Comparing the transpirational and shading effects of two contrasting urban tree species Abstract Urban trees are getting increasing attention as a tool to mitigate urban heat island effects. A more functional and quantitative view of transpirational and shading effect, particularly the magnitude of both surface and air cooling potential can further strengthen motivations for urban tree planting. We investigated the transpirational and the surface cooling potential of two contrasting tree species in Munich, Germany: ring porous Robinia pseudoacacia L. and diffuse porous Tilia cordata Mill. Throughout the summer 2016 we monitored meteorological and edaphic variables and tree sap-flow along with the air temperature within and outside tree shade at different heights. With 30% higher leaf area index (LAI), double sap-flux density and sapwood area, T. cordata trees showed three times higher transpiration compared to the R. pseudoacacia. Consequently, T. cordata trees showed higher within canopy air cooling effect. Surface cooling (∆Tshade) were higher under the denser canopies of T. cordata compared to R. pseudoacacia for asphalt surfaces but ∆Tshade for grass surfaces were not significantly different under the canopies of two species. Linear regression indicated a decrease in grass surface temperature of 3 °C with every unit of LAI but for asphalt, the reduction in surface temperature was about 6 °C. Additionally, higher water using efficiencies of R. pseudoacacia coupled with higher soil moisture and radiation probably increased the grass evapotranspiration and subsequently showed positive relationship with the near ground air cooling. Therefore, species with higher canopy density might be preferred over asphalt surfaces but low water using species with lower canopy density could be chosen over grass surfaces.

Window strikes: bird collisions in a Neotropical green city Abstract Window strikes are among the most worrisome causes of bird mortality. Being responsible for billions of avian deaths, bird-window collisions have been widely studied in the US and Canada, with few studies from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Thus, there is still a dearth of knowledge regarding this alarming phenomenon in regions where biodiversity and urbanization peek, such as Latin America. In this study, we assessed bird-window collisions in Xalapa, a small-to-medium-sized Neotropical city located in Southeast Mexico. We gathered data under two schemes: (1) a standardized survey procedure and (2) non-systematic records. Regarding the former, we evaluated the role of building and surrounding vegetation traits, as well as the location of focal buildings in driving bird-window collisions. Considering both schemes, we recorded bird-window collisions for 43 species. The most frequent striking groups were hummingbirds and thrushes, which had already been identified as vulnerable given some of their natural and life history traits. Regarding the standardized survey, we found no statistical differences in the number of collisions among seasons; yet, we did record a predominance of strikes from resident bird species over migrants among all studied seasons. Our results show a significant positive relationship between the amount of surrounding vegetation area of the studied buildings and bird-window collision frequency, while building non-glass material area showed a significant negative relationship. Based on our findings and the limitations of our study, we encourage future research to combine systematic and standard surveys throughout the year with citizen science, together with carcass removal assessments and bird density surveys in the immediate vicinity of focal buildings.

Resident status influences perceptions about beach resource valuation and restoration Abstract Sandy beaches represent typical destinations for recreation and tourism worldwide, as well as being a lifestyle for people living along the shore. In the Northeastern United States coastal environments are build-up and overexploited, threatening both ecosystem integrity and coastal communities. Following hurricane Sandy, the US government funded a number of restoration projects aimed at increasing resiliency of coastal ecosystems and human communities. In light of this, research about human perceptions and concerns during a restoration project was conducted to assist in planning and decision making for continued beach restoration and management, including monitoring avian resources. Objectives were to determine if there were differences among permanent coastal residents, part-time residents (summer), and non-residents (tourists) concerning visitation to the beach, knowledge about the restoration project, birds using the beach, and ratings of ecological resources and beach management options. There were no differences in knowledge of the bird species that were endangered nor in the conservation projects aimed at protecting birds as a function of resident status. People were aware of the roped-off nesting areas, but less aware of the conservation areas or even stewards on the beach. However, permanent residents were significantly more aware of the protective signage and that dogs were not allowed on the beach than others. Less than half of the people knew about the recent restoration project, and part-time residents were more aware of building up the dunes and creating nesting habitat, and less aware of dredging, beach replenishment and habitat restoration than other types of residents. When asked to rate different protection values, there were no differences for protecting the environment, but non-residents rated protecting birds, protecting endangered species, and providing conservation information to the public higher than others, and part-time residents rated predator control higher than others. This information can be used to target different segments of the beach-using community, particularly to residents on the importance of their local beach to protection of the environment, endangered species, and birds.

Seasonality in recreation supply and demand in an urban lake ecosystem in Finland Abstract Monetary valuation methods are commonly used to analyze recreation values of water ecosystems. However, most studies on water-related recreation values have not analyzed direct links between ecological elements providing recreation opportunities and user demands. Therefore, we implemented an ecosystem service approach to study human-nature interaction during the actual recreation visit to an urban freshwater site. We developed a conceptual model of local cultural ecosystem services (CES) to study interactions between recreation supply and demand. We were interested in seasonality of water-related recreation supply, and the different demands of summer and off-summer visitors. We chose urban Lake Kuusijärvi in the city of Vantaa, Finland, as our case study area, because it is a popular outdoor recreation area around the year. We identified 14 key elements of the supply of local CES and 22 socio-cultural values for the demand for local CES. We found little seasonal change in recreation supply, but the socio-demographic characteristics and demands of summer and off-summer visitors varied significantly. Demand was higher and more diverse during the summer season, while off-summer visitors were more specific in their demands. Moreover, some visitors feared that some socio-cultural values can be lost if the recreational use of the lake area increases. We discuss our findings in a theoretical context focusing especially on interactions between supply and demand of local CES at Lake Kuusijärvi.

Effects of park size, peri-urban forest spillover, and environmental filtering on diversity, structure, and morphology of ant assemblages in urban park Abstract Urban parks are likely the last green areas to preserve fauna diversity in urban ecosystems. We predicted that 1) species richness and ant diversity would increase with increasing park size, and species richness and ant diversity would be inversely related to distance from a peri-urban forest. 2) Larger ants would be predictably prevalent in less-complex habitats but the reverse should be true for small ants. The study was conducted in 47 parks of varying size located in Taichung City, Taiwan. In total, 14,324 ant individuals from 50 morphospecies and 22 genera were collected. No relationship between ant diversity and distance from a peri-urban forest. No significant clustering in functional composition with increasing park size and distance from a peri-urban forest. However, urban ant diversity marginally increased with increasing park size. Larger parks, characterize by heterogeneous fine-scale habitats, had the highest ant species and abundance of ants. The prevalences of opportunist, generalised myrmicinae (GM), and cryptic ant species were linked to increased soil moisture, number of tree species, and leaf litter depth. The positive association between GM and the number of trash bins. Our finding disproved the size-grain hypothesis, but hotter ground surface favored the presence of long-legged ants. The significant association between head width, inter-eye distance, eye width, and environmental variables such as understory vegetation cover, leaf litter depth, and soil temperature suggest that predaceous ants might be prevalent in heterogeneous fine-scale local microhabitats. In conclusion, our study evidenced the importance of heterogeneous fine-scale habitats in urban park to biodiversity.

Evaluating the effects of canine urine on urban soil microbial communities Abstract Due to extensive areas of impermeable surfaces, combined sewer overflow (CSO) is currently a major problem in urban areas across the United States. In CSO systems, sewage can travel through underground pipes to be decontaminated in treatment facilities, or it can combine with stormwater after a precipitation event and discharge into local waterways. Many cities are implementing green infrastructure installations, which use vegetation and bioactive soil microbial communities to enhance soil water-holding capacity, thereby minimizing CSO events. Understanding the factors that structure soil microbial communities in green infrastructure will facilitate more effective management of these engineered ecosystems; however, few studies to date have evaluated ecological patterns and processes of microbes in the urban environment. Nitrogen loading is known to be a major factor structuring fungi and bacteria in non-urban soils, and since cities also contain large populations of canines, N-rich urine deposition is a potential factor that could be important for structuring soil microbes in ground-level green infrastructure installations. Our study investigated the effects of canine urine on the urban soil microbial communities in a greenhouse experiment by treating Liriope muscari, a common plant found in New York City green infrastructure, with different concentrations of canine urine for 4 weeks in an experimental setting. We found that urine application significantly decreased total soil microbial biomass and microbial richness, and increased water runoff volume. These findings indicate that canine urine may have negative consequences for soil water-holding capacity and nutrient cycling in urban green infrastructure installations by directly decreasing the abundance and richness of soil microbial communities.

