Biodiversity in cities needs space: a meta‐analysis of factors determining intra‐urban biodiversity variation

Understanding varying levels of biodiversity within cities is pivotal to protect it in the face of global urbanisation. In the early stages of urban ecology studies on intra‐urban biodiversity focused on the urban–rural gradient, representing a broad generalisation of features of the urban landscape. Increasingly, studies classify the urban landscape in more detail, quantifying separately the effects of individual urban features on biodiversity levels. However, while separate factors influencing biodiversity variation among cities worldwide have recently been analysed, a global analysis on the factors influencing biodiversity levels within cities is still lacking. We here present the first meta‐analysis on intra‐urban biodiversity variation across a large variety of taxonomic groups of 75 cities worldwide. Our results show that patch area and corridors have the strongest positive effects on biodiversity, complemented by vegetation structure. Local, biotic and management habitat variables were significantly more important than landscape, abiotic or design variables. Large sites greater than 50 ha are necessary to prevent a rapid loss of area‐sensitive species. This indicates that, despite positive impacts of biodiversity‐friendly management, increasing the area of habitat patches and creating a network of corridors is the most important strategy to maintain high levels of urban biodiversity.     

Promoting dragonfly diversity in cities: major determinants and implications for urban pond design

Urbanisation is increasing and it is essential to integrate biodiversity into the spatial planning of urban areas. This requires deeper understanding of biodiversity patterns in cities. We investigated which habitat variables are major determinants of dragonfly diversity and species assemblage structure in the municipal area of Dortmund (Germany). We sampled dragonfly larvae in 33 ponds situated in city parks, commercial, residential and agricultural areas. We recorded 30 autochthonous dragonfly species with species richness ranging from zero to 17. Additionally, we surveyed a set of environmental variables including habitat size, water level, pond structures and vegetation as well as surrounding landscape and potential disturbances like waterfowl and fish. Multivariate methods were used to identify the major determinants of dragonfly diversity, abundance and assemblage structure. Analysis indicated that diversity of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation affected dragonfly diversity positively. City park ponds had low diversity, but Ischnura elegans was obviously promoted by the specific park pond conditions, including high waterfowl density. We found five assemblages mostly determined by generalistic species which were related to different pond types. Moderately disturbed ruderal and pioneer ponds in residential and agricultural areas also contained increased numbers of rare species. Our results indicate that urban ponds may have a great value for maintaining biodiversity, but various disturbances have negative impact. To promote urban biodiversity we suggest a natural design of well-vegetated ponds as well as a high diversity of different pond types and particularly a more-natural redesign of city park ponds.     

Multiple ecosystem service synergies and landscape mediation of biodiversity within urban agroecosystems

Ecosystem services (ESs) are essential for human well-being, especially in urban areas where 60% of the global population will live by 2030. While urban habitats have the potential to support biodiversity and ES, few studies have quantified the impact of local and landscape management across a diverse suite of services. We leverage 5 years of data (>5000 observations) across a network of urban community gardens to determine the drivers of biodiversity and ES trade-offs and synergies. We found multiple synergies and few trade-offs, contrasting previous assumptions that food production is at odds with biodiversity. Furthermore, we show that natural landscape cover interacts with local management to mediate services provided by mobile animals, specifically pest control and pollination. By quantifying the factors that support a diverse suite of ES, we highlight the critical role of garden management and urban planning for optimizing biodiversity and human benefit.     

