打印

作者

Justice Muvengwi;Anesu Kwenda;Monicah Mbiba;Tapiwanashe Mpindu

来源

URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING,Vol.43,Issue1,Article 126370

语言

英文

关键字

Biodiversity;Beta diversity;Hill numbers;Shannon diversity;Simpson diversity;Urban schools

作者单位

School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;Department of Natural Resources, Bindura University of Science Education, Private Bag, 1020 Bindura, Zimbabwe;Sustainability Research Unit, Nelson Mandela University, George Campus, P/Bag X6531, George 6530, South Africa;School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;Department of Natural Resources, Bindura University of Science Education, Private Bag, 1020 Bindura, Zimbabwe;Sustainability Research Unit, Nelson Mandela University, George Campus, P/Bag X6531, George 6530, South Africa

摘要

Previous studies have clearly outlined the importance of urban green spaces such as golf courses, urban gardens and street sides in urban ecosystem functioning. To date little has been done to consider the role of urban school yards in biodiversity conservation in Southern Africa. Our study therefore investigated the role of urban school yards in biodiversity conservation across an urban gradient in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe. Ten schools were randomly selected from each stratum, low, medium and high density suburbs. School yards were surveyed for herbs (garden flowers) and woody plants (trees and shrubs). For α diversity, species richness, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were computed using the Hill numbers. Variation in species composition among schools was assessed using beta diversity (βSOR) and its components (βSIM and βSNE). A total of 120 tree species belonging to 43 families and 89 garden flowers belonging to 41 families were identified and recorded in school yards from the different suburb densities. Schools in medium density suburbs had highest species richness, Shannon, Simpson and beta diversity indices for indigenous trees compared with those in the low and high density suburbs. For garden flowers, there was no variation in species richness, Shannon, Simpson and beta indices across school yards from low, medium and high density suburbs. Our results demonstrate the important role of urban school yards in biodiversity conservation in general, though there is species homogenization of garden flowers and exotic trees across the urban landscape.