Novel resources: opportunities for and risks to species conservation

Valentine, Leonie E.; Ramalho, Cristina E.; Mata, Luis; Craig, Michael; Kennedy, Patricia L.; Hobbs, Richard J.

doi:10.1002/fee.2255

Cited by 26 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…While we have emphasized the critical role of indigenous plants, we have also shown that indigenous insects are being found in association with a wide array of regionally native and nonnative plants. Thus, our study supports the idea that urban environments facilitate novel resource utilization by indigenous insects (Padovani et al 2020, Valentine et al 2020). Future experimental work on this topic is needed to clarify to what extent these associations reflect host shifting patterns unique to urban environments and to fully understand the opportunities and risks provided by novel urban resources.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Urban environments are central nodes of human‐mediated dispersal networks (Bullock et al 2018) and hotspots of novel resource utilization (Valentine et al 2020), such that introduced species are often prominent (Cadotte et al 2017, Paap et al 2017). The number of introduced insect species can be relatively low (Uno et al 2010, Madre et al 2013, Mata et al 2017), but they often occur in high abundance and this is especially the case for generalist ants, bees, and butterflies (Connor et al 2002, Matteson and Langellotto 2010, Uno et al 2010, Threlfall et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

Mata

Andersen

Morán‐Ordóñez

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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The contribution of urban greenspaces to support biodiversity and provide benefits for people is increasingly recognized. However, ongoing management practices favor vegetation oversimplification, often limiting greenspaces to lawns and tree canopy rather than multi-layered vegetation that includes under-and midstorey, and the use of nonnative species. These practices hinder the potential of greenspaces to sustain indigenous biodiversity, particularly for taxa like insects that rely on plants for food and habitat. Yet, little is known about which plant species may maximize positive outcomes for taxonomically and functionally diverse insect communities in greenspaces. Additionally, while cities are expected to experience high rates of introductions, quantitative assessments of the relative occupancy of indigenous vs. introduced insect species in greenspace are rare, hindering understanding of how management may promote indigenous biodiversity while limiting the establishment of introduced insects. Using a hierarchically replicated study design across 15 public parks, we recorded occurrence data from 552 insect species on 133 plant species, differing in planting design element (lawn, midstorey, and tree canopy), midstorey growth form (forbs, lilioids, graminoids, and shrubs) and origin (nonnative, native, and indigenous), to assess (1) the relative contributions of indigenous and introduced insect species and (2) which plant species sustained the highest number of indigenous insects. We found that the insect community was overwhelmingly composed of indigenous rather than introduced species. Our findings further highlight the core role of multi-layered vegetation in sustaining high insect biodiversity in urban areas, with indigenous midstorey and canopy representing key elements to maintain rich and functionally diverse indigenous insect communities. Intriguingly, graminoids supported the highest indigenous insect richness across all studied growth forms by plant origin groups. Our work highlights the opportunity presented by indigenous understory and midstorey plants, particularly indigenous graminoids, in our study area to promote indigenous insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces. Our study provides a blueprint and stimulus for architects, engineers, developers, designers, and planners to incorporate into their practice plant species palettes that foster a larger presence of indigenous over regionally native or nonnative plant species, while incorporating a broader mixture of midstorey growth forms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

Mata

Andersen

Morán‐Ordóñez

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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“…Whereas close ecological interactions might be lost due to the introduction of exotic species (e.g. lack of seed dispersal by native species due to predation by exotic ones), others may arise when these species permeate food chains by providing new resources (Harvey et al, 2010; Pearson & Callaway, 2003; Valentine et al, 2020). Generalist and mobile species can partially cope with habitat changes and periods of native food shortage by consuming exotic resources (Kremen et al, 2007; Muñoz et al, 2007; Páez et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel food resources and conservation of ecological interactions between the Andean Araucaria and the Austral parakeet

Blanco

Romero-Vidal

Tella

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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In fragile ecosystems, the introduction of exotic species could alter some ecological processes. The Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineous) shows close ecological and evolutionary relationships with the Andean Araucaria (Araucaria araucana), so any alteration in these interactions may have negative consequences for both partners and for ecosystem functioning and structure. We conducted extensive roadside surveys to estimate the abundance of parakeets in the northern Patagonian Andes over 4 years and recorded the food plants consumed by foraging flocks. The use of native habitats and humanized areas like villages and farms was influenced by the Araucaria seed crop. In masting years, the large seed crop allowed a massive use of this resource during the non-breeding season, and even during the breeding season. The exploitation of exotic plants was minor in the masting year, but became predominant in non-masting years, especially during the non-breeding season. This feeding switch towards exotic plants primarily arose because the low Araucaria seed crop in nonmasting years is entirely consumed just after production by domestic and wild exotic mammals living in Araucaria forests year-round, thus forcing the displacement of parakeets towards anthropic habitats to exploit exotic plants. Given the degradation of the remaining Andean Araucaria forests due to the impact of exotic mammals on the ecological interaction between Araucaria and Austral parakeets, ambitious programs to exclude or reduce the density of these alien mammals, including livestock, are warranted.

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“…Biotic filters may have equally important, if not greater effects on invertebrate communities (see Kraft et al 2015). The high proportion of non-native plant species in urban areas results in novel resources available to urban forest invertebrates and may influence trophic and non-trophic interactions in these ecosystems (Valentine et al 2020). For instance, non-native trees as sources of organic matter for invertebrates have the potential to influence the community assembly of collembolans (Raymond- Leonard et al 2018) and mites (Malloch et al 2020), and ultimately, litter decomposition rates (Makkonen et al 2012; but see Finerty et al 2016).…”

Section: Filters Acting On Urban Forest Invertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban forest invertebrates: how they shape and respond to the urban environment

et al. 2022

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Invertebrates comprise the most diversified animal group on Earth. Due to their long evolutionary history and small size, invertebrates occupy a remarkable range of ecological niches, and play an important role as “ecosystem engineers” by structuring networks of mutualistic and antagonistic ecological interactions in almost all terrestrial ecosystems. Urban forests provide critical ecosystem services to humans, and, as in other systems, invertebrates are central to structuring and maintaining the functioning of urban forests. Identifying the role of invertebrates in urban forests can help elucidate their importance to practitioners and the public, not only to preserve biodiversity in urban environments, but also to make the public aware of their functional importance in maintaining healthy greenspaces. In this review, we examine the multiple functional roles that invertebrates play in urban forests that contribute to ecosystem service provisioning, including pollination, predation, herbivory, seed and microorganism dispersal and organic matter decomposition, but also those that lead to disservices, primarily from a public health perspective, e.g., transmission of invertebrate-borne diseases. We then identify a number of ecological filters that structure urban forest invertebrate communities, such as changes in habitat structure, increased landscape imperviousness, microclimatic changes and pollution. We also discuss the complexity of ways that forest invertebrates respond to urbanisation, including acclimation, local extinction and evolution. Finally, we present management recommendations to support and conserve viable and diverse urban forest invertebrate populations into the future.

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Novel resources: opportunities for and risks to species conservation

Cited by 26 publications

References 54 publications

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

Indigenous plants promote insect biodiversity in urban greenspaces

Novel food resources and conservation of ecological interactions between the Andean Araucaria and the Austral parakeet

Urban forest invertebrates: how they shape and respond to the urban environment

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