Streetscale bioretention basins in Melbourne and their effect on local biodiversity

Development of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) in Australia is rapidly changing urban landscapes by incorporating engineered stormwater management systems such as bioretention basins. Despite these landscape changes, little is known about their effect on urban biodiversity. The biodiversities of six bioretention basins and six corresponding paired greenspaces (divided into two subgroups) in the Melbourne area were compared using ground-dwelling terrestrial invertebrates as biodiversity indicators. Overall, the number of species, species richness and diversity displayed a decreasing trend from bioretention basins to gardenbed and lawn-type greenspaces. This trend may reflect the possible decreasing habitat resources. Species composition was significantly different in these landscape types. The differences in low-stratum vegetation, pH, leaf litter depth and gravel were the main habitat factors influencing the invertebrate communities of these landscapes. The transition from traditional urban greenspaces to bioretention basins potentially promises to enhance urban biodiversity. Landscape planning at the urban-design scale should consider reducing lawn as environmentally unsustainable urban greenspaces. At the streetscape scale, a combination of bioretention basins and gardenbed-type greenspaces may provide ecologically robust and aesthetically pleasant urban streets. This study was conducted in a summer season only and caution should be taken in generalizing the outcomes over an entire year.     

云南省生物多样性保护进展、成效与前瞻

《生物多样性公约》第十五次缔约方大会(COP15)计划于2021年在云南昆明召开, 大会将评估《2011-2020年生物多样性战略计划》执行情况及实施进展。如能达成协议, 将出台“2020年后全球生物多样性框架”, 作为指导2020年之后全球生物多样性保护的最新纲领性文件。这是生物多样性保护国际进程的一个里程碑, 也是展现中国以及云南多年来生物多样性保护成效的重要契机。作为中国生物多样性最为丰富的省份和具有全球意义的生物多样性关键地区之一, 云南在生物多样性保护方面投入巨大努力, 在全国较早发布省级《生物多样性保护战略与行动计划(2012-2030年)》、开创地方立法先河、率先试点建设国家公园、较早开展县域生物多样性本底调查与评估研究工作、建立了首个国家级野生生物种质资源库等, 在就地保护、迁地保护、重大生态工程等众多领域都取得显著成效。本文在梳理云南生物多样性保护进展与成就的基础上, 对保护成效进行了评估, 并有针对性地探讨了云南生物多样性保护未来发展方向及重大意义, 加强全省农业生物多样性的保护与可持续利用、发挥跨境生物多样性保护及减贫示范作用、协调发展生物多样性保护与少数民族传统知识保护等方面是云南省生物多样性保护今后发展的重要方向, 同时本文也为进一步促进云南生物多样性保护与管理提供了基础资料, 并为COP15提供地方履约实例。     

国内外城市生物多样性评价与提升研究综述

城市生物多样性水平是反映人与自然和谐共处水平的重要指标,对促进城市可持续发展有着重要意义。城市及其基础设施的扩张改变了土地原有的生态系统、水文状况和地表结构,不断加快的城市化进程对生物多样性造成了严重影响,城市生物多样性保护已成为当下城市生态建设中重要且紧迫的工作。与传统的生物多样性研究不同,城市生物多样性保护工作以保护生物多样性为前提,争取科学利用生物多样性为城市带来更广泛的经济效益和社会效益。当前城市生物多样性研究成果丰富且涉及层面多元,但仍面临缺乏系统性、整体性评价框架以及跨界、多尺度管理等关键问题。故对国内外城市生物多样性的状况评价、效益评价和提升路径三方面的相关研究进行综述,总结当前城市生物多样性评价的标准与方法,并从城市生物多样性保护面对的主要挑战出发,梳理介绍国际合作、国家政策、城市规划、专项保护以及基于自然的解决方案等角度的城市生物多样性提升路径。讨论了城市生物多样性的关注点与未来研究方向,并对城市生物多样性保护提出政策建议,为各地编制生物多样性保护规划和开展城市生物多样性保护工作提供借鉴,以期促进城市生物多样性保护和人与自然的协调发展。     

Implementing large-scale and long-term functional biodiversity research: The Biodiversity Exploratories

