Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes
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| Language: | English |
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2019
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574414361328737 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu1574414361328737 |
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NDLTD |
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English |
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Entomology Ecology Forestry urban ecology urban forestry ecosystem services shrinking cities tree canopy cover pest management insect conservation exotic species |
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Entomology Ecology Forestry urban ecology urban forestry ecosystem services shrinking cities tree canopy cover pest management insect conservation exotic species Riley, Christopher B. Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| author |
Riley, Christopher B. |
| author_facet |
Riley, Christopher B. |
| author_sort |
Riley, Christopher B. |
| title |
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| title_short |
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| title_full |
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| title_fullStr |
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes |
| title_sort |
quantifying the ecosystem services and functions of forests across diverse urban landscapes |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2019 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574414361328737 |
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AT rileychristopherb quantifyingtheecosystemservicesandfunctionsofforestsacrossdiverseurbanlandscapes |
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1719456683837620224 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15744143613287372021-08-03T07:13:15Z Quantifying the Ecosystem Services and Functions of Forests across Diverse Urban Landscapes Riley, Christopher B. Entomology Ecology Forestry urban ecology urban forestry ecosystem services shrinking cities tree canopy cover pest management insect conservation exotic species Forests are a ubiquitous component of the green infrastructure found in urban settings ranging from shrinking inner-city neighborhoods to affluent outlying suburbs. Previous research has identified and often quantified many of the regulating ecosystem services provided by urban forests, including mitigation of the heat island effect, removal of atmospheric pollutants, and reduction of stormwater runoff. Because of these benefits, this greenspace is widely regarded as an environmental amenity for urban residents. However, understanding the urban forest’s role in providing ecosystem services such as pest regulation or functions such as resource transfer to higher trophic levels, both of which could be heavily influenced by the plant species composition of this greenspace, has received comparatively less attention. Exotic tree species are commonplace in urban sites ranging from minimally to extensively managed and their ecology as it relates to these ecosystem services and functions remains less understood. Previous research has also demonstrated that urban forests and the benefits they confer are often inequitably distributed across socioeconomic groups, which could have important implications for natural resource management and environmental justice initiatives. Therefore, the overarching goals of this dissertation research were to further investigate the ecosystem services and functions provided by urban forests, and in particular the role of exotic species, and to examine the distributional equity of the habitat in diverse urban settings.Focusing first on shrinking cities as unique socio-ecological systems, the first objectives of this research were to: review the literature on the ecological and sociological tradeoffs of urban spontaneous vegetation occurring on vacant land (Chapter 1); survey the forest community occurring on vacant land and quantify the ecosystem services provided by the native and exotic tree species (Chapter 2); and examine and compare the ecological function of dominant congeneric native and exotic tree species occurring on vacant land (Chapter 3). Spontaneously occurring forest communities on vacant land can provide a number of benefits and challenges. In Cleveland, Ohio, the forest community on vacant land was dominated by exotic tree species, and as a result, these species provided over half of the monetary value associated with the regulating ecosystem services provisioned. Herbivory assessments between native and exotic congeners revealed that tree provenance was not a consistent predictor of host utilization extent. Taken together, these results suggest that spontaneously occurring exotic trees may be important components of the urban forest found on vacant land and that value judgments based on tree provenance may be inappropriate in this context.The next objective was to investigate the effects of woody plant community diversity and provenance on pest management interventions in urban residential landscapes (Chapter 4). Contrary to our predictions, the ratio of native to exotic woody plants was unrelated to the number of pest management interventions required. Instead, plant richness was negatively related, suggesting that increasing plant biodiversity can increase the ecosystem service of pest regulation and decrease the need for pesticide applications. Finally, the relationship between urban tree canopy cover and ecosystem services and their spatial distribution in relation to a suite of socioeconomic variables across nine US cities was investigated (Chapter 5). While canopy cover was an excellent predictor of ecosystem services, the relationship varied across cities. Furthermore, different socioeconomic variables significantly predicted canopy cover and ecosystem services in each city.Collectively, these findings highlight the potential value of exotic tree species for provisioning ecosystem services, supporting higher trophic levels, and diversifying forest communities within the context of urban settings. They also demonstrate that urban forest resources are inequitably distributed across cities. Therefore, sustainable urban forest management strategies should consider the value of spontaneous plant communities, the integration of exotic species, and the strategic investment of resources to maximize the value and equity of this resource. 2019 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574414361328737 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574414361328737 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |