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Hierarchical Filters Determine Community Assembly of Urban Species Pools

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Mark Goddard

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Wiley, 2016.

For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.


Abstract

The majority of humanity now lives in cities or towns, with this proportion expected to continue increasing for the foreseeable future. As novel ecosystems, urban areas offer an ideal opportunity to examine multi-scalar processes involved in community assembly as well as the role of human activities in modulating environmental drivers of biodiversity. Although ecologists have made great strides in recent decades at documenting ecological relationships in urban areas, much remains unknown, and we still need to identify the major ecological factors, aside from habitat loss, behind the persistence or extinction of species and guilds of species in cities. Given this paucity of knowledge, there is an immediate need to facilitate collaborative, interdisciplinary research on the patterns and drivers of biodiversity in cities at multiple spatial scales. In this review, we introduce a new conceptual framework for understanding the filtering processes that mold diversity of urban floras and faunas. We hypothesize that the following hierarchical series of filters influence species distributions in cities: 1) regional climatic and biogeographical factors; 2) human facilitation; 3) urban form and development history; 4) socioeconomic and cultural factors; and 5) species interactions. In addition to these filters, life history and functional traits of species are important in determining community assembly and act at multiple spatial scales. Using these filters as a conceptual framework can help frame future research needed to elucidate processes of community assembly in urban areas. Understanding how humans influence community structure and processes will aid in the management, design, and planning of our cities to best support biodiversity.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Aronson MFJ, Nilon CH, Lepczyk CA, Parker TS, Warren PS, Cilliers SS, Goddard MA, Hahs AK, Herzog C, Katti M, La Sorte FA, Williams NSG, Zipperer W

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Ecology

Year: 2016

Volume: 97

Issue: 11

Pages: 2952-2963

Print publication date: 01/11/2016

Online publication date: 26/07/2016

Acceptance date: 05/07/2016

Date deposited: 28/07/2016

ISSN (print): 0012-9658

ISSN (electronic): 1939-9170

Publisher: Wiley

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1535

DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1535


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
1354676/1355151National Science Foundation (NSF RCN: DEB)

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