Functional biodiversity research explores drivers and functional consequences of biodiversity changes. Land use change is a major driver of changes of biodiversity and of biogeochemical and biological ecosystem processes and services. However, land use effects on genetic and species diversity are well documented only for a few taxa and trophic networks. We hardly know how different components of biodiversity and their responses to land use change are interrelated and very little about the simultaneous, and interacting, effects of land use on multiple ecosystem processes and services. Moreover, we do not know to what extent land use effects on ecosystem processes and services are mediated by biodiversity change. Thus, overall goals are on the one hand to understand the effects of land use on biodiversity, and on the other to understand the modifying role of biodiversity change for land-use effects on ecosystem processes, including biogeochemical cycles. To comprehensively address these important questions, we recently established a new large-scale and long-term project for functional biodiversity, the Biodiversity Exploratories (www.biodiversity-exploratories.de). They comprise a hierarchical set of standardized field plots in three different regions of Germany covering manifold management types and intensities in grasslands and forests. They serve as a joint research platform for currently 40 projects involving over 300 people studying various aspects of the relationships between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem processes through monitoring, comparative observation and experiments. We introduce guiding questions, concept and design of the Biodiversity Exploratories – including main aspects of selection and implementation of field plots and project structure – and we discuss the significance of this approach for further functional biodiversity research. This includes the crucial relevance of a common study design encompassing variation in both drivers and outcomes of biodiversity change and ecosystem processes, the interdisciplinary integration of biodiversity and ecosystem researchers, the training of a new generation of integrative biodiversity researchers, and the stimulation of functional biodiversity research in real landscape contexts, in Germany and elsewhere.     

Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in roots and soils of two salt marshes

The occurrence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was assessed by both morphological and molecular criteria in two salt marshes: (i) a NaCl site of the island Terschelling, Atlantic Coast, the Netherlands and (ii) a K₂CO₃ marsh at Schreyahn, Northern Germany. The overall biodiversity of AMF, based on sequence analysis, was comparably low in roots at both sites. However, the morphological spore analyses from soil samples of both sites exhibited a higher AMF biodiversity. Glomus geosporum was the only fungus of the Glomerales that was detected both as spores in soil samples and in roots of the AMF-colonized salt plants Aster tripolium and Puccinellia sp. at both saline sites and on all sampling dates (one exception). In roots, sequences of Glomus intraradices prevailed, but this fungus could not be identified unambiguously from DNA of soil spores. Likewise, Glomus sp. uncultured, only deposited as sequence in the database, was widely detected by DNA sequencing in root samples. All attempts to obtain the corresponding sequences from spores isolated from soil samples failed consistently. A small sized Archaeospora sp. was detected, either/or by morphological and molecular analyses, in roots or soil spores, in dead AMF spores or orobatid mites. The study noted inconsistencies between morphological characterization and identification by DNA sequencing of the 5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region or part of the 18S rDNA gene. The distribution of AMF unlikely followed the salt gradient at both sites, in contrast to the zone formation of plant species. Zygotes of the alga Vaucheria erythrospora (Xanthophyceae) were retrieved and should not be misidentified with AMF spores.     

时空变化视角下北京市湿地优先保护格局

气候变化通过改变湿地水文过程等影响湿地的空间分布,城市化进程加剧了湿地破碎化程度并导致湿地生境退化,构建连续的湿地生态保护网络体系有利于应对气候变化和城市发展带来的负面影响、提高生物多样性保护水平。北京市现有湿地空间分布呈现斑块面积小、破碎化程度高等特点,为优化湿地保护区格局并应对气候变化和城市发展对北京市湿地生物多样性的影响,基于系统保护规划方法,以Marxan作为空间优化模型,结合PLUS模型和MaxEnt模型,模拟预测北京市湿地优先保护格局、识别湿地保护空缺并构建湿地分级保护区格局。研究表明:2020年北京市湿地存在80.15km²的保护空缺、2035年和2050年优化后湿地保护区占比分别为87.54%和85.95%,在满足本研究预设的生物多样性保护目标的前提下符合北京市湿地保护规划对湿地保护率的要求。为最优化资源分配,综合时空变化对湿地保护区空间分布的影响,构建了湿地分级保护区格局,将湿地保护区分为湿地永久保护区、湿地一级临时保护区和湿地二级临时保护区三个等级,以期为北京市分期建设湿地保护区、优化湿地生态保护网络体系和保护湿地生物多样性提供依据。     

