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Effects of compositional and configurational heterogeneity of the urban matrix on the species richness of woody plants in urban remnant forest patches

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Abstract

Context

Urban remnant forest exists as patches scattered in an urban matrix. They are important sites for urban biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, it is unclear how the properties of the urban matrix affect the biodiversity of remnant patches.

Objective

Using data surveyed from 30 urban remnant forest patches in Guiyang, China, we intended to find out whether heterogeneity of the urban matrix affects the species richness of woody plants in these patches significantly.

Methods

We used landscape indices calculated from land cover data to quantify compositional and configurational heterogeneity of the urban matrix. Then we analyzed the association between heterogeneity of the urban matrix and the species richness of woody plants in remnant forest patches using generalized linear regression models.

Results

A significant positive association between compositional heterogeneity of the urban matrix and the species richness of tree sapling/seedlings existed when the urbanization level of the urban matrix was high. Also, compositional heterogeneity of the urban matrix correlated significantly with the species richness of shrubs in patches when the change rate of urbanization level of the urban matrix was low. Configurational heterogeneity of the urban matrix could enhance the association between patch attributes and the species richness of tree sapling/seedlings and shrubs.

Conclusions

Heterogeneity of the urban matrix affected the woody plant diversity of the remnant forest patches through the interaction effects with patch attributes and the urbanization level of the urban matrix. We recommend including the management of heterogeneity of the urban matrix as an essential part of works to conserve biodiversity in urban remnant forest patches.

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Data availability

Attribute data of patch and matrix and field survey data for this study are available via the Mendeley Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.17632/h54cxnrb6w.1.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31570458). We thank the undergraduate students from Guizhou University for their help in collecting field data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Institute for Global Change Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jingyi Yang, Xiangyu Luo, Siran Lu & Jun Yang

  2. College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Jingyi Yang

  3. Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Building and Built Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Yongchuan Yang

  4. Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region’s Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Yongchuan Yang

  5. Ministry of Education Field Research Station for East Asian Migratory Birds and Their Habitats, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jun Yang

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  1. Jingyi Yang
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Correspondence to Jun Yang.

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Yang, J., Luo, X., Lu, S. et al. Effects of compositional and configurational heterogeneity of the urban matrix on the species richness of woody plants in urban remnant forest patches. Landsc Ecol 37, 619–632 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01368-7

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