Abstract
Urban biodiversity conservation requires an understanding of how urbanization modulates biodiversity patterns and the associated ecosystem services. While important advances have been made in the conceptual development of urban biodiversity research over the last decades, challenges remain in understanding the interactions between different groups of taxa and the spatiotemporal complexity of urbanization processes. The CityScapeLab Berlin is a novel experimental research platform that allows the testing of theories on how urbanization affects biodiversity patterns and biotic interactions in general and the responses of species of conservation interest in particular. We chose dry grassland patches as the backbone of the research platform because dry grasslands are common in many urban regions, extend over a wide urbanization gradient, and usually harbor diverse and self-assembled communities. Focusing on a standardized type of model ecosystem allowed the urbanization effects on biodiversity to be unraveled from effects that would otherwise be masked by habitat- and land-use effects. The CityScapeLab combines different types of spatiotemporal data on (i) various groups of taxa from different trophic levels, (ii) environmental parameters on different spatial scales, and (iii) on land-use history. This allows for the unraveling of the effects of current and historical urban conditions on urban biodiversity patterns and the related ecological functions.
Highlights
Biodiversity loss and ongoing urbanization are coinciding global trends in the Anthropocene [1] that challenge the future of biodiversity and the multiple benefits that urban nature provides for urban residents [2,3,4]
To inform urban biodiversity conservation, here we present the conceptual and methodological approach of the CityScapeLab Berlin as a new, integrative, and flexible research platform for an enhanced understanding of the interconnections between urbanization and biodiversity in metropolitan regions (Figure 1)
We present five key components that underlie the approach of the CityScapeLab Berlin to the major challenges in urban ecology studies
Summary
Biodiversity loss and ongoing urbanization are coinciding global trends in the Anthropocene [1] that challenge the future of biodiversity and the multiple benefits that urban nature provides for urban residents [2,3,4]. Further development of the CityScapeLab and on the implications for biodiversity research and conservation in cities worldwide. Ecological research in urban settings has to untangle multi-faceted relationships between urbanization and biodiversity in relation to urbanization parameters (e.g., the population density, impervious surface, and fragmentation) and biodiversity components (e.g., taxonomical and functional groups, endangered species, and ecosystem types). To inform urban biodiversity conservation, here we present the conceptual and methodological approach of the CityScapeLab Berlin as a new, integrative, and flexible research platform for an enhanced understanding of the interconnections between urbanization and biodiversity in metropolitan regions (Figure 1). Developing and testing theories on the intersection between urbanization and biodiversity; supporting policies on the integration of biodiversity and the associated ecosystem services into urban landscapes, as a contribution to sustainable, livable, and resilient cities. We give a brief outlook on the possible further development of the CityScapeLab and on the implications for biodiversity research and conservation in cities worldwide
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