ContextAs urban areas increase in extent globally, domestic yards play an increasingly important role as potential contributors to ecosystem services and well-being. These benefits largely depend on the plant species richness and composition of yards.ObjectivesWe aim to determine the factors that drive plant species richness and phylogenetic composition of cultivated and spontaneous flora in urban yards at the continental scale, and how these potential drivers interact.MethodsWe analyzed plant species richness and phylogenetic composition of cultivated and spontaneous flora of 117 private yards from six major metropolitan areas in the US. Yard plant species richness and phylogenetic composition were expressed as a function of biophysical and socioeconomic variables and yard characteristics using linear mixed-effects models and spatially explicit structural equation modeling.ResultsExtreme temperatures largely determined yard species richness and phylogenetic composition at the continental scale. Precipitation positively predicted spontaneous richness but negatively predicted cultivated richness. Only the phylogenetic composition of the spontaneous flora was associated with precipitation. The effect of lower temperatures and precipitation on all yard diversity parameters was partly mediated by yard area. Among various socioeconomic variables, only education level showed a significant effect on cultivated phylogenetic composition.ConclusionsOur results support the hypothesis that irrigation compensates for precipitation in driving cultivated yard plant diversity at the continental scale. Socioeconomic variables among middle and upper class families have no apparent influence on yard diversity. These findings inform the adaptation of US urban vegetation in cities in the face of global change.
1.Univ Minnesota, Dept Ecol Evolut & Behav, 1479 Gortner Ave, St Paul, MN 55108 USA 2.Univ Utah, Dept Biol, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 USA 3.Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Earth & Planetary Sci, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA 4.Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL 60532 USA 5.Arizona State Univ, Sch Geog Sci & Urban Planning, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA 6.Arizona State Univ, Sch Sustainabil, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA 7.Arizona State Univ, Sch Life Sci, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA 8.CUNY, Grad Ctr, Adv Sci Res Ctr, New York, NY 10031 USA 9.Cary Inst Ecosyst Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545 USA 10.Univ Delaware, Dept Plant & Soil Sci, Newark, DE 19716 USA 11.Virginia Tech, Dept Crop & Soil Environm Sci, Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA 12.US Forest Serv, Baltimore Field Stn, USDA, Baltimore, MD 21228 USA 13.Woods Hole Res Ctr, Falmouth, MA 02540 USA
Recommended Citation:
Cubino, Josep Padulles,Cavender-Bares, Jeannine,Hobbie, Sarah E.,et al. Drivers of plant species richness and phylogenetic composition in urban yards at the continental scale[J]. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY,2019-01-01,34(1):63-77