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"Williams, Nicholas"
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High water users can be drought tolerant: using physiological traits for green roof plant selection
Background and aims Green roofs are often installed to reduce urban stormwater runoff. To optimally achieve this, green roof plants need to use water when available, but reduce transpiration when limited to ensure survival. Succulent species commonly planted on green roofs do not achieve this. Water availability on green roofs is analogous to natural shallow-soil habitats including rock outcrops. We aimed to determine whether granite outcrop species could improve green roof performance by evaluating water use strategies under contrasting water availability. Methods Physiological and morphological responses of 12 granite outcrop species with different life-forms (monocots, herbs and shrubs) and a common green roof succulent were compared in well watered (WW) and water deficit (WD) treatments. Key results Granite outcrop species showed a variety of water-use strategies. Unlike the green roof succulent all of the granite outcrop species showed plasticity in water use. Monocot and herb species showed high water use under WW but also high water status under WD. This was achieved by large reductions in transpiration under WD. Maintenance of water status was also related to high root mass fraction. Conclusions By developing a conceptual model using physiological traits we were able to select species suitable for green roofs. The ideal species for green roofs were high water users which were also drought tolerant.
Journal Article
Shakespeare up close : reading early modern texts
\"This landmark collection of newly-commissioned essays by leading international scholars offers expert close readings of Shakespeare and other early modern authors. The book is an intervention into current critical methodology as well as an invaluable tool for all students of the literature of the period, exemplifying the possibilities of close reading in the hands of a range of gifted practitioners. Chapters cover a range of key texts from Shakespeare and other major writers of the period such as Sidney, Donne, Jonson, Marvell and Milton.\"--P. [4] of cover.
Book
Do green roofs help urban biodiversity conservation?
Green roofs are novel ecosystems that are increasingly common in cities. While their hydrologic and energy saving benefits are well‐established, green roofs have also been proposed as having significant value for conserving biodiversity. We evaluate six hypotheses that describe the purported biodiversity conservation benefits of green roofs. Green roofs largely support generalist species particularly insects, but their conservation value for rare taxa, and other taxonomic groups especially vertebrates, is poorly documented. Further, their ability to replicate biotic communities in the context of ecological restoration is largely untested, as is their potential to connect ground‐level habitats. Synthesis and applications. Given the evidence, green roof proponents should use restraint in claiming conservation benefits and it is premature for policymakers to consider green roofs equivalent to ground‐level urban habitats. Ecologists need to work with the industry to evaluate green roof biodiversity and help design green roofs based on ecological principles to maximize biodiversity gains.
Journal Article
Hierarchical filters determine community assembly of urban species pools
The majority of humanity now lives in cities or towns, with this proportion expected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future. As novel ecosystems, urban areas offer an ideal opportunity to examine multi-scalar processes involved in community assembly as well as the role of human activities in modulating environmental drivers of biodiversity. Although ecologists have made great strides in recent decades at documenting ecological relationships in urban areas, much remains unknown, and we still need to identify the major ecological factors, aside from habitat loss, behind the persistence or extinction of species and guilds of species in cities. Given this paucity of knowledge, there is an immediate need to facilitate collaborative, interdisciplinary research on the patterns and drivers of biodiversity in cities at multiple spatial scales. In this review, we introduce a new conceptual framework for understanding the filtering processes that mold diversity of urban floras and faunas. We hypothesize that the following hierarchical series of filters influence species distributions in cities: (1) regional climatic and biogeographical factors; (2) human facilitation; (3) urban form and development history; (4) socioeconomic and cultural factors; and (5) species interactions. In addition to these filters, life history and functional traits of species are important in determining community assembly and act at multiple spatial scales. Using these filters as a conceptual framework can help frame future research needed to elucidate processes of community assembly in urban areas. Understanding how humans influence community structure and processes will aid in the management, design, and planning of our cities to best support biodiversity.
