commonly include ecohydrological feedbacks between landscape spatial organization and resource loss, so that decreasing cover and size of vegetation patches result in higher water and soil losses, which lead to further vegetation loss. However, the impacts of these feedbacks on dryland dynamics in response to external stress have barely been tested. Using a spatially-explicit model, we represented feedbacks between vegetation pattern and landscape resource loss by establishing a negative dependence of plant establishment on the connectivity of runoff-source areas (e.g., bare soils). We assessed the impact of various feedback strengths on the response of dryland ecosystems to changing external conditions. In general, for a given external pressure, these connectivity-mediated feedbacks decrease vegetation cover at equilibrium, which indicates a decrease in ecosystem resistance. Along a gradient of gradual increase of environmental pressure (e.g., aridity), the connectivity-mediated feedbacks decrease the amount of pressure required to cause a critical shift to a degraded state (ecosystem resilience). If environmental conditions improve, these feedbacks increase the pressure release needed to achieve the ecosystem recovery (restoration potential). The impact of these feedbacks on dryland response to external stress is markedly non-linear, which relies on the non-linear negative relationship between bare-soil connectivity and vegetation cover. Modelling studies on dryland vegetation dynamics not accounting for the connectivity-mediated feedbacks studied here may overestimate the resistance, resilience and restoration potential of drylands in response to environmental and human pressures. Our results also suggest that changes in vegetation pattern and associated hydrological connectivity may be more informative early-warning indicators of dryland degradation than changes in vegetation cover.     

Isolation from forest reduces pollination,seed predation and insect scavenging in Swiss farmland

Habitat loss and fragmentation lead to changes in species richness and composition which may affect ecosystem services. Yet, few studies distinguish between the effects of habitat loss and isolation, or how multiple ecosystem services may be affected simultaneously. We investigated the effects of variation in cover of woody and open semi-natural habitats and isolation from forest on the relative functioning of pollination, seed predation and insect scavenging in agricultural landscapes. We established 30 sites in grassland locations in the Swiss plateau around Berne. The sites varied independently in their isolation from forest edges, in the percentage of woody habitats and in the percentage of open semi-natural habitats in the surrounding landscape (500 m radius). We experimentally exposed primroses, sunflower seeds and cricket corpses during spring 2008. None of the three studied services was affected by variation in woody or open semi-natural habitat cover. However, the proportion of flowers setting seed was significantly reduced by isolation from forest. Further, seed predation and insect scavenging were significantly lower at isolated sites than at sites connected to woody habitat. This pattern was particularly pronounced for seeds and insect corpses that were enclosed by wire netting and thus inaccessible to vertebrates. Thus, all three studied services responded quite similarly to the landscape context. The observed small-scale determination of seed set, seed predation and insect scavenging contrasts with larger-scale determination of pollination and insect pest control found in other studies.     

Urban green spaces and sustainability: Exploring the ecosystem services and disservices of grassy lawns versus floral meadows

Urban green spaces provide important ecological, environmental, and cultural benefits, including biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. However, a significant portion of urban green space is currently managed as highly manicured grassy lawns that provide limited ecosystem services. Managing urban green spaces as diverse meadows can have a multitude of ecosystem benefits such as biodiversity conservation, stormwater infiltration, and aesthetics. Relatively little is known about the range of ecosystem services or disservices in managing urban green spaces as lawns versus meadows. In this paper, we separately characterize three major categories of ecosystem services and disservices (provisioning, regulation and maintenance, and cultural) delivered by urban lawns and meadows while highlighting several trade-offs and synergies associated with urban lawn and meadow management strategies. Additionally, we suggest specific research priorities to better evaluate ecosystem services and disservices across these urban green spaces. Understanding ecological, environmental, and cultural trade-offs and synergies of managing different urban green spaces is key to maintaining multiple ecosystem services in urban environments.     

Semi-natural vegetation and its relationship to designated urban green space at the landscape scale in Leeds, UK

The species composition of semi-natural vegetation in urban areas is influenced by a diversity of factors operating at a variety of spatial scales. This study investigates relationships at the landscape scale between species numbers of semi-natural plant communities and variations in the nature of designated urban green space. Species’ records were obtained from a survey of tetrads (2 km × 2 km) across a contiguous central area of built-up landscape and nearby satellite settlements in the metropolitan borough of Leeds, northern England. Plant species were categorised into natives, archaeophytes, neophytes, casuals and conservation-designated species. The type and extent of designated urban green space within a tetrad was determined using GIS. There was more built-up and designated green space area in the central urban area than in the satellite settlements. However, this difference was not reflected statistically significantly in plant category species’ numbers. Numbers of native species correlated positively with areas of green space designated for relatively high nature conservation value. Neophytes and casuals correlated positively with semi-natural green space lacking rare native species or high native species richness but designated principally for local community accessibility. The value of such spaces and the importance of their appropriate management, not only for community benefits like individual physical health and mental well-being, but also for overall urban plant biodiversity, is highlighted.     

Mapping vegetation functional types in urban areas with WorldView-2 imagery: Integrating object-based classification with phenology

Mapping urban vegetation is a prerequisite to accurately understanding landscape patterns and ecological services provided by urban vegetation. However, the uncertainties in fine-scale vegetation biodiversity mapping still exist in capturing vegetation functional types efficiently at fine scale. To facilitate the application of fine-scale vegetation spatial configuration used for urban landscape planning and ecosystem service valuation, we present an approach integrating object-based classification with vegetation phenology for fine-scale vegetation functional type mapping in compact city of Beijing, China. The phenological information derived from two WorldView-2 imagery scenes, acquired on 14 September 2012 and 26 November 2012, was used to aid in the classification of tree functional types and grass. Then we further compared the approach to that of using only one WorldView imagery. We found WorldView-2 imagery can be successfully applied to map functional types of urban vegetation with its high spatial resolution and relatively high spectral resolution. The application of the vegetation phenology into classification greatly improved the overall accuracy of classification from 82.3% to 91.1%. In particular, the accuracies of vegetation types was improved by from 10% to 13.26%. The approach integrating vegetation phenology with high-resolution remote sensed images provides an efficient tool to incorporate multi-temporal data into fine-scale urban classification.     

An integrated approach for measuring urban forest restoration success

Rapid urban growth has increased the importance of restoring degraded vegetation patches within these areas. In this study, we reforested a site that was previously dominated by exotic grasses within an urban area. The goal of this study was to evaluate restoration success in a reforested site using four variables of vegetation structure, five groups of organisms, and eight variables of ecosystem processes, and compare these values with a pre-reforested site and a forested reference site using the Subjective Bray Curtis Ordination. The change in vegetation structure provided arboreal habitats that increased species diversity and ecosystem processes in the reforested site. Specifically, the development of a vertical vegetation structure was associated with: (1) a decrease in herbaceous cover, which allowed the colonization of woody seedlings; (2) a change in microclimatic conditions, which enhanced the colonization of ants and amphibians; (3) colonization of arboreal reptiles and birds; and (4) an increase in litter production, which enhanced nutrient inputs. Moreover, the Subjective Bray Curtis Ordination demonstrated an overall recovery of approximately 70%. Planting woody species was sufficient to stimulate rapid recovery of many ecosystem attributes. Future restoration projects should include multiple variables that reflect important ecosystem attributes to determine the success of a project and to direct future management efforts.     

Equally green? Understanding the distribution of urban green infrastructure across student demographics in four public school districts in North Carolina,USA

Green infrastructure (GI) provides a suite of ecosystem services that are widely recognized as critical to health, well-being, and sustainability on an urbanizing planet. However, the distribution of GI across urban landscapes is frequently uneven, resulting in unequal delivery of these services to low-income residents or those belonging to underserved racial/ethnic identities. While GI distribution has been identified as unequal across municipalities, we investigated whether this was true in public schoolyards within and among urban school districts. We examined schoolyards in four metropolitan areas of diverse socio-economic and demographic compositions in North Carolina, USA to determine if they provided equal exposure to GI, then compared whether this was true of the broader urban landscape. We first classified the land cover of elementary schoolyards and their neighborhoods, then used bivariate and multivariate approaches to analyze the relationships between GI (i.e. tree canopy cover and total GI) and the socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity of the schools and surrounding neighborhoods, respectively. We found that the extent of tree canopy cover and total GI in schoolyards was unrelated to the socioeconomic status and the race/ethnicity of students across the four school districts. In contrast, neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status and larger populations of underserved race/ethnicity residents had less tree canopy cover and total GI. Although total GI was more evenly distributed in schoolyards, the extent of tree canopy cover and total GI in schoolyards was lower than that in the neighborhoods. This suggests opportunities for school districts to expand GI in schoolyards, leveraging their potential to increase ecosystem services to all children, from increased educational opportunities to improved mental, physical, and environmental well-being.