Appropriate management practices help enhance odonate species richness of small ponds in peri-urban landscapes Abstract Adult odonate biodiversity was investigated to understand their relationship with pond management practices and environmental conditions in a rapidly urbanized landscape. Twenty-four farm ponds in Taoyuan City were selected and classified into five pond groups based on pond management practices. In total, 21 species, 17 genera, and 6 families of odonates were recorded for a total of 5701 individuals between June 2014 and July 2015. The abundance of Odonata was unrelated to pond size or distance to the nearest pond; however, odonate species richness was negatively and significantly correlated with pond size. Pond management practices considerably affected pond aquatic macrophytes and dike construction materials. Ecology park ponds under intense human management and undisturbed ponds without any human management had higher species richness than did the ponds in the other three fish farming groups. Species richness was highest in small and human-modified ponds. By contrast, species richness was lowest in two fish farming pond groups. These results suggest that pond management practices can increase or reduce odonate species richness depending on the alteration of pond microhabitat features. Our observations suggest that the enhanced habitat quality of small ponds provides an opportunity to protect freshwater biodiversity for local governmental civil servants in urbanized landscapes.

Relationship of bird richness, abundance and assemblage to the built environment in a small island tropical urban setting: a Suva, Fiji case study Abstract There have been few studies investigating the relationship between the built environment and the status of bird distributions in small island tropical urban areas. We present a study investigating the relationship between bird species richness, abundance and assemblage to the built environment in Suva, Fiji. Field surveys were taken at 54 randomly selected sites throughout the city, stratified by three building density classes and the central business district (CBD). At each site bird counts were recorded, along with environmental data such as average building height, within a 150 m radius. Land-use information was obtained from screen digitized high-resolution satellite imagery within the same radius. Distance to undeveloped patches of land within the urban area was calculated using a GIS. Analysis of the effects of the built environment was carried out for all species, and for exotic and native species separately. Abundance of exotics was significantly higher in the central business district (CBD) than all other urban density classes, and significantly higher than natives in all other density classes. We found a negative relationship between native species richness and distance to undeveloped patches, but no relationship for exotics. Species assemblage was not related to urban density class. We conclude that the status of native and exotic bird species in Suva is similar to what has been found in urban areas in temperate climates, and conservation efforts should focus on minimizing the amount of heavily urbanized “core areas” and protecting undeveloped areas of forested vegetation to improve bird biodiversity in small tropical islands cities.

Escape in the city: urbanization alters the escape behavior of Anolis lizards Abstract Behavioral adjustments may allow organisms to cope with the drastic environmental change caused by urbanization. We compared the escape behavior of Anolis lizards during simulated predator approaches on trees in both urban and forest habitats and on artificial structures (i.e., cement walls and metal posts) in urban areas. We found that urban lizards were less wary on trees, likely due at least in part to habituation to humans. In contrast, lizards on cement walls showed greater wariness, which may reflect a behavioral modification when escaping because of poor locomotor performance on this substrate. In both habitats, lizards modulated escape responses in ways consistent with their performance abilities on the various substrates. Escape by jumping decreased when lizards used wider and more isolated perches, which are characteristic of urban sites. Urban lizards squirreled (i.e., moved to the opposite side of a structure) more on wider trees and metal posts, and sprinted more but never jumped from cement walls. These behavioral responses for predator escape are consistent with the structural habitat changes caused by urbanization. Urban habitats had larger diameter trees, sparser ground vegetation, and many artificial structures. We found that urban lizards showed behavioral modulations because of exposure to humans as well as the locomotor constraints of using some artificial structures, such as cement walls. The ability of urban lizards to alter their escape responses and adjust to novel features of the habitat may be important traits of species able to colonize and persist in urban areas.

Barriers to green infrastructure development and planning in two Ethiopian cities: Bahir Dar and Hawassa Abstract Barriers negatively affect green infrastructure (GI) planning and sustainable development of urban areas. The aim of this study is to analyze the major barriers to GI development and planning in Bahir Dar and Hawassa cities in Ethiopia. Qualitative data collected from focus group discussion (FGD) and key informant interview (KII) while quantitative data gathered using structured survey questionnaire. The result shows that, among the listed barriers, in Bahir Dar structural, capacity and technical barriers are the leading barriers, while in Hawassa structural, capacity and contextual or technical barriers came in the forefront that constrain GI planning and sustainable urban development.