Influence of Habitat Types on Diversity and Species Composition of Urban Flora—A Case Study in Serbia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the floristic composition and diversity of seven urban habitat types in 24 Serbian cities with different climatic affiliation. In each of the 24 cities, we selected 1 ha plots representing a habitat from one of the following groups: square, boulevard, residential area with compact and with open building pattern, city park, and sites with early and mid-succession vegetation stages. All vascular plant species that occur spontaneously in these plots were observed. Data on the main climatic characteristics were collected for each plot, and data on the life forms were obtained for each species recorded. Diagnostic species were identified for each habitat type analyzed, and alpha, beta and gamma diversity were calculated. A total of 674 taxa were recorded in the studied area. Significant differences were observed in habitats by diagnostic species and by life form representation. The lowest alpha and gamma diversity and the dominance of therophytes were observed in habitat types with intensive anthropogenic impact, whereas the highest number was recorded in mid-successional sites and residential areas with a compact building pattern. The analysis showed that habitat type influences species composition much more than climate.

Urban plant diversity in Kazakhstan: Effects of habitat type, city size and macroclimate

“…Our results show that the species composition of urban vegetation in this region is influenced by both habitat type and city size, with macroclimate having only a limited effect. Overall, our results are comparable to those reported in similar studies worldwide (e.g., Loram et al, 2008; Lososová et al, 2011, 2012a, 2012b; Kalusová et al, 2017; Glišić et al, 2021).…”

“…Our results show a strong influence of habitat type on plant species composition. Analogous studies from European cities reported similar trends (Lososová et al, 2011(Lososová et al, , 2012a(Lososová et al, , 2012b(Lososová et al, , 2018Čeplová et al, 2017;Glišić et al, 2021). As in these studies, we demonstrated contrasting species composition between central squares and successional sites, floristic similarity between parks and boulevards, and different species composition in residential areas.…”

“…Habitat Significant results are in bold (p < 0.05). Lososová et al, 2011Lososová et al, , 2012aLososová et al, , 2012bKalusová et al, 2017;Glišić et al, 2021).…”

“…To clarify the importance of climate versus anthropogenic factors, a series of comparative studies using standardized sampling protocols was conducted to quantify plant diversity in different urban habitats across several cities in Europe and North America (Celesti Grapow & Blasi, 1998; Loram et al, 2008; Lososová et al, 2011, 2012a, 2012b, 2018; Čeplová et al, 2017; Kalusová et al, 2017; Glišić et al, 2021). In Asia, urban biodiversity studies have been conducted mainly in the southeast regions of the continent (e.g., Su et al, 2021; Cheng et al, 2022), while studies in continental inland Asia have considered urban plant communities mainly for syntaxonomic classification of ruderal vegetation (Klimeš, 1989), development of phytoremediation techniques for industrial sites (Shilova, 1989), or urban greening and planning (Vakhlamova et al, 2016; Ishankulоva et al, 2021).…”

“…To clarify the importance of climate versus anthropogenic factors, a series of comparative studies using standardized sampling protocols was conducted to quantify plant diversity in different urban habitats across several cities in Europe and North America (Celesti Grapow & Blasi, 1998;Loram et al, 2008;Lososová et al, 2011Lososová et al, , 2012aLososová et al, , 2012bLososová et al, , 2018Čeplová et al, 2017;Kalusová et al, 2017;Glišić et al, 2021).…”