The use of the axiophyte species concept to describe the ecological network of the Birmingham and Black Country of the UK West Midlands

• Autorzy: Ian C. Trueman , Sara Carvalho , Andrew Slater
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The UK conurbation of Birmingham and the Black Country has recently been surveyed for a new Flora, on the basis of a 1 km square grid. The present paper uses the data to describe the ecological network of the conurbation. The total number of taxa per 1 km squares is shown to be moderately but significantly correlated, and the number of native taxa more strongly correlated, with the area of the previously-established network of protected sites. Nevertheless coincidence maps of total numbers or numbers of native species per 1 km square give only poor representations of the ecological network compared with maps of protected sites. Axiophytes are defined as plant species 90% restricted to conservation habitats and recorded in fewer than 25% of 2km × 2km squares in a county. Applying the concept to 1 km squares in Birmingham and the Black Country creates a list of 256 axiophytes. Numbers of axiophytes are shown to be more strongly correlated with areas of protected sites than total taxa or native taxa and a coincidence map of the axiophytes is found to provide a useful quantitative assessment of the ecological network. Maps of axiophytes are used to divide the network into core and linking areas and their use in consolidating and improving the botanical ecological network is explored.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

urban ecology; indicator species; flora; landscape; conservation

• Wydawca: Sciendo
• Czasopismo: Environmental & Socio-economic Studies
• Rocznik: 2013
• Tom: 1
• Numer: 4
• Strony: 12-28

Daty

wydano

2013-12-01

online

2015-06-27

Twórcy

autor

Ian C. Trueman

• Biology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Str., WV1 1LY., Great Britain,

autor

Sara Carvalho

• EcoRecord, 16 Greenfield Crescent, Birmingham B15 3AU, Great Britain

autor

Andrew Slater

• EcoRecord, 16 Greenfield Crescent, Birmingham B15 3AU, Great Britain

Bibliografia

• Bennett G., Mulongoy K. 2006. Review of Experience with Ecological Networks, Corridors and Buffer Zones. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity: Montreal.
• Cohn E.V.J., Rostański A., Tokarska-Guzik B., Trueman I.C., Woźniak G. 2001. The Flora and vegetation of an old solvay process tip in Jaworzno (Upper Silesia, Poland). Acta Soc. Bot. Pol., 70, 1: 47-60.
• Crawley, M.J. 2005. Flora of Berkshire. Brambleby Books, Harpenden.
• Lawley S. 2011, Hawksford, J.E., Hopkins, I.J. 2011. The Flora of Staffordshire. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Stafford.
• Lawton J.H., Brotherton P.N.M., Brown V.K., Elphick C., Fitter A.H. Forshaw J., Haddow R.W., Hilborne S., Leafe R.N., Mace G.M., Southgate M.P., Sutherland W.J., Tew T.E., Varley J., Wynne G.R. 2010. Making Space for Nature: a review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to the UK government Department of the Environmemnt, Food and Agriculture.
• Lockton, A. 2011. Axiophyte research. BSBI Recorder, 15: 9
• Millard A. 2008. Semi-natural vegetation and its relationship to designated urban green space at the landscape scale in Leeds, UK. Landscape Ecology 23: 1231-1241.[WoS][Crossref]
• Peterken G.F. 1974. A method for assessing woodland flora for conservation using indicator species. Biological Conserv., 6,4: 239-45.
• Ratcliffe D.A. (ed.) 1977. A nature conservation review. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.
• Rostański A. 1998. Anthropophytes and apophytes in colonization process on the post-industrial heaps in Upper Silesia region. Phytocoenosis, vol. 10 (N.S.) Suppl. Cartogr. Geobot., 9: 199-201.
• Roy D.B., Hill M.O., Rothery P. 1999. Effects of urban land cover on the local species pool in Britain. Ecography, 22: 507-15.[Crossref]
• Spellerberg I.F 1992. Evaluation and Assessment for Conservation. Chapman & Hall, London.
• The Wildlife Trusts 2006, updated 2009. A living landscape. The Wildlife Trusts, Newark, UK.
• Trueman I.C., Poulton M.W., Reade P.L. 2013. Flora of Birmingham and the Black Country. Pisces Publ., Newbury.[WoS]
• Usher M.B. (ed.) 1986. Wildlife conservation evaluation. Chapman & Hall, London.
• Wilmore G.T.D., Lunn J., Rodwell J.S. 2011. The South Yorkshire Plant Atlas. Yorkshire Naturalists Union & the Humber Ecological Data Trust.

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.1515/environ-2015-0020