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More than a thousand iNaturalist NZ observations were compiled and analysed to determine common vascular epiphyte-host relationships in Hamilton, North Island, New Zealand. Dicksonia squarrosa supported the most epiphytes, followed by Salix cinerea, Melicytus ramiflorus and Cyathea medullaris. Epiphytes displaying stronger host specificity, such as Tmesipteris elongata and Phlegmariurus varius, were often on D. squarrosa. In comparison, generalist epiphytes, including Pyrrosia eleagnifolia and Lecanopteris pustulata, were mainly on M. ramiflorus and S. cinerea. A detailed study of 60 D. squarrosa in a single gully investigated factors supporting the host quality of D. squarrosa. Dicksonia squarrosa diameter at breast height (DBH), height, caudex surface area, and distance to the stream and vegetation patch edge were measured. Dicksonia squarrosa that hosted epiphytes were significantly taller, further from the patch edge and had a larger surface area. Epiphyte species richness was higher on D. squarrosa further from the patch edge. The epiphyte communities examined are likely characteristic of highly modified urban ecosystems. Future research investigating the impact of host traits and microclimate on epiphyte-host networks is required to fully elucidate these relationships in urban environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization, and the drastic loss of habitat it entails, poses a major threat to global avian biodiversity. Ecological restoration of urban forests is therefore increasingly vital for native bird conservation, but control of invasive predators may also be needed to sustain native bird populations in cities where species invasions have been particularly severe.We evaluated restoration success by investigating changes in native bird communities along a restoration chronosequence of 25 restored urban forests representing 72 years of forest development, which we compared to two target reference systems and a control system. We hypothesized that total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds would increase with the age of restoration planting. We further hypothesized that relative abundance of rats, possums and cats would negatively impact native birds, while amount of native forest in the surrounding landscape would have a positive effect.We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate the relative influence of forest structure (complexity index, tree height, canopy openness, basal area, species richness and density), landscape attributes (patch area, perimeter length, landscape composition within three buffer zones, distance to the nearest road and water source) and invasive mammalian predator indices of relative abundance on total species richness and relative abundance of native forest birds.Species richness increased with age of restoration planting, with community composition progressing towards that found in target reference systems. SEM revealed that years restored was a direct driver of bird species richness but an indirect driver of abundance, which was directly driven by canopy openness. Contrary to our predictions, invasive mammals had no significant effect on native bird species richness or abundance.Our results demonstrate that provision and improvement of habitat quantity and quality through restoration is the vital first step to re‐establishing native forest bird communities in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: As urbanisation is a significant global trend, there is a profound need for biodiversity protection in urban ecosystems. Moreover, the potential of urban green space to support urban biodiversity should be appreciated. Butterflies are environmental indicators that are sensitive to urbanisation. Therefore, it is important to identify butterfly distribution patterns and the factors influencing butterfly diversity and species composition in urban parks within cities. Research Highlights: To our knowledge, ours is the first study evaluating the effects of both land cover and local habitat features on butterfly species composition in urban parks of Beijing, China. Materials and Methods: In this study, we surveyed butterfly richness and abundance in 28 urban parks in Beijing, China. The parks differed in age and location in the urban area. Meanwhile, we investigated the green space in the surroundings of the parks at multi-spatial scales at the landscape level. We also investigated local park characteristics including the age of the park (Age), perimeter/area ratio of the park (SQPRA), area of the park (ha) (Area), green space cover within the park (Greenp), nectar plant species richness (Necpl), abundance of flowering nectar plants (Necabu) and overall plant species richness (Pl). Generalised linear models (GLMs) and redundancy discriminant analysis (RDA) were applied to relate butterfly diversity and butterfly species composition to environmental variables, respectively. Results: We recorded 3617 individuals belonging to 26 species from July to September in 2019. Parks on the city fringe had significantly higher butterfly diversity. Butterfly species richness was mostly related to total plant richness. The abundance of flowering nectar plants was closely linked to butterfly abundance. Land cover had little impact on butterfly diversity and community structure in urban parks. Conclusions: Once a park has sufficient plants and nectar resources, it becomes a useful haven for urban butterflies, regardless of the surrounding land cover. Well-planned urban parks focused on local habitat quality support butterfly conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]