Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird

Narango, Desirée L.; Tallamy, Douglas W.; Marra, Peter P.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.029

Cited by 111 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…, Lerman and Warren , Pardee and Philpott , Narango et al. , but see Gaston et al. , Matteson and Langellotto ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Native landscaping for native birds.-Landscape choices and their management have long been proposed as a means to support diverse, native communities and complex food webs in urbanized areas (Germaine et al 1998, Goddard et al 2010, van Heezik et al 2013. A growing number of observations support this contention for both birds and arthropods at the scale of neighborhoods and individual yards (Burghardt et al 2009, Lerman and Warren 2011, Pardee and Philpott 2014, Narango et al 2017, but see Gaston et al 2005, Matteson andLangellotto 2011). At a city scale, reduced extinctions of native species for plants and birds in urban settings are also strongly associated with retention of native vegetation in cities (Hahs et al 2009, Aronson et al 2014.…”

Section: Human Landscape Decisions and Potential Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

et al. 2019

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The science of urban ecology has increasingly grappled with the long‐term ramifications of a globally urbanized planet and the impacts on biodiversity. Some researchers have suggested that places with high species diversity in cities simply reflect an extinction debt of populations that are doomed to extinction but have not yet disappeared. The longitudinal studies conducted to date have found species composition shifting with urbanization but have not always documented continued species extirpations post‐urbanization. We used long‐term monitoring data on birds from the greater metropolitan area of Phoenix, Arizona, to measure changes in residential bird communities, species–habitat relationships, and human perceptions of bird species diversity over a five‐year period. Bird richness, occupancy, and abundance decreased, as did the percentage of respondents satisfied with bird variety in their neighborhoods. As in previous analyses for this region, we found that desert specialist species were associated with neighborhoods with xeric landscaping consisting of gravel groundcover, and drought‐tolerant, desert‐adapted vegetation. These species were also found in neighborhoods with high per capita income rates and lower percentages of renters and Hispanic/Latinx residents. Non‐native species were positively associated with neighborhoods containing mesic yards with grass and other water‐intensive vegetation. The proportions of yards in our surveyed neighborhoods with these distinct landscaping types likewise remained relatively stable over five‐year period. Although habitat–species relationships remained unchanged, we detected significant loss of species across the sampling period. Declines were not confined to desert specialist species but included generalist and invader species as well. The parallel reduction in residents’ satisfaction suggests that people perceive some aspect of this environmental degradation. Further investigation into the mechanisms underlying these species losses may reveal options for retaining some desert specialist species, and the uniqueness they contribute to urban fauna.

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“…, Lerman and Warren , Pardee and Philpott , Narango et al. , but see Gaston et al. , Matteson and Langellotto ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Human Landscape Decisions and Potential Feedbacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

et al. 2019

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“…This practice has been so pervasive that nonnative plant species now outnumber native species in most urban, suburban, and rural landscapes (DeCandido et al, 2004;Dolan et al, 2011;McKinney, 2006McKinney, , 2008Qian and Rickleffs, 2006;Standley, 2003). For example, an extensive study of landscape plantings in Washington, DC, suburbs measured 55% nonnative plant biomass (Narango et al, 2017). This imbalance is perpetuated by nursery stock dominated by nonnative ornamentals.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although nonnative plants can extend nectar resources late in the season (Salisbury et al, 2015), their exclusive use in pollinator gardens pose a threat to the dozens of native bee specialists that only reproduce on single native plant genera (Fowler, 2016). Moreover, because native plants support the growth and development of the insects that transfer the most energy from plants to vertebrate food webs far better than nonnative plants (Burghardt et al, 2010;Pearse et al, 2013;Tallamy, 2017;Tallamy and Shropshire, 2009), the lack of native species in urban ecosystems depresses populations of the wildlife that helps run those ecosystems (Burghardt et al, 2008;Narango et al, 2017). This is particularly true for the terrestrial birds in North America, 96% of which rear their young on insects [derived from Peterson (1980)].…”

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confidence: 99%

Do Cultivars of Native Plants Support Insect Herbivores?

