Squirrels in suburbia: influence of urbanisation on the occurrence and distribution of a common exotic mammal

Bonnington, Colin; Gaston, Kevin J.; Evans, Karl L.

doi:10.1007/s11252-013-0331-2

Cited by 46 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…These data were obtained in 2010 from 140 sampling points selected using a random stratified design with regard to the amount of green space as described by Bonnington et al. (in press). We thus consider that our calculations provide a reasonably robust estimate of relative temporal change in tree biomass.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

110 Years of change in urban tree stocks and associated carbon storage

Díaz-Porras

Gaston

Evans

2014

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding the long-term dynamics of urban vegetation is essential in determining trends in the provision of key resources for biodiversity and ecosystem services and improving their management. Such studies are, however, extremely scarce due to the lack of suitable historical data. We use repeat historical photographs from the 1900s, 1950s, and 2010 to assess general trends in the quantity and size distributions of the tree stock in urban Sheffield and resultant aboveground carbon storage. Total tree numbers declined by a third from the 1900s to the 1950s, but increased by approximately 50% from the 1900s–2010, and by 100% from the 1950s–2010. Aboveground carbon storage in urban tree stocks had doubled by 2010 from the levels present in the 1900s and 1950s. The initial decrease occurred at a time when national and regional tree stocks were static and are likely to be driven by rebuilding following bombing of the urban area during the Second World War and by urban expansion. In 2010, trees greater than 10 m in height comprised just 8% of those present. The increases in total tree numbers are thus largely driven by smaller trees and are likely to be associated with urban tree planting programmes. Changes in tree stocks were not constant across the urban area but varied with the current intensity of urbanization. Increases from 1900 to 2010 in total tree stocks, and smaller sized trees, tended to be greatest in the most intensely urbanized areas. In contrast, the increases in the largest trees were more marked in areas with the most green space. These findings emphasize the importance of preserving larger fragments of urban green space to protect the oldest and largest trees that contribute disproportionately to carbon storage and other ecosystem services. Maintaining positive trends in urban tree stocks and associated ecosystem service provision will require continued investment in urban tree planting programmes in combination with additional measures, such as revisions to tree preservation orders, to increase the retention of such trees as they mature.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

110 Years of change in urban tree stocks and associated carbon storage

Díaz-Porras

Gaston

Evans

2014

Ecology and Evolution

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“…It was brought in primarily as an 'ornamental' addition to parks and gardens, and has since then become naturalised and invasive in many parts of its introduced range. Grey squirrels remain popular visitors to urban and suburban gardens and park landscapes (Bonnington et al, 2014); indeed, in some areas they are one of few urban mammals people might encounter. There are therefore both potential and realised social conflicts surrounding management or eradication initiatives (which normally involve extensive lethal control -a form of management which leads to negative perceptions of control and support for IAS based on many individuals value systems).…”

Section: Box 4: Case Study Of Grey Squirrelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining people's perceptions of invasive alien species: A conceptual framework

Shackleton

Richardson

Shackleton

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental Management

239

227

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Human perceptions of nature and the environment are increasingly being recognised as important for environmental management and conservation. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for understanding behaviour and developing effective management strategies to maintain, preserve and improve biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. As an interdisciplinary team, we produced a synthesis of the key factors that influence people's perceptions of invasive alien species, and ordered them in a conceptual framework. In a context of considerable complexity and variation across time and space, we identified six broad-scale dimensions: (1) attributes of the individual perceiving the invasive alien species; (2) characteristics of the invasive alien species itself; (3) effects of the invasion (including negative and positive impacts, i.e. benefits and costs); (4) socio-cultural context; (5) landscape context; and (6) institutional and policy context. A number of underlying and facilitating aspects for each of these six overarching dimensions are also identified and discussed. Synthesising and understanding the main factors that influence people's perceptions is useful to guide future research, to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between actors, and to aid management and policy formulation and governance of invasive alien species. This can help to circumvent and mitigate conflicts, support prioritisation plans, improve stakeholder engagement platforms, and implement control measures.

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“…The lack of preference for coniferous trees along squirrel steps in our urban study area may be due to the very small proportion of coniferous trees in city of Turku. In studies of habitat use of squirrels in urban landscapes, it has been observed that squirrels favor green, forested areas (Bonnington, Gaston, & Evans, ; Hämäläinen, Fey, & Selonen, ). In our study, urban red squirrels moved in closer proximity to buildings than it would be expected at random, although when considering mean values of squirrel routes and random routes, without taking into account squirrel individuals, the result was the opposite (Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

Hämäläinen

Fey

Selonen

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Landscape structure can affect dispersal and gene flow in a species. In urban areas, buildings, roads, and small habitat patches make the landscape highly fragmented and can inhibit movement and affect dispersal behavior. Similarly, in rural forested areas, large open areas, such as fields, may act as barriers to movement. We studied how landscape structure affects natal dispersal distances of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in an urban area and a rural area in Finland, by monitoring juvenile red squirrels with radio telemetry. We observed extremely long dispersal distances—up to 16 km—in the rural study area, but shorter distances—on average only half a kilometer—in the urban study area. The landscape structure affected the eventual dispersal paths; in the rural landscape, dispersers favored spruce dominated areas and avoided fields along their dispersal route, although they occasionally even crossed wide fields. In the urban landscape, squirrels preferred areas with deciduous or coniferous trees. The movement steps made by dispersers were longer in the more hostile landscape compared to forested areas. Despite these effects on movement path, the landscape structure only had a minor effect on straight line dispersal distances moved from the natal nest. In other words, individuals moved longer distances and were likely to circumvent barriers in their path, but this did not affect how far they settled from their natal home. This result indicates that, although landscape structure has obvious effects on movement, it still may have only a small effect on other aspects of the population, for example, gene flow.

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Squirrels in suburbia: influence of urbanisation on the occurrence and distribution of a common exotic mammal

Cited by 46 publications

References 41 publications

110 Years of change in urban tree stocks and associated carbon storage

110 Years of change in urban tree stocks and associated carbon storage

Explaining people's perceptions of invasive alien species: A conceptual framework

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

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