Living in the concrete jungle: carnivore spatial ecology in urban parks

Gámez, Siria; Harris, Nyeema C.

doi:10.1101/2020.06.09.142935

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Human activity results in the spatial aggregation of ecological communities throughout the urban environment (Cox et al, 2018; Gámez & Harris, 2021). Similarly, in non‐urban areas, birds with desirable traits are often spatially associated with certain environmental features of the landscape (Echeverri et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species traits explain public perceptions of human–bird interactions

Andrade

Larson

Franklin

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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The impacts of urbanization on bird biodiversity depend on human–environment interactions that drive land management. Although a commonly studied group, less attention has been given to public perceptions of birds close to home, which can capture people's direct, everyday experiences with urban biodiversity. Here, we used ecological and social survey data collected in the metropolitan region of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, to determine how species traits are related to people's perceptions of local bird communities. We used a trait‐based approach to classify birds by attributes that may influence human–bird interactions, including color, size, foraging strata, diet, song, and cultural niche space based on popularity and geographic specificity. Our classification scheme using hierarchical clustering identified four trait categories, labeled as Metropolitan (gray, loud, seedeaters foraging low to ground), Familiar (yellow/brown generalist species commonly present in suburban areas), Distinctive (species with distinguishing appearance and song), and Hummingbird (hummingbird species, small and colorful). Strongly held beliefs about positive or negative traits were also more consistent than ambivalent ones. The belief that birds were colorful and unique to the regional desert environment was particularly important in fortifying perceptions. People largely perceived hummingbird species and birds with distinctive traits positively. Similarly, urban‐dwelling birds from the metropolitan trait group were related to negative perceptions, probably due to human–wildlife conflict. Differences arose across sociodemographics (including income, age, education, and Hispanic/Latinx identity), but explained a relatively low amount of variation in perceptions compared with the bird traits present in the neighborhood. Our results highlight how distinctive aesthetics, especially color and song, as well as traits related to foraging and diet drive perceptions. Increasing people's direct experiences with iconic species tied to the region and species with distinguishing attributes has the potential to improve public perceptions and strengthen support for broader conservation initiatives in and beyond urban ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species traits explain public perceptions of human–bird interactions

Andrade

Larson

Franklin

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Even in the absence of predator loss, humans may modify the cascading impacts of predators on landscape heterogeneity (Darimont et al 2015, Yovovich et al 2021). However, some predators and herbivores adapt well to urban and suburban areas (Gámez and Harris 2021, Suraci et al 2021), and disentangling how and where human activities impact animal–plant–soil feedbacks will be an important next step toward understanding animal effects on biogeochemistry at landscape scales.…”

Section: Toward Conceptual Integration Of Predator–prey Dynamics and ...mentioning

confidence: 99%