Journal Article
Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design
Cities are increasingly considered important places for biodiversity conservation because they can harbor threatened species and because conservation in cities represents an opportunity to reconnect people with nature and the range of health and well‐being benefits it provides. However, urbanization can be catastrophic for native species, and is a well‐known threat to biodiversity worldwide. Urbanization impacts can be mitigated by urban design and development improvements, but take‐up of these practices has been slow. There is an urgent need to incorporate existing ecological knowledge into a framework that can be used by planners and developers to ensure that biodiversity conservation is considered in decision‐making processes. Here, we distill the urban biodiversity literature into five principles for biodiversity sensitive urban design (BSUD), ranging from creating habitat and promoting dispersal to facilitating community stewardship. We then present a framework for implementing BSUD aimed at delivering onsite benefits to biodiversity, and that is applicable across a range of urban development types and densities. We illustrate the application of the BSUD framework in two case studies focusing on the: (1) protection of an endangered vegetation remnant in a new low‐density subdivision; and (2) persistence of an endangered reptile in an established suburban environment.
Journal Article
Beta diversity of urban floras among European and non-European cities
Aim Cities represent an ideal study system for assessing how intensive land-use change and biotic interchange have altered beta diversity at broad geographic extents. Here we test the hypothesis that floras in cities located in disparate regions of the globe are being homogenized by species classified as invasive (naturalized species that have spread over a large area) or as a European archaeophyte (species introduced into Europe before ad 1500 from the Mediterranean Basin). We also test the prediction that the global influences of European activities (colonization, agriculture, commerce) have supported this outcome. Location One hundred and ten cities world-wide. Methods We examined the richness and composition of urban floras among European (n = 85) and non-European cities (n = 25) for species classified as native or non-native, or further classified as European archaeophyte or invasive. We modelled how geographic, climatic and anthropogenic factors were related to compositional similarity between European and non-European cities. Results We found that most plants in the cities we examined, particularly non-European cities, were native and unique to each city. Non-native species were similarly unique, but occurred in much lower proportions relative to natives. Although European archaeophytes and invasive species also occurred in lower proportions, they had similar compositions among cities. European archaeophytes were most prevalent in European cities, but were most similar among non-European cities. Contrasting European and non-European cities, geography and climate were most relevant for native and invasive species, whereas climate and agriculture were most relevant for European archaeophytes. Main conclusions Cities in disparate regions of the globe retain regionally distinct native and non-native plant assemblages, while invasive species, and especially European archaeophytes, were associated with lower beta diversity among cities. These findings suggest that intensive land-use change and biotic interchange, shaped through European influences, have had a world-wide effect on the beta diversity of urban plant assemblages.
Journal Article
Rapid root development in clay subsoils enhances the early growth of native grassland species
Background and aims
Wildflower meadows are a low-maintenance landscape treatment that can improve urban biodiversity and achieve conservation outcomes, especially when designed to use plants from threatened grassy ecosystems. Cost-effective approaches to create meadows include direct seeding onto mined sand substrates that are placed onto site soils to supress weed competition and enhance sown plant establishment. However, waste subsoils diverted from landfill could provide a more sustainable alternative. This study compares a mined sand with a clay subsoil to understand the relative differences in sown plant establishment and root growth for a range of south-east Australian grassland species.
Methods
Germination, seedling emergence and root development were assessed for six species sown in an 80 mm deep cap of two low nutrient substrates (sand and clay subsoil) overlying a simulated site soil. Rhizoboxes were used to assess the rate at which plant roots could access soils beneath capping substrates.
Results
Sand and clay subsoil supported the establishment of the six sown species. Five species had significantly greater total root length, leaf area and aboveground biomass when sown in recycled subsoil, compared with sand.
Conclusion
Edaphic conditions affect the establishment of native grassland species in wildflower meadows. Compared to sand, recycled clay subsoils provide a more sustainable alternative for establishing designed wildflower meadows and can support rapid root and plant growth in south-east Australian grassland species.
Journal Article