1. From urban lawns to urban meadows Reduction of mowing frequency increases plant taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity
- Author
-
Vincent Jung, Simon Chollet, Samson Tessier, Charlotte Brabant, Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), This research was partly funded by the LTER 'Zone Atelier Armorique'. We thank the city of Rennes., Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), and Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,plant community ,Biodiversity ,greenspace ,Animal communities ,Biodiversity conservation ,01 natural sciences ,Phylogenetic diversity ,taxonomy ,Intensive management ,mowing ,2. Zero hunger ,Ecology ,Intensive farming ,Agroforestry ,Ecological characteristics ,Ille et Vilaine ,Bretagne ,phylogenetics ,Geography ,meadow ,France ,land use change ,Plant communities ,Conservation ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,010603 evolutionary biology ,Rennes ,Ecosystems ,experimental study ,urban planning ,functional change ,Urban planning ,Green spaces ,Animalia ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,Land use ,urban ecosystem ,Lawn ,Plant community ,15. Life on land ,conservation management ,Urban Studies ,farming system ,Urban ecosystem ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,Urban habitat - Abstract
International audience; In regions where intensive farming is the dominant land use, urban areas are an opportunity for biodiversity conservation. Thence there is an urgent need to promote more biodiversity-friendly cities. Lawns are widely distributed urban habitats which cover important surface in public and private places. However theses habitats are currently poor refuges for plant and animal communities due to their intensive management. This study assesses if a reduction in mowing frequency results in a more diverse plant community and changes functional ecological characteristics of urban lawns. We used a quasi-experimental situation resulting from 25 years differentiated management in public green spaces of Rennes (France) to evaluate the effect of reduced mowing frequency on plant taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. Our results clearly demonstrate that a reduction of mowing frequency induces a dramatic increase in the different components of plant community diversity that results in a switch from urban lawns to urban meadows. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF