Urban plants provide various ecosystem services and biodiversity for human well-being. It is necessary to examine the plant species and functional traits composition and the influencing factors. In this study, a field survey was conducted using the tessellation-randomized plot method to assess the plant species and functional traits variability in greenspaces across eight land use types (LUTs) in the built-up areas of Beijing, China. Results showed that the woody plants in the built-up areas of Beijing comprised 85 non-native species (57%), 21 pollen-allergenic species (14%), and 99 resistant species (67%). Residential areas, community parks and institutional areas had higher woody plant species richness than other LUTs. Native and extralimital native species were more widespread than exotic species. Proportions of species with resistances were low except for cold-and drought-resistance; consequently, a high intensity of management and maintenance is essential for survival of plants in this urban area. Caution should be exerted in selecting plant species with resistance to harsh conditions in different LUTs. Housing prices, distances from the urban center, years since the establishment of LUTs and greening rate were strongly correlated with the plant functional traits and species diversity. Urban forest managers should consider plant functional traits and LUT-specific strategies to maximize both forest and human health.
An increasing number of studies have found differences in the diversity of plant functional traits between urban and rural sites as a result of urbanization. However, the results remain inconsistent. In this study, we measured morphological and nutrient traits of 11 common woody plants along a continuous urban–rural gradient in Beijing, China. Leaf size (e.g., length, width, and area), specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen and potassium contents decreased gradually and significantly along the urban–rural gradient, indicating that urbanization can enhance the capacity of plants to acquire resources for growth and production. Furthermore, soil nutrients and air temperature decreased along the urban–rural gradient, while air relative humidity increased. A structural equation model showed that these alterations in physical factors attributable to urbanization contributed directly or indirectly to changes in leaf functional traits, implying that changes in soil nutrients and micro-climate induced by urbanization may affect plant growth and production because of the improvement in resource acquisition capacity.
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