Species interactions in green roof vegetation suggest complementary planting mixtures

Heim, Amy; Lundholm, Jeremy

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.07.007

Cited by 49 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Shallow microsites located in depressions acted as localized catchments, quickly becoming saturated while mounded areas of deep substrate saturated slowly. Thus, shallow microsites were wetter immediately after a rain event but lost water more rapidly and experienced dramatic fluctuations in moisture availability, a trend that is not observed when depth is varied but vertical profile of the substrate surface is held constant (Heim & Lundholm, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Empirical testing of a whole‐roof, community response is needed to explore this trend. There is yet little evidence that engineering habitat heterogeneity within the narrow constraints of an extensive green roof can increase plant species diversity (Heim & Lundholm, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By drought week 4, modules with pebble piles harboured significantly more seedlings (122.3 ± 6.2) than controls (89.9 ± 5.9). T A B L E 3 Incident rate ratios from a negative binomial generalized linear model fitted to Atrium green roof mean seedling density data (n = 8, for 12 microsites) and from a Poisson generalized linear model fitted to Atrium green roof mean seedling species richness data (n = 8, for 12 microsites) for June and September 2014; solar radiation (covariate, KWhr/m 2 ) and microsite type (12 level factor) were included in the model; confidence intervals calculated from robust SEs; displayed as IRR (95% confidence interval, CI) (Heim & Lundholm, 2014).…”

Section: Plant Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few studies (but see Bates et al, 2013) have considered the effect of specific heterogeneity treatments, other than variation in substrate depth (Heim & Lundholm, 2014;Van Mechelen, Dutoit, & Hermy, 2015a;Zhang et al, 2014) or composition (Molineux, Gange, Connop, & Newport, 2015), on the environmental conditions and plant dynamics of extensive green roofs. To our knowledge, no studies have considered the effects of specific heterogeneity treatments on seedling establishment and diversity on green roofs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designed habitat heterogeneity on green roofs increases seedling survival but not plant species diversity

Walker

Lundholm

2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Urban areas benefit from the ecosystem services provided by low input green roofs. However, limited substrate depth on these green roofs creates challenging conditions for plant establishment and survival, leading to industry reliance on non‐native succulents. Through a green roof and glasshouse study, we assessed the impact of simple design modifications to the green roof surface, including redistribution of substrate and addition of logs and pebble piles, on both substrate temperature and moisture content. We added seeds of 26 native species and quantified seedling density, species richness and composition over a single growing season. Overall effects of microsite heterogeneity on species diversity were assessed using species accumulation curves. The modifications altered substrate temperature and moisture. Deep substrate (10–12 cm) and the presence of surface features reduced the temperature by 14.6°C and, while surface features had mixed effects on substrate moisture on the green roof, pebble piles slowed moisture loss during a 6‐week drought in the glasshouse. Following drought conditions, seedling density and species richness were greatest, relative to seeded controls, where substrate was deep on the green roof and where pebbles were present in glasshouse modules, despite high mortality overall. Design modifications did not result in differentiation of seedling communities among different microsite types. Species accumulation curves showed no difference in species richness between aggregates of modified vs. unaltered microsites. Synthesis and applications. Redistribution of green roof substrate and the addition of logs and pebble piles altered microsite conditions and created habitat heterogeneity on a green roof. These design modifications represent a minimalist strategy to ameliorate growing conditions, improve seedling survival and decrease species loss on shallow substrate green roofs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plant Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designed habitat heterogeneity on green roofs increases seedling survival but not plant species diversity

Walker

Lundholm

2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…An increasing number of studies aim to investigate the use of locally occurring native plant communities on green roofs (Butler et al, 2012;Heim & Lundholm, 2014;Simmons, 2015). Interpreting the phylogenetic community structure of species pools adapted to local microclimatic conditions that are similar to those experienced on green roofs, depending on spatial and temporal scale (Kraft, Cornwell, Webb, & Ackerly, 2007), could inform ecological design (Lundholm, 2006;MacIvor, Margolis, et al, 2016;MacIvor, Cadotte, et al, 2016).…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manipulating plant phylogenetic diversity for green roof ecosystem service delivery

