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Plants in the city: understanding recruitment dynamics in urban landscapes
Author(s) -
Piana Max R,
Aronson Myla FJ,
Pickett Steward TA,
Handel Steven N
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
frontiers in ecology and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.918
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1540-9309
pISSN - 1540-9295
DOI - 10.1002/fee.2098
Subject(s) - urban ecosystem , ecology , habitat , ecosystem , urban ecology , geography , ecosystem services , climate change , population , novel ecosystem , environmental resource management , functional ecology , biology , urban planning , environmental science , demography , sociology
In cities, naturally regenerating plant populations are critical in sustaining both ecological function and ecosystem services. However, scientists have a limited understanding of the urban ecosystem conditions and stressors that influence basic life‐history processes and constraints for plant populations. Here, we synthesize current research on the recruitment dynamics of urban plants (processes associated with adding individuals to populations) and present a conceptual framework for urban recruitment limitation. From grasslands to forests, and from natural to constructed habitats, multiple urban drivers – including climate, land‐cover change, pollution, and biotic invasions – affect plant recruitment. These drivers often interact, and their effects are frequently species‐, habitat‐, or region‐specific. Furthering a “mechanistic” understanding (one that focuses on the underlying ecological mechanisms of observed phenomena) of how these drivers alter plant population dynamics will improve the conservation, management, and restoration of urban greenspaces.