Plant species or flower colour diversity? Identifying the drivers of public and invertebrate response to designed annual meadows.

Journal article


Hoyle, Helen, Norton, Briony, A., Dunnett, Nigel, Richards, J. Paul, Russell, Jean M. and Warren, Philip H. 2018. Plant species or flower colour diversity? Identifying the drivers of public and invertebrate response to designed annual meadows. Landscape and Urban Planning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.017
AuthorsHoyle, Helen, Norton, Briony, A., Dunnett, Nigel, Richards, J. Paul, Russell, Jean M. and Warren, Philip H.
Abstract

There is increasing evidence of the benefits of introducing urban meadows as an alternative to amenity mown grass in public greenspaces, both for biodiversity, and human wellbeing. Developing a better understanding of the meadow characteristics driving human and wildlife response is therefore critical. We addressed this by assessing public and invertebrate response to eight different annual meadow mixes defined by two levels of plant species diversity and two levels of colour diversity, sown in an urban park in Luton, UK, in April 2015. On-site questionnaires with the visiting public were conducted in July, August and September 2015. Invertebrate responses were assessed via contemporaneous visual surveys and one sweep net survey (August 2015). Flower colour diversity had effects on human aesthetic response and the response of pollinators such as bumblebees and hoverflies. Plant species diversity, however, was not a driver of human response with evidence that people used colour diversity as a cue to assessing species diversity. Plant species diversity did affect some invertebrates, with higher abundances of certain taxa in low species diversity meadows. Our findings indicate that if the priority for sown meadows is to maximise human aesthetic enjoyment and the abundance and diversity of observable invertebrates, particularly pollinators, managers of urban green infrastructure should prioritise high flower colour diversity mixes over those of high plant species diversity. Incorporating late-flowering non-native species such as Coreopsis tinctoria (plains coreopsis) can prolong the attractiveness of the meadows for people and availability of resources for pollinators and would therefore be beneficial.

KeywordsUrban meadows; Green infrastructure; Flower colour diversity; Plant species diversity; Human aesthetic response; Invertebrate response
Year2018
JournalLandscape and Urban Planning
PublisherElsevier
ISSN01692046
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.08.017
Web address (URL)http://hdl.handle.net/10545/622962
hdl:10545/622962
Publication dates01 Sep 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited10 Sep 2018, 14:11
Accepted22 Aug 2018
Rights

Archived with thanks to Landscape and Urban Planning

ContributorsUniversity of Sheffield
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/93vw6/plant-species-or-flower-colour-diversity-identifying-the-drivers-of-public-and-invertebrate-response-to-designed-annual-meadows

