Baldock, KCR, Goddard, MA orcid.org/0000-0002-2283-6752, Hicks, DM et al. (11 more authors) (2019) A systems approach reveals urban pollinator hotspots and conservation opportunities. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 3. pp. 363-373. ISSN 2397-334X
Abstract
Urban areas are often perceived to have lower biodiversity than the wider countryside, but a few small-scale studies suggest that some urban land uses can support substantial pollinator populations. We present a large-scale, well-replicated study of floral resources and pollinators in 360 sites incorporating all major land uses in four British cities. Using a systems approach, we developed Bayesian network models integrating pollinator dispersal and resource switching to estimate city-scale effects of management interventions on plant–pollinator community robustness to species loss. We show that residential gardens and allotments (community gardens) are pollinator ‘hotspots’: gardens due to their extensive area, and allotments due to their high pollinator diversity and leverage on city-scale plant–pollinator community robustness. Household income was positively associated with pollinator abundance in gardens, highlighting the influence of socioeconomic factors. Our results underpin urban planning recommendations to enhance pollinator conservation, using increasing city-scale community robustness as our measure of success.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2019. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0769-y. |
Keywords: | Biodiversity; Ecological networks; Ecosystem services; Robustness; Urban ecology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Dec 2018 15:03 |
Last Modified: | 19 Oct 2020 17:15 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Nature Research |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41559-018-0769-y |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:139525 |