G Model LAND-2183; No. of Pages 15 ARTICLE IN PRESS Landscape and Urban Planning xxx (2012) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Landscape and Urban Planning jou rnal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/landurbplan Biodiversity in urban ecosystems: Plants and macromycetes as indicators for conservation planning in the city of Coimbra (Portugal) ∗ Lurdes Barrico , Anabela Marisa Azul, Maria Cristina Morais, António Pereira Coutinho, Helena Freitas, Paula Castro Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, PO Box 3046, 3001-401 Coimbra, Portugal a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Urban landscapes support a high and rich diversity often occurring as unusual or unique communities. Received 26 May 2011 Urban green areas are a vital part of the urban landscape, providing contact with wildlife and environ- Received in revised form 8 February 2012 mental services with additional socio-ecological benefits to the overall quality of life. The composition Accepted 14 February 2012 and diversity of vascular plants and macromycetes were assessed in an urban green area of the city of Available online xxx Coimbra (central Portugal) comprising three landscape types (Oak-, Eucalyptus-, and Olive-stands), with historical periurban agriculture and forest uses. We recorded 287 taxa of plants, including three taxa with Keywords: important ecological value (Quercus suber, Quercus faginea subsp. broteroi and Ruscus aculeatus) and 96 Biodiversity taxa of macromycetes. The pattern of land use resulted in the establishment of different plant and soil Urban green area fungal communities’ composition and diversity among these landscapes. The plant richness and diversity Vascular plants Macromycetes indices revealed similar trends within the landscape types, with the highest values found in the Olive- Land use stands due to the presence of herbaceous that decreased with tree cover density. Richness and diversity Bioindicators of macromycetes were higher in Oak-stands especially the symbiotic ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal com- munities. Although not significant, higher saprobic fungi richness and diversity values were found in the Eucalyptus-stands. Given the undoubted ecological complexity of urban green areas and the value of these ecosystems for society in terms of goods and services, it is imperative to select bioindicators that are readily accessible and reliable to design balanced urban ecosystems by linking wildlife and biological parameters to human well-being. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction loss of biodiversity by promoting the replacement of native species with non-native counterparts, leading to the extinction of some Landscapes across the world have been severely affected by species and to biotic homogenization (Chapin et al., 2000; Kowarik, human activities since the second half of the 20th century (EEA, 2011; Mckinney, 2006). 2006). A major concern involving human impact is a rise in urban- In the past decade, studies and discussions focusing on bio- ization, associated with the rapid growth of the world’s population logical diversity have become one of the most pressing and and the consequent transformation of rural and natural landscapes important topics for the scientific community, environmental pol- (Keles¸ , Sivrikaya, C¸ akir, & Köse, 2008). Although urban landscapes icy makers and forestry planners (Dana, Vivas, & Mota, 2002; occupy only approximately 4% of the earth’s surface (UN, 2008), 75% Gustafsson, Appelgren, & Nordin, 2005; Jooss, Geissler-Strobel, of the population in developed countries lives in urban settlements Trautner, Hermann, & Kaule, 2009). Biodiversity is an important with a corresponding 29% of the population in less developed coun- component of any ecological system that promotes functional tries (UNFPA, 2009). In Portugal, approximately 60% of the total diversity and improves ecological stability by influencing the resis- population inhabits urban areas (UNFPA, 2009). tance and resilience to environmental change (Chapin et al., 2000; Urban landscapes are complex ecological systems, affected by Peterson, Allen, & Holling, 1998) and is therefore crucial to the over- human practices that have increasingly altered biogeochemical all quality of life. In this context, urban green spaces have gradually cycles and contributed to the deterioration of natural habitats and become recognized as important local habitats in urban systems. In Portugal, urban gardens and green spaces have also been identified for a long time as major contributors to the physi- ∗ cal and aesthetic quality of neighbourhoods (Loures, Santos, & Corresponding author. Tel.: +351 239 855210; fax: +351 239 855211. Panagopoulos, 2007). In