Baisden

Tallamy

Narango

et al. 2018

hortte

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ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. conservation, garden, biodiversity, anthocyanins SUMMARY. Native plants are becoming widely used in built landscapes to help mitigate the loss of biodiversity caused by urbanization. The primary advantage of native plant species over introduced ornamentals is their ability to support the development of the insects that fuel vertebrate food webs as well as specialist pollinators. The horticultural industry has introduced many cultivars of native plants to improve their aesthetic value and disease resistance, but there has been little work that measures the impact of these genetic changes on insect herbivores and pollinators. Here we measure how six desirable traits in native woody plant cultivars (leaf color, variegation, fall color, habit, disease resistance, and fruit size) compare with their wild types in terms of their ability to support insect herbivore development, abundance, and species richness. Using a common garden experiment, we quantified the abundance and diversity of insect herbivores using each species and its cultivars for growth and development over a 2-year period, as well as cumulative feed damage over the entire season. We also conducted feeding tests with evergreen bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) to measure the preference of hatchling caterpillars for cultivars vs. straight species. We found that cultivars that had leaves altered from green to red, blue, or purple deterred insect feeding in all three experiments, a preference for variegated cultivars in one of our three experiments, but no consistent pattern of use among the species and cultivars chosen for other traits. These results suggest that the usefulness of native cultivars in restoring insect-driven food webs depends on the cultivar trait that has been selected.

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“…The rewards and risks associated with planting different sources in small, highly disturbed sites far from remnant habitat are very different from those associated with large, undisturbed sites near remnant habitat. In small, isolated, and disturbed sites, the risks of planting the wrong source are low as long as it is able to survive, while the rewards can be substantial, particularly if the landscape is comprised predominantly of non‐native species (Narango et al ). Aesthetics and costs also influence decisions (Van Heezik et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sourcing native plants to support ecosystem function in different planting contexts

Kramer¹,

Crane

Downing³

et al. 2019

Restoration Ecology

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Current guidance on sourcing native plants to support ecosystem function focuses on the high risk of failure when unsuitable material is used in ecological restoration. However, there is growing recognition that risks may be lower and rewards higher at highly disturbed sites isolated from remnant populations, especially when considering support for pollinators, wildlife, and other ecosystem functions. We developed the first decision support tool using expert opinion to assess suitability of different native plant sources, including horticultural cultivars, in two different planting contexts. We assessed the suitability of 761 sources for 72 commonly sold native species in two different planting contexts (small, isolated, highly disturbed sites vs. large, undisturbed sites near remnant populations). Information on genetic and adaptive backgrounds of sources was strikingly lacking, forcing us to exclude one-third of sources from our assessment. While only 3% of cultivars received high suitability scores for use in large, undisturbed sites near remnant populations, 52% received high suitability scores in small, isolated, highly disturbed sites. However, nearly 25% of cultivars had floral or leaf traits that differed from wild plants in ways that may compromise their ability to support pollinators and other wildlife. Forbs and cultivars lacking genetic diversity and source information were most likely to have altered traits. We recommend that native plant breeders and sellers work together to ensure ecosystem function, adaptation, and diversity information is available to consumers, that consumers request this information to drive demand, and that researchers further investigate how context influences risks and benefits of different sources. Implications for Practice• Most native plant sources available in the marketplace are cultivars that are typically unsuitable for ecological restoration efforts aimed at reestablishing diverse, self-sustaining populations. However, they may be appropriate in certain planting contexts, where the primary aim is to support pollinators, wildlife, and other ecosystem functions. Our structured decision-making tool is the first of its kind to allow users to assess benefits and risks of planting these sources in different contexts. • Information on adaptation, genetic diversity, and ecosystem function is lacking for a majority of native plant sources in the marketplace, particularly for cultivars. Native plant breeders and sellers should work together to ensure this information is available and consumers should ask for this information to help drive demand.Author contributions: EL, SJ completed the SDM tool and tested it with AK, KH, AN, TK; AW, AK created the dataset of source attributes; JZ analyzed and visualized the results; AK, AN, KH, DT, TK drafted and revised the manuscript; all coauthors edited the manuscript.

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Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird

Cited by 111 publications

References 47 publications

The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

The more things change: species losses detected in Phoenix despite stability in bird–socioeconomic relationships

Do Cultivars of Native Plants Support Insect Herbivores?

Sourcing native plants to support ecosystem function in different planting contexts

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