融入植被结构因子的生态单元制图法在城市生物多样性信息采集中的应用

以前所使用的生态单元制图模型中没有涉及植被时间和空间结构因子,然而一些研究结果显示植被的时空结构对于生物多样性有着重要的影响。因此,设计一个融入植被结构因子的改良城市生态单元制图模型,并且将其应用于瑞典赫尔辛堡市的绿色空间个案研究中,以期能够获得有关生物多样性方面的信息。这个改良的制图方法基于一个生态单元分类系统,此分类系统融入了4个植被结构因子,分别是:植被覆盖的连续性因子、优势乔木种的年龄因子、横向结构因子以及竖向结构因子。公共绿色空间信息的采集借助于全彩色航空照片的分析以及实地调查,生态单元图谱的绘制基于各个层级的生态单元分类重点。通过使用原生林地指示种或林地连续性指示种(AWIS)鉴定林地的连续性以及观测不同的植被结构下动物的分布情况得出,一些含有AWIS的生态单元是长连续性的林地,并且其含有较高的或潜在高的生物多样性;同时,植被的横向和竖向结构以及树木的年龄结构影响着鸟类和哺乳动物的分布、丰富度和多样性。得出融入植被时空结构的生态单元制图法是一个重要的调查城市生物多样性的方法,图谱能够显示出各个生态单元含有生物多样性价值的信息,基于此可以对今后的城市生物多样性保护和提高提出相应的策略。     

Urban greenspace composition and landscape context influence natural enemy community composition and function

Conservation research has historically been aimed at preserving high value natural habitats, but urbanization and its associated impacts have prompted broader mandates that include the preservation and promotion of biodiversity in cities. Current efforts within urban landscapes aim to support biodiversity and diverse ecosystem services such as storm water management, sustainable food production, and toxin remediation. Arthropod natural enemies provide biocontrol services important for the ecosystem management of urban greenspaces. Establishing habitat for these and other beneficial arthropods is a growing area of urban conservation. Habitat design, resource inputs, management, and abiotic conditions shape the value of greenspace habitats for arthropods. In general, larger patches with diverse plant communities support a greater abundance and diversity of natural enemies and biocontrol services, yet opposing patterns or no effects have also been documented. The surrounding landscape is likely a contributor to this variation in natural enemy response to patch-scale habitat design and management. Looking across rural–urban landscape gradients, natural enemy communities shift toward dominance by habitat generalists and disturbance tolerant species in urban areas compared to rural or natural communities. These changes have been linked to variation in habitat fragmentation, plant productivity and management intensity. In landscape-scale studies focusing solely within cities, variables such as impervious surface area and greenspace connectivity affect the community assembly of natural enemies within a patch. Given these findings, a greater mechanistic understanding of how both the composition and spatial context of urban greenspaces influence natural enemy biodiversity–biocontrol relationships is needed to advance conservation planning and implementation.     

城市化对生物多样性的影响研究综述

城市化正在全球范围内迅速发展。城市的发展不但极大程度地改变了生物的生存环境,而且导致生物多样性的急剧变化。在概述城市生态环境特点的基础上,综述了城市化对生物多样性的影响,并分析了乡村-城市生物多样性分布格局特征,同时为进一步研究城市化对生物多样性的影响提出了几点建议。     