Download files

  • 40
    total views
  • 20
    total downloads
  • 2
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Biodiversity and environmental stressors along urban walking routes
Norton, B., Mears, M., Warren, P. H., Siriwardena, G. M., Plummer, K. E., Turner, T., Hancock, S., Grafius, D. R. and Evans, K. L. 2023. Biodiversity and environmental stressors along urban walking routes. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 85, pp. 1-12. https://doi.org//10.1016/j.ufug.2023.127951
Definitions of biodiversity from urban gardeners
Norton, Briony, A., Shang, Bowen, Sheffield, David and Ramsey, Andrew 2021. Definitions of biodiversity from urban gardeners. Journal of Urban Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/juab005
Effect of Nature Walks on Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review
Yasuhiro Kotera, Melinda Lyons, Katia Correa Vione and Briony Norton 2021. Effect of Nature Walks on Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review. Sustainability. 13 (7), pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074015
Estimating food production in an urban landscape
Grafius, Darren R., Edmondson, Jill L., Norton, Briony A., Clark, Rachel, Mears, Meghann, Leake, Jonathan R., Corstanje, Ron, Harris, Jim A. and Warren, Philip H. 2020. Estimating food production in an urban landscape. Scientific Reports. 10 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62126-4
Green roof and ground-level invertebrate communities are similar and are driven by building height and landscape context
Dromgold, Jacinda R, Threlfall, Caragh G, Norton, Briony, A. and Williams, Nicholas S G 2020. Green roof and ground-level invertebrate communities are similar and are driven by building height and landscape context. Journal of Urban Ecology. 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.1093/jue/juz024
Urban meadows as an alternative to short mown grassland: effects of composition and height on biodiversity
Norton, Briony, A., Bending, Gary, D., Clark, Rachel, Corstanje, Ron, Dunnett, Nigel, Evans, Karl, L., Grafius, Darren, R., Gravestock, Emily, Grice, Samuel, M., Harris, Jim, A., Hilton, Sally, Lim, Edward, Mercer, Theresa, G., Pawlett, Mark, Prescott, Oliver, L., Richards, J. Paul, Southon, Georgina, E. and Warren, Philip, H. 2019. Urban meadows as an alternative to short mown grassland: effects of composition and height on biodiversity. Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1946
Using GIS-linked Bayesian Belief Networks as a tool for modelling urban biodiversity.
Corstanje, Ron, Warren, Philip H., Evans, Karl L., Siriwardena, Gavin M., Pescott, Oliver L., Plummer, Kate E., Mears, Meghann, Zawadzka, Joanna, Richards, J. Paul, Harris, Jim A., Norton, Briony, A. and Darren R., Grafius 2019. Using GIS-linked Bayesian Belief Networks as a tool for modelling urban biodiversity. Landscape and Urban Planning. 189, pp. 382-395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.05.012
The effect of urban ground covers on arthropods: An experiment.
Norton, Briony, A., Thomson, Linda J., Williams, Nicholas S. G. and McDonnell, Mark J. 2013. The effect of urban ground covers on arthropods: An experiment. Urban Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-013-0297-0
Disturbance affects spatial patterning and stand structure of a tropical rainforest tree.
Webber, Bruce L., Norton, Briony, A. and Woodrow, Ian E. 2010. Disturbance affects spatial patterning and stand structure of a tropical rainforest tree. Austral Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02054.x
Web-building spiders attract prey by storing decaying matter.
Bjorkman-Chiswell, Bojun T., Kulinski, Melissa M., Muscat, Robert L., Nguyen, Kim A., Norton, Briony, A., Symonds, Matthew R. E., Westhorpe, Gina E. and Elgar, Mark A. 2004. Web-building spiders attract prey by storing decaying matter. Naturwissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-004-0524-x
A global synthesis of plant extinction rates in urban areas.
Hahs, Amy K., McDonnell, Mark J., McCarthy, Michael A., Vesk, Peter A., Corlett, Richard T., Norton, Briony, A., Clemants, Steven E., Duncan, Richard P., Thompson, Ken, Schwartz, Mark W. and Williams, Nicholas S. G. 2009. A global synthesis of plant extinction rates in urban areas. Ecology Letters. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01372.x
Planning for cooler cities: A framework to prioritise green infrastructure to mitigate high temperatures in urban landscapes.
Norton, Briony, A., Coutts, Andrew M., Livesley, Stephen J., Harris, Richard J., Hunter, Annie M. and Williams, Nicholas S. G. 2014. Planning for cooler cities: A framework to prioritise green infrastructure to mitigate high temperatures in urban landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.10.018
A conceptual framework for predicting the effects of urban environments on floras.
Williams, Nicholas S. G., Schwartz, Mark W., Vesk, Peter A., McCarthy, Michael A., Hahs, Amy K., Clemants, Steven E., Corlett, Richard T., Duncan, Richard P., Norton, Briony, A., Thompson, Ken and McDonnell, Mark J. 2009. A conceptual framework for predicting the effects of urban environments on floras. Journal of Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2008.01460.x
Ecological role of vertebrate scavengers in urban ecosystems in the UK
Inger, Richard, Cox, Daniel, T. C., Per, Esra, Norton, Briony, A. and Gaston, Kevin J. 2016. Ecological role of vertebrate scavengers in urban ecosystems in the UK. Ecology and Evolution.
Ophyiulus in Victoria: results of millipede surveys from south-eastern Australia
Norton, Briony, A., Thomson, Linda, J., Nash and Michael A. 2015. Ophyiulus in Victoria: results of millipede surveys from south-eastern Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria.
Urban biodiversity and landscape ecology: Patterns, processes and planning
Norton, Briony, A., Evans, Karl L. and Warren, Philip H. 2016. Urban biodiversity and landscape ecology: Patterns, processes and planning. Current Landscape Ecology Reports.