10.5061/DRYAD.S1RN8PK4V
Planchuelo, Greg
0000-0003-0760-5478
Technical University of Berlin
Kowarik, Ingo
Technical University of Berlin
von der Lippe, Moritz
Technical University of Berlin
Plant traits, biotopes and urbanization dynamics explain the survival of
endangered urban plant populations
Dryad
dataset
2020
endangered plant species
plant traits
population monitoring
population persistence
Urban ecosystems
urbanization changes
anthropogenic biotopes
Hans Böckler Foundation
https://ror.org/022b5tw91
398226
2020-05-04T00:00:00Z
2020-05-04T00:00:00Z
en
171886 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. With accelerating urbanization, the urban contribution to biodiversity
conservation becomes increasingly important. Previous research shows that
cities can host many endangered plant species. However, fundamental
questions for urban nature conservation remain open: to what extent and
where can endangered plant species persist in the long term and which
mechanisms underlie population survival? 2. We evaluate the survival of
858 precisely monitored populations of 179 endangered plant species in
Berlin, Germany, by assessing population survival throughout different
urban ecosystems over a period of 7.6 years on average. By linking
population survival to various landscape variables and plant traits, we
unravel the underlying drivers. 3. More than one third of populations went
extinct during the observation period. Population survival was inversely
correlated to the increase of impervious surfaces in the vicinity
following the first 11 years after the fall of the Berlin wall.
Additionally, populations in semi-natural habitats like forests and bogs
were surprisingly more prone to local extinction than populations in
anthropogenic habitats. Survival was highest for competitive species with
a preference for drier soils (Ellenberg indicator for soil humidity). 4.
Synthesis and applications. Considerable levels of local population
extinction demonstrate that the presence of endangered plants cannot be
directly linked with their long-term survival in cities. However the
survival of remaining populations indicates opportunities for urban
biodiversity conservation both within and outside conservation areas. The
elucidated links between population survival, urbanization dynamics,
biotope class, and species traits support urban conservation strategies
that reduce the proportion of impervious surface, prioritize conservation
management in forests and grasslands and explore the opportunities of
green spaces and built up areas.
The population monitoring data was provided by Justus Meißner and the
Stiftung Naturschutz Berlin, as part of their Berliner Florenschutzkonzept
programme. The biotope and urbanisation data was provided by Berlin’s
Senate Department of Urban Development and Environment, as part of the
Berlin Environmental Atlas and the Berlin Social Urban Development
Monitoring. Data on plaint traits was gathered from the BIOFLOR database.
For information about the units used for each variable, and how each
variable was used in the statistical models, please consult the Appendix
of the original publication.