城市绿地研究进展

2016年7月8-10日在中国上海召开了第二届国际城市生态学大会,会议的主题是“快速城市化和全球环境变化背景下城市生态学面临的挑战”。会议设16个专场,主要议题包括：城市化动态、城市可持续性研究、城市生物多样性评估和城市生态学教育等。城市绿地是大会的研究热点之一,会上讨论了城市绿地与城市生物多样性的密切联系、城市绿地的温度调节作用和文化服务,以及城市绿地与紧凑城市的关系等众多城市发展中的重要科学问题。为了推动城市绿地和城市生态学研究的进一步发展,本文对SURE大会上与城市绿地相关的研究内容进行综述和介绍。本次大会对未来城市绿地研究具有重要启示：(1)加强城市绿地的生态系统服务与可持续科学教育的研究;(2)加强小尺度城市绿地的评估、规划和管理研究;(3)加强城市绿地多功能的综合性研究。     

基于生态单元制图的宝鸡市城区生物多样性保护规划研究

为探寻适合我国城乡生物多样性保护的有效措施和方法,以宝鸡城区为研究对象,通过实地调研和室内制图相结合的研究方法,创建一套融入植被结构因子(植被水平结构因子、植被优势种的年龄因子、植被垂直结构因子、林木类型因子)的生态单元分类系统,将研究区域内的城市绿地现状以图谱形式表示。通过对不同植被结构的绿地中维管束植物物种丰富度的对比,以检验此分类系统在城乡生物多样性信息采集中的有效性。基于制图信息和检验结果,分析研究区域内绿地空间结构存在的问题并针对宝鸡市城乡生物多样性保护提出相应策略,以期为今后我国城乡生物多样性保护提供理论依据和实践方法。     

近自然社区公园的生物多样性特征——以北京市中心城区为例

城市绿地为城市动植物提供了重要栖息地,对城市生物多样性保护具有重要意义。然而,传统社区公园绿地（"传统绿地"）主要围绕安全、景观和游憩功能,植物种类偏少,群落结构单一,为城市野生动物提供食源和栖息地的资源有限。北京市以2035规划"留白增绿"为政策背景,在中心城区建设一系列小型近自然社区公园绿地（"近自然绿地"）,在植物物种组成、群落结构和管理方式上有别于以往的传统绿地。一般认为生物多样性在一定范围内随面积的增大而提高,那么对于受到高度干扰的小型绿地,"近自然"特征是否能够显著提高其包括昆虫、鸟类在内的生物多样性？为探究这类近自然绿地的生物多样性特征,在2020年8月至2021年3月,综合采用样方法、样线法,对北京市西城区2个近自然绿地及4个传统绿地的植物、昆虫和鸟类进行调查,分析比较其多样性特征。结果表明,近自然绿地的灌木和草本层丰富度和多样性显著高于传统绿地,均匀度则无显著差异;近自然绿地的昆虫和鸟类的丰富度、多样性显著高于传统绿地,均匀度则无显著差异。与传统绿地相比,近自然绿地具有更丰富的鸟类食源、蜜源植物,以及更为复杂的植被垂直结构。根据以上结果,近自然绿地具有比传统绿地更为显著的生物多样性优势,建议在进行城市绿地建设时,应增加植被结构复杂的近自然绿地的比例,增加绿地的灌木和草本层多样性。研究成果不仅丰富了小面积绿地的生物多样性内涵,且可为大都市近自然绿地营建提供理论依据。本研究还将为今后公园设计、改造和管理提供新的思路,引导绿地向基于生物多样性保护的方向可持续发展。     