the 1940s, city managers determined that E-mail addresses: [email protected] (L. Barrico), [email protected] urban growth in Coimbra (in the central region of Portugal) should (A.M. Azul), [email protected] (M.C. Morais), [email protected] (A. Pereira Coutinho), [email protected] (H. Freitas), [email protected] (P. Castro). follow the “garden-city” concept in which the urban area would 0169-2046/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.02.011 Please cite this article in press as: Barrico, L., et al. Biodiversity in urban ecosystems: Plants and macromycetes as indicators for conservation planning in the city of Coimbra (Portugal). Landscape Urban Plan. (2012), doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.02.011 G Model LAND-2183; No. of Pages 15 ARTICLE IN PRESS 2 L. Barrico et al. / Landscape and Urban Planning xxx (2012) xxx–xxx Fig. 1. Location of the study site and the three landscape types. be bounded by a rural landscape – the green belt – containing no provide a recreational resource for local residents (Chiesura, 2004; urban development (Santos, 1983). This green belt would serve as Van Herzele & Wiedemann, 2003), contribute towards carbon a reservoir of clean air, as protection against the encroachment of sequestration and generate both food and habitats for other organ- other urban centres, and as a supplier of agricultural products. This isms (Davies, Edmondson, Heinemeyer, Leake, & Gaston, 2011; type of agriculture, within the city boundaries or in the immediate Mathieu, Freeman, & Aryal, 2007). Soil fungi play a pivotal role surroundings, is nowadays generally defined as periurban agricul- in decomposition and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems ture (FAO, 2007). These areas are of extreme importance due to the and influence the establishment and dynamic succession of plant services they may provide to cities, and should be taken into con- communities (Smith & Read, 2008). Certain soil fungi establish a sideration in any territorial development policies. The Santa Clara symbiotic relationship with roots of plants, called mycorrhizas, Plateau (SCP) represents one example of Coimbra’s periurban agri- that is widely recognized as mediators between soil processes culture area where no urban infrastructures were allowed until and plant community, by enhancing nutrient acquisition, drought the 1990s. Soil management associated with agriculture and for- tolerance, and pathogen resistance of their hosts (Smith & Read, est uses over several decades resulted in three distinct landscape 2008), whereas saprobic fungi have been shown to remobilize and types in the SCP. This mosaic within SCP offers an excellent case translocate biomass and store mineral nutrients. Several ectomyc- study, not only because of the historical periurban use, but also orrhizal (ECM) fungal species, predominantly basidiomycetes and due to two potential environmental risks in the area: (i) fire, asso- some ascomycetes, likely have similar functions in nutrient cycling ciated with the forest–urban interface, and (ii) pressures associated (Finlay, 2008). In Mediterranean Basin ecosystems all major types with urban and commercial growth, particularly in the last tweenty of mycorrhiza can co-exist, depending on the plant community years. Moreover, the SCP evaluation of biodiversity parameters rep- structure and the stage of ecological succession. resents a unique example to explore biological conservation and We hypothesized that the pattern of land use in the SCP has include collaborative reflections on urban design strategies and influenced the establishment of the floristic and macromycete com- planning decisions. munities, resulting in different plant and soil fungal community The value of wildlife and native biota in urban green areas composition and diversity among landscapes. In order to evaluate is often underestimated and its socio-ecological functions have these differences, we determined the composition and diversity not been comprehensively studied (EEA, 2010). Assessing, under- of flora and macromycetes in the three different landscape types standing, and improving urban biodiversity is of great importance that currently characterize this green area. The study also aims from both conservation and social point of views (Kowarik, 2011). to provide relevant information for policy makers to design bal- Two important biological and ecological components in these anced urban ecosystems by linking biological indicators to human systems include vegetation and soil fungi (in particular, the sym- well-being. biotic and the decomposers). The vegetation component provides important environmental services, such as stabilization of stream 2. Materials and methods banks, moderation and improvement of storm water