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Dynamics of ruderal species diversity under the rapid urbanization over the past half century in Harbin, Northeast China

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Abstract

Urbanization has resulted in obvious changes in plant species diversity. We analyzed the dynamics of ruderal species diversity in Harbin over the past half century using historical data collected in 1955 and data of the present spatial distribution in 2010–2011. The results show that, the number of ruderal species decreased from 611 to 175 with remarkable tendency of decreasing in perennial species and increasing in winter annual species in the past half century, which caused the shift of life form spectrum from perennial mono-dominant type to summer annual and perennial co-dominant type. Meanwhile, the proportion of tropical originated species increased and the proportion of temperate originated species decreased which were considered to relate with the increase of temperature in urban area during the past half century. Moreover, there was a distinct decrease of the proportion of aquatic and hygrophytic ruderal species while an increase of mesic and xeric ruderal species which suggested a drought trend in urban habitats that consistent with the change of land use characterized as decrease of natural water bodies and wetlands and increase of urban land. Comparison of ruderal species along urbanization gradient also got the similar results with the above results from analysis on temporal scales and confirmed the effect of urbanization on decreasing plant richness. Our results suggested that land use change combined with its effect on temperature and disturbance regimes in urban habitats preferred species with short life span, high drought tolerance, fast growth rates and high seed yields.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40971041). The authors are grateful to Professor Zhu Ning and Professor Nie Shaoquan for data support and to Professor Song Yongchang and Doctor Song Kun for the constructive comments and suggestions. Special thanks are extended to editors and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

    Xiaoshuang Chen, Weibo Wang, Hong Liang, Xiaoli Liu & Liangjun Da

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory for Ecology of Urbanization Process and Eco-restoration, Tiantong National Station of Forest Ecosystem, Shanghai, 200241, China

    Liangjun Da

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  1. Xiaoshuang Chen
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Correspondence to Liangjun Da.

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Chen, X., Wang, W., Liang, H. et al. Dynamics of ruderal species diversity under the rapid urbanization over the past half century in Harbin, Northeast China. Urban Ecosyst 17, 455–472 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-013-0338-8

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