生态保护区外斑块对景观连接度的影响评价

快速的城市化过程带来的生境斑块破碎化及损失会影响物种迁移、捕食等生态活动,对生物多样性构成威胁。然而,现有生态保护区可能无法覆盖其内生物的必要活动范围。生态保护区外的生境斑块对于维持生态过程也具有重要作用,因此识别生态保护区外的关键斑块并加以保护非常重要。以北京市延庆区为研究区,划分两种生境斑块,即核心生境斑块和潜在生境斑块,并基于图论构建生境网络。考虑地表覆盖类型、坡度、人类活动等因素构建生境阻力面。结合未来土地利用类型变化的模拟,研究城市化过程对区域生境网络和景观连接度的影响,选用CLUE-S模型模拟土地利用类型变化的格局。结合生境斑块特征和未来城市土地利用变化情况设计了3种未来生境变化情景。利用连接概率指数(PC)和网络连接度变化率(dI)评价不同生境变化情景下生态保护区外潜在生境斑块的景观连接度重要性,判断保护优先顺序,并分析景观格局变化对不同迁移能力物种的影响。结果表明：生态保护区外的全部潜在生境斑块对维持生境整体景观连接度有最大2.15%的影响,单个潜在生境斑块对维持景观连接度有最大0.28%的影响。此外,景观格局及其变化对不同迁移能力物种的影响差异显著,因此需针对保护物种和城市生境特征设计保护方案,研究区需要优先保护大中型斑块和位于关键位置的小型斑块。为了满足对生物多样性保护的需求,建议在区分生境斑块保护优先顺序时考虑生境斑块对景观连接度的贡献和城市化扩展过程的压力。研究为城市生物多样性保护和生境管理提供了方法参考。     

土地利用与生物多样性绩效研究及对风景园林规划的借鉴

在当今世界土地资源极度紧缺的大背景下,研究不同土地利用情景下的生物多样性,评估其达到生物多样性预期目标的能力,已成为土地规划领域的重要研究方向,具有重要的理论研究意义和实践价值。本文在大量文献研究的基础上,简要分析了土地利用对生物多样性的作用机理,详细总结了土地类型组成、土地利用连接度、土地利用强度与土地利用聚合度4个关键性因子对生物多样性绩效影响的研究现状。针对现有研究进展,从多样性指标、生态机制、时空异质性、参与情景模拟、非线性系统规律5个方面阐述了如何进一步完善土地利用与生物多样性的研究内容。研究结果表明,土地利用与生物多样性绩效的关系符合复杂适应性系统在风景园林规划中运用的规律,满足构建研究规划协同实践的概念性框架。进而重点从引导以生物多样性保护为重要目标的用地控制策略、建立多尺度一体化的生物多样性保护格局、发挥不同尺度蓝—绿网络体系的载体作用、构建区域层面的生物多样性发展骨架、提高城市环境下生物多样性的引导措施、推进不确定性规划减少决策风险6个方面提出了土地利用—生物多样性绩效关联分析对风景园林规划中可资借鉴的思考。     

Towards the global monitoring of biodiversity change

Governments have set the ambitious target of reducing biodiversity loss by the year 2010. The scientific community now faces the challenge of assessing the progress made towards this target and beyond. Here, we review current monitoring efforts and propose a global biodiversity monitoring network to complement and enhance these efforts. The network would develop a global sampling programme for indicator taxa (we suggest birds and vascular plants) and would integrate regional sampling programmes for taxa that are locally relevant to the monitoring of biodiversity change. The network would also promote the development of comparable maps of global land cover at regular time intervals. The extent and condition of specific habitat types, such as wetlands and coral reefs, would be monitored based on regional programmes. The data would then be integrated with other environmental and socioeconomic indicators to design responses to reduce biodiversity loss.     

Modern challenges in therapeutic protein production

The Modern Challenges in Therapeutic Protein Production conference hosted 44 delegates from the UK and Germany and was organized by EuroSciCon. The aim of the meeting was to look at the challenges that currently face the production of therapeutic proteins and to attempt to demystify some of the novel approaches and new technologies that are being developed and could have applications in this area. The Chair, Brendan Fish (GlaxoSmithKline, Barnard Castle, UK), gave a detailed introduction to the conference and finished with a summation at the end.     

News in Brief

The Modern Challenges in Therapeutic Protein Production conference hosted 44 delegates from the UK and Germany and was organized by EuroSciCon. The aim of the meeting was to look at the challenges that currently face the production of therapeutic proteins and to attempt to demystify some of the novel approaches and new technologies that are being developed and could have applications in this area. The Chair, Brendan Fish (GlaxoSmithKline, Barnard Castle, UK), gave a detailed introduction to the conference and finished with a summation at the end.