Plant native: comparing biodiversity benefits, ecosystem services provisioning, and plant performance of native and non-native plants in urban horticulture

Abstract

Plant species used in urban horticulture are frequently non-native despite evidence that urban areas are regular points of introduction, often leading to invasions and negative impacts on biodiversity. Many horticulturalists assert that non-native plants are more successful and provide equal or greater habitat and ecosystem services than native plants. However, little research has compared native and non-native plants in urban systems. We present here a systematic literature review, using the PRISMA methodology, to assess three questions: (1) Is there a difference between native and non-native plants in their ability to support faunal biodiversity in urban green spaces? (2) Is there a difference between native and non-native plants in their provisioning of urban ecosystem services? 3)Do non-native species outperform natives in urban environments in terms of survival, growth, and fitness? We extracted data from 165 total papers. One hundred and twenty studies found that native plants outperform non-native plants on the response metric evaluated in the study, 57 demonstrated mixed impacts, 56 demonstrated no differences among plant origin, and 26 found non-native plants outperformed native plants. We found overwhelming evidence that native plants support higher faunal abundance and diversity than non-native plants in urban landscapes. Relatively few studies examined ecosystem services and plant performance, but we found that native plants support higher levels and diversity of ecosystem services and that many native plants can be used for horticulture, that is, they will survive and thrive in urban conditions. Native plants provide multiple ecosystem functions in urban greenspaces, supporting urban biodiversity and provisioning ecosystem services than non-native plant species and should be prioritized in urban horticulture activities.