MacIvor

Sookhan

Arnillas

et al. 2018

Evolutionary Applications

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Plant species and functional trait diversity have each been shown to improve green roof services. Species and trait differences that contribute to ecosystem services are the product of past evolutionary change and phylogenetic diversity (PD), which quantifies the relatedness among species within a community. In this study, we present an experimental framework to assess the contribution of plant community PD for green roof ecosystem service delivery, and data from one season that support our hypotheses that PD would be positively correlated with two services: building cooling and rainwater management. Using 28 plant species in 12 families, we created six community combinations with different levels of PD. Each of these communities was replicated at eight green roofs along an elevation gradient, as well as a ground level control. We found that the minimum and mean roof temperature decreased with increasing PD in the plant community. Increasing PD also led to an increase in the volume of rainwater captured, but not the proportion of water lost via evapotranspiration 48 hr following the rain event. Our findings suggest that considering these evolutionary relationships could improve functioning of green infrastructure and we recommend that understanding how to make PD (and other measures of diversity) serviceable for plant selection by practitioners will improve the effectiveness of design and ecosystem service delivery. Lastly, since no two green roof sites are the same and can vary tremendously in microclimate conditions, our study illustrates the importance of including multiple independent sites in studies of green roof performance.

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Stress‐gradient framework for green roofs: Applications for urban agriculture and other ecosystem services

Rolhauser

MacIvor

Roberto

et al. 2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Green roofs are promoted to contribute to more resilient cities by enhancing urban ecosystem services and food systems. Extensive, low‐maintenance green roofs experience frequent environmental stresses, which reduce plant survival and growth. Stress‐tolerant plants are therefore used to sustain well‐established services, such as building temperature regulation. However, transitioning extensive green roofs to provide other key urban services, such as food production, involves less tolerant plant species. Although facilitation exerted by stress‐tolerant species (nurses) has been proposed to improve the performance of stress‐intolerant species (protégés) in extensive green roofs, the conditions under which facilitation could occur are not well understood. Therefore, a comprehensive framework is needed that integrates current knowledge on how the performance of protégé species is affected by nurse plants across stress conditions. We present a framework for green roof research that results in a linear model that integrates (i) modern trait–environment theory and (ii) facilitation ecology in a refined stress‐gradient hypothesis (SGH) originally developed following study of other stressful environments. The model makes testable predictions on how phenotypic traits mediate the performance response of protégé species to nurse plants along stress gradients in extensive green roofs. This is not only useful for the analysis of eco‐physiological performance measures directly linked with multifunctionality and ecosystem services, but also demographic or ‘vital’ rates that drive species persistence and plant community maintenance. We discuss a range of applications related to key agricultural and ecological questions arising from contemporary extensive green roof research, such as enhancing conditions for crop production, weed management, plant invasions and biodiversity conservation. We also provide guidelines for the generation of appropriate data and for fitting this model using readily available statistical procedures. Our framework will allow researchers to assess under which environmental conditions nurse–protégé interactions are feasible. We expect the findings from such research to help develop strategies and guidelines for managing environmental conditions that optimize protégé performances that ultimately affect the delivery of ecosystem services in constructed urban green spaces.

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Species interactions in green roof vegetation suggest complementary planting mixtures

Cited by 49 publications

References 32 publications

Designed habitat heterogeneity on green roofs increases seedling survival but not plant species diversity

Designed habitat heterogeneity on green roofs increases seedling survival but not plant species diversity

Manipulating plant phylogenetic diversity for green roof ecosystem service delivery

Stress‐gradient framework for green roofs: Applications for urban agriculture and other ecosystem services

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