Ecological connectivity networks in rapidly expanding cities

Nor, Amal Najihah Muhamad; Corstanje, Ronald; Harris, J. Arthur; Grafius, Darren R.; Siriwardena, G.

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00325

Cited by 58 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…The size and types of matrices surrounding forest patches have an influence on the establishment of invasive species (Hansen and Clevenger 2005;Bartuszevige et al 2006;Botzat 2012;Nitoslawski and Duinker 2016). The niches that have high numbers of IAPs correspond with the areas that have high values for the correlated similarity indices of residence and industry (Fig.…”

Section: Patch-scale Environmental Effectsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Urbanisation generally has negative impacts on ecosystems, mainly because of habitat loss (Boon et al 2016;Lehosmaa et al 2017;Nor et al 2017;Galic et al 2018). Urban expansion is primarily driven by population growth (Ersoy 2016) and the consequent increase in demand for services (EPCPD 2016;Lehosmaa et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overall diversity of native species is determined by the size, quantity and quality of urban green spaces. Green space networks in cities are recognised around the globe to be fundamental for urban ecosystem functioning (Boon et al 2016) and for the health and wellbeing of residents through food provision and pollution removal (Threlfall et al 2016;Nor et al 2017). From a spatial-ecology perspective, the reduction of green spaces does not only lead to reduced sizes of forest patches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plant communities with a high density of propagules normally exert propagule pressure to nearby forest reserves (Heinrichs and Pauchard 2015;Padayachee et al 2017). Landscape connectivity is used to describe the structural and functional continuity of ecosystems (Ziółkowska et al 2014;Nor et al 2017) from landscape to regional scale (LaPoint et al 2015). Structural connectivity is measured by landscape metrics such as patch size, isolation and the identification of linear features that may act as conduits or barriers to IAP movement (LaPoint et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Structural connectivity is measured by landscape metrics such as patch size, isolation and the identification of linear features that may act as conduits or barriers to IAP movement (LaPoint et al 2015). This means that connectivity is a vital element to maintain gene flow and to facilitate species movement, distribution, dispersal and recolonisation (LaPoint et al 2015;Naicker et al 2016;Nor et al 2017). Consequently, it may also influence the success of establishment and spread of IAPs (Vidra 2004;Bierwagen 2005;Procheş et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invasive alien plant species, fragmentation and scale effects on urban forest community composition in Durban, South Africa

Mavimbela

Sieben

Procheş

2018

N.Z. j. of For. Sci.

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Background: Urban forests are under increased pressure from invasion by exotic (alien) species. The vegetation present in the matrix of urban sites is a rich source of alien invasive propagules, which increases the risk of alien invasion in forests within an urban space, leading to a decline in indigenous species. Therefore, determining the distribution patterns of native and exotic species as influenced by environmental factors can assist in quantifying the impact of exotic species at broad scales based on responses on a finer scale. Quantifying the effects of multiple environmental factors on the distribution patterns of both indigenous and alien species in the ecosystem may help in prescribing suitable management efforts. Methods: Fifteen forest patches were sampled in the eThekwini (Durban) Municipality and data collected from 74 100-m 2 plots with different degrees of invasion. Indigenous and alien species of trees, shrubs and climbers occurring in ten and more plots were considered for analysis and the CANOCO 5.1 package was used to run various constrained ordination analyses. Variation partitioning analysis was used to assess the impact of environmental variables at different spatial scales, namely the plot and patch scales. Results: Canopy gaps are the major controlling factor for invasive alien plants (IAPs) occurrence at fine scale. At patch level, residential and industry areas outside the boundaries (buffer area) of forest patches have a high influence on the distribution of IAPs. Communities dominated by the invasive Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King are most common on the lowland coastal forests while communities dominated by either Litsea glutinosa (Lour.) C.B.Rob. or Cardiospermum grandiflorum Sw. can prevail in both lowland coastal and scarp forests. Conclusions: Canopy gaps in lowland forests can facilitate the transition of native forests to novel communities containing a variety of alien plant species. Communities of shrub, climber and tree IAPs occur in lowland coastal forests while climber and tree IAPs dominate the high-elevation scarp forests. The resilience shown by some native species to the tree, shrub and climber IAPs by remaining when IAPs establish makes these species very suitable for restoration projects. Forest patches surrounded by a high incidence of residential and industrial areas in the buffer matrix are likely to have a high diversity of IAPs. Larger patch size and high connectivity to nearby native forests are key in reducing invasion by IAPs.

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Section: Patch-scale Environmental Effectsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Invasive alien plant species, fragmentation and scale effects on urban forest community composition in Durban, South Africa

Mavimbela

Sieben

Procheş

2018

N.Z. j. of For. Sci.

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Conserving urban tropical biodiversity by connecting networks of green patches

Danneck

Tiang

Duc

et al. 2023

Integrative Conservation

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Tropical Southeast Asia is a hotspot for global biodiversity, and also a hotspot for rapidly expanding urbanisation. There is a need to identify, protect, restore and connect remaining green spaces in the urban matrix before this opportunity is lost to urban development. The objective of this study is to characterise ecological connectivity for mammals and identify important patches and linkages for connecting urban green spaces for Greater Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia. We first map land cover across the region using a linear mixture model with preprocessed multidate cloud‐free mosaics derived from Sentinel 2 remote sensing data in Google Earth Engine. We then model connectivity using the land cover maps, expert‐based parameterisation of Euclidian distance and graph‐based connectivity models for a range of dispersal guilds representing small and medium terrestrial and arboreal mammals. Our analysis showed large differences in the effects of fragmentation within Greater KL on the different dispersal groups, with some groups perceiving the landscape as disconnected. However, our analysis identified a network of green patches and pathways which potentially could support connectivity in the urban landscape. Our results demonstrate the potential for Southeast Asian megacities to support biodiversity in the urban context, and the potential for a different kind of urban development, which supports biodiversity in its urban fabric.

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