Complexifying the urban lawn improves heat mitigation and arthropod biodiversity

Francoeur, Xavier; Dagenais, Danielle; Paquette, Alain; Dupras, Jérôme; Messier, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127007

Cited by 30 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…There is also evidence that green spaces with wildlife may be better for mental health because they can provoke a sense of connection with the whole of nature ( 91 ), and afternoon bird abundances can benefit well-being through increasing interactions ( 34 ). A home garden can be a kind of small green space in urban areas benefiting mental health, and a complex network of home gardens in cities can provide a positive effect on improving urban biodiversity ( 112 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home Garden With Eco-Healing Functions Benefiting Mental Health and Biodiversity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Zhang

Zhai

2021

Front. Public Health

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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to tremendous impacts on human lives and society, which are not only because of negative effects on people's mental health due to isolation policies and physical distance for mitigating the spread of SARS-CoV-2, but also because the incident post-acute sequelae of the coronavirus will cause mental disorders. A green environment is a health resource, which cannot only benefit human physical and mental health, but also increases biodiversity, contributes to flood mitigation, and cools urban areas. A home garden, as a kind of small green space, can provide ecosystem services with eco-healing functions in reducing mental stress during the isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic through the garden itself and physical activities in it. Such an eco-healing approach within a mini-therapeutic landscape can also benefit biodiversity by enhancing plant diversity in residence and increasing biodiversity at a large scale. In this article, we propose a conceptual framework describing a home garden as “ecological medicine” with healing functions to improve mental health, as well as indirectly enhancing urban biodiversity. A home garden, as a mini-type of green landscape with biodiversity content, allows people to get close with nature so that it can promote comfortable and natural feelings during the pandemic. Furthermore, such an eco-healing home garden approach benefiting urban biodiversity can meet the challenges in maintaining environmental and mental health in post COVID-19 pandemic recovery, as well as preparing unknown next-surge risks with potential isolation regulations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home Garden With Eco-Healing Functions Benefiting Mental Health and Biodiversity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Zhang

Zhai

2021

Front. Public Health

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“…Turfgrass is a prevalent plant system in urban areas, particularly in residential, commercial, and recreational spaces. Although turfgrass supports relatively high arthropod abundance and diversity compared to other urban ground cover types (Potter and Braman 1991, Reng-Moss et al 1998, Norton et al 2014, managed turfgrass tends to support lower arthropod biodiversity than more diverse and structurally complex plant communities (Francoeur et al 2021). Some highly managed turfgrass systems also experience frequent disturbance and chemical inputs in the form of mowing and pesticides, further limiting their ability to support diverse arthropod communities (Lyman et al 2007, Dobbs and Potter 2015, Norton et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildflower habitats in turfgrass systems have variable effects on arthropod functional group abundance over multiple years

Hamon

Kilpatrick

Billeisen

2023

Preprint

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Urbanization is rapidly influencing the abundance and diversity of arthropods. Within urban systems, managed turfgrass is a prominent cultivated crop which can support certain arthropod populations, but is inadequate for supporting many others. In an effort to mitigate the negative effects of turfgrass on arthropod biodiversity, increasing numbers of land managers are choosing to partially convert turf habitat to wildflower habitat using commercially-available seed mixes. However, the population dynamics of diverse arthropod groups in these systems is poorly known, with consequentially little information on best long-term practices for managing wildflower habitats in turfgrass systems. To address this gap, we sampled arthropods in turfgrass systems pre- and post-implementation of wildflower habitats and examined the change in abundance of multiple taxa and functional groups. Arthropod groups had diverse responses to wildflower habitat implementation, with bees having no significant changes in abundance, butterflies being most abundant one-year post-implementation, and predatory wasps and flies being relatively more abundant one- and two-year post-implementation. These results point to the need for more research on the long-term effects of wildflower habitats on beneficial insects in turfgrass habitats, and how to optimize management of both wildflower habitats and nearby turfgrass to support arthropod biodiversity.

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“…The impact of UGI includes its utilization as an element of the urban landscape and in the direct production of ecosystem services (ES), such as water management, heat reduction, species habitats, etc. [1,2]. Individual types of UGI differ in form, destination, composition, and structure [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Six main groups of urban ES can be distinguished: Air filtration, microclimate regulation, noise reduction, rainwater drainage, initial wastewater treatment, and recreational/cultural value [4,5]. Recently, the main problem of cities is microclimate (air pollution and urban heat) and its negative impact on human health and comfort and energy consumption [2]. Urbanization transforms the natural land cover into engineered constructions (buildings, parking lots, streets, squares, etc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire

et al. 2021

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Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy areas changes under the influence of different management methods used for their maintenance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of urban lawns and to determine the influence of this vegetation on factors based on the representation of the species found. Three sites with urban lawns were chosen in a built-up city area where different types of vegetation management were applied: Typical management, in which grassy areas are mowed twice a year; intensive management, in which lawns are mowed several times a year and the biomass is removed; and extensive management, in which lawns are mowed irregularly, once a year at most, and the biomass is left unevenly on the site. Extensive management and unkempt urban grassy areas represent a high risk of fire due to the presence of plant species that produce great amounts of biomass. Combined with dry and warm weather, the dead biomass can lead to outbreaks of fire. Extensive management of urban grassy areas brings some benefits, such as lower maintenance costs and increased biodiversity and bioretention. On the other hand, intensive management reduces the risk of fire and the biodiversity of the plant community. Attention should be paid to the composition of vegetative species and their functions that could threaten the safety of residents, with the risk of fire being one of them. However, the vegetation biomass of grassy areas affected by management practices is only a precondition for the risk of fire because weather and drought occurrence play important roles as well.

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Complexifying the urban lawn improves heat mitigation and arthropod biodiversity

Cited by 30 publications

References 63 publications

Home Garden With Eco-Healing Functions Benefiting Mental Health and Biodiversity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Home Garden With Eco-Healing Functions Benefiting Mental Health and Biodiversity During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Wildflower habitats in turfgrass systems have variable effects on arthropod functional group abundance over multiple years

Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire

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