This talk, which I presented in 2017, covers fundamental issues related to loss of biodiversity in urban landscapes, and discusses ways that landscapes can be designed and managed to enhance biodiversity. In a world of increasing urbanization, it will be increasingly imperative to enhance the conservation value of urban landscapes.

1. Bringing Biodiversity Back
to Urban Landscapes
Patrick Bohlen
University of Central Florida

2. 2070 Trend
Florida Urbanization

3. Source: Jennifer K. Constanza, William J. Platt and Reed F. Noss
85% habitat alteration in the SE Coastal Plain

4. What is biodiversity
and why should we
care about it?

6. ANNOUNCING THE WORLD’S 36TH BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT: THE NORTH
AMERICAN COASTAL PLAIN
February 18, 2016
By Reed Noss, Provost's Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Biology, University of Central Florida

8. Species
richness​
Endemics
(percent)​
​Vascular plants​​ ​6200 ​1816 (29.3%)
​Freshwater fishes (full species only) 424 ​138 (32.5%)
​Amphibians ​122 ​57 (46.7%)
​Amphibians (full species) 177 ​50 (28.2%)
​Reptiles ​291 ​113 (38.8%)
​Reptiles (full species) 177 ​50 (28.2%)
​Breeding Birds ​N/A ​51
​Breeding birds (full species) 274 6 (2.2%)
​Mammals ​306 ​114 (37.3%)
​Mammals (full species) 148 9 (6.1%)
High Species Richness and Endemism

9. Here’s where
biodiversity
really is!

10. http://web.pdx.edu/~stul/images/insectdiversitysmall.gif

11. What drives urban
biodiversity?

12. Structural
Changes
Urbanization
Functional
Changes
Patch
Structure
Impervious
Surfaces
Hydrology
/ Irrigation
Loss of
Natural
Drivers
Urban
Soils
Heat
Island
Species
Introduction
Native Species Diversity, Distribution, Demography, Interactions

13. Review of Species Richness from 105 Published Studies
Michael McKinney. 2008. Urban Ecosystems 11:161-176.

14. Wang et al. 2007. Biodiversity Conservation 16:4025-4038
Native and Alien Plants in Beijing, China
Similar aliens

15. Australia--Seasonal Lorikeet Abundance in
Different Habitats
Benefits
from altered
habitats

16. Model of Native Species Fate in Urban Areas
Amy Hahs et al. 2009. Ecology Letters 12: 1165-1173

17. How can we bring
back biodiversity to
urban landscapes?

18. Gardens
Landscapes
Natural areas
Importance of Scale
Increasing management intensity

19. Urban Natural Areas

20. Connectivity

22. Lack of Natural Ecosystem Drivers

23. Native-based landscape designs at UCF

26. Plant native plants!

27. Trophic dynamics

28. Native plants Introduced plants

29. How we manage plants
affects trophic
transfers too.

30. Over 5 billion pounds globally
Over 1 billion pounds in the U.S.
U.S. EPA, 2006 and 2007 usage
Cut back pesticide use!

31. Nature 511, 341–343 (17 July 2014)

32. Functional landscapes: Pollinators

33. Decline of Bee Species Richness in Illinois
Source: Burke et al. Science 29 Mar 2013

35. Mark Deyrup
Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens
Flower Visitors
• 117 fly species
• 80 wasp species
• 52 beetle species
• 23 bee species
• 311 species total!

37. Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae
Passion vine

38. Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus
White Peacock, Anartia jatrophaeSweetbay Magnolia
Frog Fruit—Phyla nodiflora

39. Grass Skippers—Hesperiinae (largest skipper subfamily)
Fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus)

41. Let’s not
forget birds!

42. audubon.org/native-plants

44. Source: Joshua Duke et al. Heliyon 2 (2016) e00127
Undesirable Aspects of Ecological Landscapes

45. What limits the use
of native plants in
urban landscape
planting?

46. Social norms resisting native plants
•Nurseries and horticultural industry
•Developers, landscape architects
•Building codes, HOAs, ordinances
•Ingrained aesthetic preferences
•Lack of knowledge
This is changing!
but we have a long way
to go….

47. Spanish needles, Bidens alba

48. Source: Feike De Jong, the guardian, 3 July 2017

51. Let’s make the
City Beautiful
a more
Biodiverse
City!