Central European cities maintain substantial dragonfly species richness – a chance for biodiversity conservation?

Goertzen, Diana; Suhling, Frank

doi:10.1111/icad.12102

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This species is declining throughout its range (Spinks et al 2003) and is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Overall, 12 dragonfly species of conservation concern from Central Europe occur in cities (Goertzen and Suhling 2015). Furthermore, amphibians-which as a group are particularly threatened worldwide-are often well represented in urban waterbodies, as illustrated by investigations conducted in Melbourne, Australia (Hamer and Parris 2011), Edmonton, Canada (Scheffers and Paszkowski 2013), Potchefstroom, South Africa (Kruger et al 2015), and M€ unster, Germany (Holtmann et al 2017).…”

Section: Contribution Of Urban Ponds To the Conservation Of Freshwatementioning

confidence: 99%

Review: Toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity

2019

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Many cities around the world are expanding and this trend in urbanization is expected to sharply increase over coming decades. At the same time, the integration of green and blue spaces is widely promoted in urban development, potentially offering numerous benefits for biodiversity. This is particularly relevant for urban waterbodies, a type of ecosystem present in most cities. However, site managers often lack the knowledge base to promote biodiversity in these waterbodies, which are generally created to provide other ecosystem services. To address this, our review presents guidelines for promoting biodiversity in urban ponds. We found a total of 516 publications indexed in ISI Web of Sciences related to this topic, of which 279 were retained for the purposes of our review. The biodiversity of urban ponds, measured by species richness, appears to be generally lower than in rural ponds; however, urban ponds often support threatened species. Furthermore, if well managed, urban ponds have the potential to support a much greater biodiversity than they currently do. Indeed, this review shows that a range of urban factors can impair or promote pond biodiversity, including many that can easily be controlled by site managers. Local factors include design (surface area, pond depth, banks and margins, shade, shoreline irregularity), water quality (conductivity, nutrients, heavy metals), and hydroperiod and biotic characteristics (stands of vegetation, fish, invasive species). Important regional factors include several indicators of urbanization (roads, buildings, density of population, impervious surfaces, car traffic), and the presence of other wetlands or green spaces in the surrounding landscape. We considered each of these factors and their potential impact on freshwater biodiversity. Taking into account the management measures listed in the publications reviewed, we have proposed a framework for the management of urban ponds, with guidelines to promote biodiversity and other ecosystem services, and to avoid ecosystem disservices or the creation of ecological traps. At the city scale, the biodiversity of a pondscape benefits from a high diversity of pond types, differing in their environmental characteristics and management.

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Section: Contribution Of Urban Ponds To the Conservation Of Freshwatementioning

confidence: 99%

Review: Toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity

2019

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“…This in turn causes decreased biodiversity and results in the homogenization of freshwater faunas and novel species combinations (Francis, ; Rahel, ). It is interesting that some studies suggest that urban freshwaters may also provide opportunities for biodiversity conservation as they may offer great habitat diversity, contribute to regional biodiversity and host species of conservation concern (Goertzen & Suhling, ; Hassall, ; Hill et al., ; Villalobos‐Jiménez, Dunn, & Hassall, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanization versus other land use: Diverging effects on dragonfly communities in Germany

Goertzen

Suhling

2018

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim: Land use change, such as urbanization and intensification of agricultural practices, poses major threats for biodiversity. We examined whether the composition of freshwater species differs between landscapes dominated by urban, agricultural or more natural structures in a region with a long history of landscape transformation.We determined the differences and characteristics of the dragonfly fauna in relation to major land use categories. We particularly focused on urban land use, as it generally induces a high level of landscape transformation. Location: Germany.Methods: We used distribution data of dragonflies derived from a citizen science database, which was compiled for the German distribution atlas. To analyse whether different land use categories are associated with distinct species compositions, we performed the classification method random forest.Results: Based on dragonfly abundance per grid cell, we identified distinct land userelated assemblages that were separated by two gradients, that is, the level of transformation and a gradient from open land to forest. In particular, urban landscapes possessed a distinct species composition with specific species, all of which were opportunistic and supported by warm climate. They also comprised significantly higher α-diversity than intensive agricultural landscapes. Similar values of γ-diversity over all land use categories implied a countrywide homogenized dragonfly fauna, which is probably caused by historic land use. Main conclusions:Our results indicate that land use is a relevant driver for the composition of freshwater species at the landscape scale. Urban landscapes maintain species diversity better than agricultural landscapes, but they modify the species composition. Additional research on the effects of land use change is required to understand species responses and predict future distributions in a changing world in order to plan sustainable conservation strategies.

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“…Whilst there has been increasing research interest in the biodiversity and ecosystem services of urban ponds across Europe (Hassall, 2014;Jeanmougin et al, 2014;Goertzen & Suhling, 2015), the question remains as to whether urban ponds can provide similar levels of biodiversity to that recorded in ponds in the wider landscape. Few studies have compared urban pond faunal communities with nonurban pond communities (see Hassall & Anderson, 2015), and no known studies have examined urban pond macro-invertebrate diversity at a national scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban ponds as an aquatic biodiversity resource in modified landscapes

Hill

Biggs

Thornhill

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

161

115

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Urbanization is a global process contributing to the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats. Many studies have focused on the biological response of terrestrial taxa and habitats to urbanization. However, little is known regarding the consequences of urbanization on freshwater habitats, especially small lentic systems. In this study, we examined aquatic macro‐invertebrate diversity (family and species level) and variation in community composition between 240 urban and 782 nonurban ponds distributed across the United Kingdom. Contrary to predictions, urban ponds supported similar numbers of invertebrate species and families compared to nonurban ponds. Similar gamma diversity was found between the two groups at both family and species taxonomic levels. The biological communities of urban ponds were markedly different to those of nonurban ponds, and the variability in urban pond community composition was greater than that in nonurban ponds, contrary to previous work showing homogenization of communities in urban areas. Positive spatial autocorrelation was recorded for urban and nonurban ponds at 0–50 km (distance between pond study sites) and negative spatial autocorrelation was observed at 100–150 km and was stronger in urban ponds in both cases. Ponds do not follow the same ecological patterns as terrestrial and lotic habitats (reduced taxonomic richness) in urban environments; in contrast, they support high taxonomic richness and contribute significantly to regional faunal diversity. Individual cities are complex structural mosaics which evolve over long periods of time and are managed in diverse ways. This facilitates the development of a wide range of environmental conditions and habitat niches in urban ponds which can promote greater heterogeneity between pond communities at larger scales. Ponds provide an opportunity for managers and environmental regulators to conserve and enhance freshwater biodiversity in urbanized landscapes whilst also facilitating key ecosystem services including storm water storage and water treatment.

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Central European cities maintain substantial dragonfly species richness – a chance for biodiversity conservation?

Cited by 26 publications

References 42 publications

Review: Toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity

Review: Toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity

Urbanization versus other land use: Diverging effects on dragonfly communities in Germany

Urban ponds as an aquatic biodiversity resource in modified landscapes

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