More Like this

1. Survey of pond habitats and aquatic diversity of Madison, Wisconsin from May to Aug 2019 and 2020 Data Set

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/262866936bb8cffb3ff1d9faa9a04a93  

   Trovillion, Daniel; Sauer, Erin (January 2023, Environmental Data Initiative)

   1) Urbanization may lead to changes in local richness (alpha diversity) or in community composition (beta diversity), although the direction of change can be challenging to predict. For instance, introduced species may offset the loss of native specialist taxa, leading to no change in alpha diversity in urban areas, but decreased beta diversity (i.e., more homogenous community structure). Alternatively, because urban areas can have low connectivity and high environmental heterogeneity between sites, they may support distinct communities from one another over small geographic distances. 2) Wetlands and ponds provide critical ecosystem services and support diverse communities, making them important systems in which to understand consequences of urbanization. To determine how urban development shapes pond community structure, we surveyed 68 ponds around Madison, Wisconsin, USA, which were classified as urban, greenspace, or rural based on surrounding land use. We evaluated the influence of local abiotic factors, presence of nonnative fishes, and landscape characteristics on alpha diversity of aquatic plants, macroinvertebrates, and vertebrates. We also analyzed whether surrounding land cover was associated with changes in community composition and/or the presence of specific taxa. 3) We found a 23% decrease in mean richness (alpha diversity) from rural to urban pond sites, and a 15% decrease in richness from rural to urban greenspace pond sites. Among landscape factors, observed pond richness was negatively correlated with adjacent developed land and mowed lawns, as well as greater distances to other waterbodies. Among pond level factors, habitat complexity was associated with increased richness, while the presence of invasive fish was associated with decreased richness. 4) Beta diversity was relatively high for all ponds due to turnover in composition between sites. Urban ponds supported more introduced species, lacked a subset of native species found in rural ponds, and had slightly higher beta diversity than greenspace and rural ponds. 5) Synthesis and Applications: Integrating ponds into connected greenspaces comprised of native vegetation (rather than mowed grass), preventing nonnative fish introductions, and promoting habitat complexity may mitigate negative effects of urbanization on aquatic richness. The high beta diversity of distinct pond communities emphasizes their importance to biodiversity support in urban environments, despite being small in size and rarely incorporated into urban conservation planning. 

   more » « less
2. Survey of pond habitats and aquatic diversity of Madison, Wisconsin from May to Aug 2019 and 2020 Data Set

   https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/216bc17b3e9a24994119d4ff3039e6a1  

   Trovillion, Daniel; Saur, Erin (January 2023, Environmental Data Initiative)

   1) Urbanization may lead to changes in local richness (alpha diversity) or in community composition (beta diversity), although the direction of change can be challenging to predict. For instance, introduced species may offset the loss of native specialist taxa, leading to no change in alpha diversity in urban areas, but decreased beta diversity (i.e., more homogenous community structure). Alternatively, because urban areas can have low connectivity and high environmental heterogeneity between sites, they may support distinct communities from one another over small geographic distances. 2) Wetlands and ponds provide critical ecosystem services and support diverse communities, making them important systems in which to understand consequences of urbanization. To determine how urban development shapes pond community structure, we surveyed 68 ponds around Madison, Wisconsin, USA, which were classified as urban, greenspace, or rural based on surrounding land use. We evaluated the influence of local abiotic factors, presence of nonnative fishes, and landscape characteristics on alpha diversity of aquatic plants, macroinvertebrates, and vertebrates. We also analyzed whether surrounding land cover was associated with changes in community composition and/or the presence of specific taxa. 3) We found a 23% decrease in mean richness (alpha diversity) from rural to urban pond sites, and a 15% decrease in richness from rural to urban greenspace pond sites. Among landscape factors, observed pond richness was negatively correlated with adjacent developed land and mowed lawns, as well as greater distances to other waterbodies. Among pond level factors, habitat complexity was associated with increased richness, while the presence of invasive fish was associated with decreased richness. 4) Beta diversity was relatively high for all ponds due to turnover in composition between sites. Urban ponds supported more introduced species, lacked a subset of native species found in rural ponds, and had slightly higher beta diversity than greenspace and rural ponds. 5) Synthesis and Applications: Integrating ponds into connected greenspaces comprised of native vegetation (rather than mowed grass), preventing nonnative fish introductions, and promoting habitat complexity may mitigate negative effects of urbanization on aquatic richness. The high beta diversity of distinct pond communities emphasizes their importance to biodiversity support in urban environments, despite being small in size and rarely incorporated into urban conservation planning. 

   more » « less
3. An ecological and social approach to the distribution of vector and nuisance mosquito species across residential land use types

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaf056  

   Schierer, Megan; De_Urioste-Stone, Sandra; Gardner, Allison M (June 2025, Journal of Medical Entomology)

   Healy, Kristen (Ed.)

   Abstract Mosquito abundance and distribution are related to environmental variables like rainfall and land cover which shape available aquatic habitat for oviposition and juvenile development. Many mosquito species rely on natural water sources for oviposition and juvenile development. However, others have evolved to occupy urban niches and artificial habitats associated with urbanization and human-dominated environments, like tires or storm drains. Additionally, as land cover changes over rural–urban gradients, mosquito species richness decreases via reduced habitat heterogeneity. Human exposure to mosquitoes is a product of environmental processes, and human behaviors related to mosquito control and personal protection. To understand mosquito distribution from both perspectives, we conducted a study with paired entomological and behavioral science data collection. We collected mosquitoes at 40 sites across a rural–urban gradient of 30 residential properties and 10 recreational forest sites in Bangor, Maine, and conducted a juvenile habitat assessment on the residential properties. Additionally, a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice survey was administered among property owners to understand factors that affect engagement in mosquito control and protective behaviors. Mosquito abundance was highest in forested and rural residential sites. Nuisance species abundance was highest at rural residential sites, while vector species abundance was highest in urban residential sites. Despite 54% respondents reporting mosquitoes as a nuisance, only 10.5% and 5.3% reported frequent engagement in preventative behaviors such as wearing mosquito repellent or protective clothing, respectively. This study builds on literature demonstrating patterns of vector mosquito abundance in residential areas and exploration of resident mosquito control practices. 

   more » « less
4. Urbanization alters small rodent community composition but not abundance

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4885  

   Alvarez Guevara, Jessica N.; Ball, Becky A. (January 2018, PeerJ)

   Desert ecosystems are one of the fastest urbanizing areas on the planet. This rapid shift has the potential to alter the abundances and species richness of herbivore and plant communities. Herbivores, for example, are expected to be more abundant within urban desert remnant parks located within cities due to anthropogenic activities that concentrate food resources and reduce native predator populations. Despite this assumption, previous research conducted around Phoenix, AZ, USA has shown that top-down herbivory led to equally reduced plant biomass in both urban and outlying locations. It is unclear if this insignificant difference in herbivory at urban and outlying sites is due to unaltered desert herbivore populations or altered activity levels that counteract abundance differences. Small rodent herbivore/granivore populations were surveyed at four sites inside and four sites outside of the core of Phoenix during fall 2014 and spring 2015 in order to determine whether abundances and richness differ significantly between urban and rural sites. In order to survey species composition and abundance at these sites, 100 Sherman traps and eight larger wire traps that are designed to attract and capture small vertebrates such as mice, rats, and squirrels were set at each site for two consecutive trap nights. Results suggest that the commonly assumed effect of urbanization on herbivore abundances does not apply to small rodent populations in a desert city, as overall small rodent abundances were statistically similar regardless of location. Though a significant difference was not found for species richness, a significant difference between small rodent genus richness at these sites was observed, with altered community composition. The compositional differences likely reflect the altered vegetative community and may impact ecological interactions at these sites. 

   more » « less
5. Nonnative tree invaders lead to declines in native tree species richness

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2424908122  

   Liu, Yunpeng; Scheiner, Samuel M; Hogan, J Aaron; Thomas, Matthew B; Soltis, Pamela S; Guralnick, Robert P; Soltis, Douglas E; Lichstein, Jeremy W (April 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Biological invasions are profoundly altering Earth’s ecosystems, but generalities about the effects of nonnative species on the diversity and productivity of native communities have been elusive. This lack of generality may reflect the limited spatial and temporal extents of most previous studies. Using >5 million tree measurements across eastern US forests from 1995 to 2023, we quantified temporal trends in tree diversity and biomass. We then analyzed community-level changes in native tree diversity and biomass in relation to nonnative tree invasion and native species colonization. Across the entire eastern United States, native tree species richness decreased over time in plots where nonnatives occurred, whereas nonnative species richness and the biomass of both natives and nonnatives increased over time. At the community scale, native richness tended to decline following nonnative invasion, whereas native biomass and richness-independent measures of trait and phylogenetic diversity tended to remain stable. These patterns can be explained by the rarity of the displaced native species and their functional and phylogenetic similarity to native species that survived nonnative invasions. In contrast, native survivors tended to be functionally distinct from nonnative invaders, suggesting an important role for niche partitioning in community dynamics. Colonization by previously absent native species was associated with an increase in native richness (beyond the addition of native colonizers), which contrasts with declines in native richness that tended to follow nonnative invasion. These results suggest a causal role for nonnative species in the native richness decline of invaded communities. 

   more » « less