Urbanization poses important environmental, social, and ecological pressures, representing a major threat to biodiversity. However, urban areas are highly heterogeneous, with some greenspaces (e.g., urban forests, parks, private gardens) providing resources and a refuge for wildlife communities. In this study we surveyed 10 taxonomic groups to assess their species richness and composition in six greenspaces that differ in size, location, management, and human activities. Species richness differed among taxonomic groups, but not all differed statistically among the studied greenspaces (i.e., sac fungi, bats). Plants, basidiomycetous and sac fungi, and birds showed intermediate assemblage composition similarity (<54%). The composition of assemblages of copro-necrophagous beetles, grasshoppers, amphibians, and bats was related to the specific traits of greenspaces, mainly size and location. The species richness contribution of each greenspace considering all studied taxonomic groups was highest in the largest greenspace that is located at the southeastern border of the city, while the lowest contribution was recorded in the smallest ones, all of them closer to the city's center. Our results shed some light on the way in which different taxonomic groups respond to an array of neotropical urban greenspaces, providing an important basis for future studies.
The growing number of urban ecology studies has raised concern about the importance of comprehending the ecological patterns and processes of urban areas in order to manage and plan them properly. In this study, we performed a rapid descriptive ecological assessment of the biodiversity patterns in a neotropical mid-sized urban area from a multitaxonomic approach, contrasting seven taxonomic groups (i.e., vascular plants, fungi, ants, butterflies, beetles, amphibians, birds) in areas with different degree of urbanization intensity. Results of this study show that diversity patterns differ depending on the taxonomic group; thus, it was not possible to generalize specific trends in species richness, abundance, and species composition because each taxon seems to respond differently to the process or level of urbanization. Our results also highlight the relevance of using multi-taxonomic approaches to understand the relationship between biodiversity and urban environments, and underline potential benefits and limitations of using each of the studied groups when considering rapid biodiversity assessments. Based on our results, we suggest the following recommendations when performing rapid biological assessments in urban areas: evaluate as many taxa as possible, choosing the set of taxonomic groups in relation to the objectives of the study, wide the temporal and spatial survey window as much as possible, focus on several biodiversity measures, and interpreting results cautiously, as rapid assessments do not necessarily reflect ecological patterns, but just part of the history.
Resumen El objetivo del trabajo es incrementar el conocimiento sobre los Pleosporales, grupo de hongos poco conocido en el país. El material estudiado procede principalmente de un bosque mesófilo de montaña de la región central del estado de Veracruz. Se presenta el estudio taxonómico de 4 especies de ascomicetos: Fissuroma aggregata (I. Hino et Katum.) Phookamsak, J.K. Liu, E.B.G. Jones et K.D. Hyde, Immotthia atrograna (Cooke et Ellis) M.E. Barr, Xenolophium applanatum (Petch) Huhndorf y X. guianense Huhndorf, pertenecientes a los géneros Fisuroma, Immotthia y Xenolophium (Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales); los géneros y especies considerados son nuevos registros para México. Se incluyen las descripciones e ilustraciones de las características macro y micromorfológicas de los taxa estudiados.
Resumen. Se presenta el estudio y descripción de 5 especies del género Byssosphaeria procedentes del estado de Veracruz, derivado principalmente de material recolectado por los autores durante los periodos de agosto a noviembre del 2011 y abril a julio de 2012, además de la revisión de algunos ejemplares depositados en la colección de hongos del herbario XAL. De las especies estudiadas Byssosphaeria diffusa, B. rhodomphala y B. schiedermayeriana son nuevos registros para la micobiota de México. Byssosphaeria xestothele para Veracruz y B. jamaicana se cita de una nueva localidad. Se presentan ilustraciones y fotografías de los materiales estudiados, así como una clave dicotómica para determinar las especies de Byssosphaeria encontradas en Veracruz.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.