Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area
Urbanization can have profound consequences for mammalian biodiversity and is thought to contribute to patterns of species richness and community composition. Large cities can be particularly challenging environments for mammals because these habitats are often impacted by anthropogenic perturbation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.903211/full |
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| author | Angelinna A. Bradfield Christopher M. Nagy Mark Weckel David C. Lahti Bobby Habig Bobby Habig Bobby Habig |
| author_facet | Angelinna A. Bradfield Christopher M. Nagy Mark Weckel David C. Lahti Bobby Habig Bobby Habig Bobby Habig |
| author_sort | Angelinna A. Bradfield |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urbanization can have profound consequences for mammalian biodiversity and is thought to contribute to patterns of species richness and community composition. Large cities can be particularly challenging environments for mammals because these habitats are often impacted by anthropogenic perturbations, including high human population density, fragmented habitats, and extensive human development. In this study, we investigated mammalian species richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity, and evenness in the most densely populated region in the United States: the New York metropolitan area. Specifically, we deployed camera traps from 2015 to 2019 to investigate six drivers of mammalian diversity across 31 greenspaces: (1) human population density, (2) patch size, (3) habitat type, (4) surrounding land cover, (5) geographical barriers to dispersal, and (6) habitat heterogeneity. We found that mammal community composition is largely influenced by a multitude of anthropogenic factors. Specifically, mammal species richness was higher in greenspaces with larger patch sizes and lower in greenspaces surrounded by more development. Moreover, Shannon–Wiener diversity and evenness were higher in urban natural landscapes than human-altered landscapes. In a subset of data that only included carnivores, we found that carnivore Shannon–Wiener diversity was higher in urban natural habitats and in sites with lower human population densities. Finally, we found that geographical barriers to dispersal contributed to both patterns of mammalian diversity and patterns of carnivore diversity: mammal taxa richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity, and evenness were all significantly higher on the continent (Bronx/Westchester) than on Long Island. These results suggest that preserving urban greenspaces is important for maintaining both mammalian and carnivore biodiversity and that management of mammals in cities should concentrate on maintaining large, connected, natural greenspaces. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:33:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45bef4462e79469dbe386b3bc84ae668 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:33:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-45bef4462e79469dbe386b3bc84ae6682022-12-22T00:54:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-07-011010.3389/fevo.2022.903211903211Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan AreaAngelinna A. Bradfield0Christopher M. Nagy1Mark Weckel2David C. Lahti3Bobby Habig4Bobby Habig5Bobby Habig6Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, United StatesMianus River Gorge, Bedford, NY, United StatesAmerican Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, United StatesAmerican Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Natural Sciences, Mercy College, Bronx, NY, United StatesUrbanization can have profound consequences for mammalian biodiversity and is thought to contribute to patterns of species richness and community composition. Large cities can be particularly challenging environments for mammals because these habitats are often impacted by anthropogenic perturbations, including high human population density, fragmented habitats, and extensive human development. In this study, we investigated mammalian species richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity, and evenness in the most densely populated region in the United States: the New York metropolitan area. Specifically, we deployed camera traps from 2015 to 2019 to investigate six drivers of mammalian diversity across 31 greenspaces: (1) human population density, (2) patch size, (3) habitat type, (4) surrounding land cover, (5) geographical barriers to dispersal, and (6) habitat heterogeneity. We found that mammal community composition is largely influenced by a multitude of anthropogenic factors. Specifically, mammal species richness was higher in greenspaces with larger patch sizes and lower in greenspaces surrounded by more development. Moreover, Shannon–Wiener diversity and evenness were higher in urban natural landscapes than human-altered landscapes. In a subset of data that only included carnivores, we found that carnivore Shannon–Wiener diversity was higher in urban natural habitats and in sites with lower human population densities. Finally, we found that geographical barriers to dispersal contributed to both patterns of mammalian diversity and patterns of carnivore diversity: mammal taxa richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity, and evenness were all significantly higher on the continent (Bronx/Westchester) than on Long Island. These results suggest that preserving urban greenspaces is important for maintaining both mammalian and carnivore biodiversity and that management of mammals in cities should concentrate on maintaining large, connected, natural greenspaces.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.903211/fullurban ecologymammalshabitat heterogeneitypatch sizebiodiversityhuman population density |
| spellingShingle | Angelinna A. Bradfield Christopher M. Nagy Mark Weckel David C. Lahti Bobby Habig Bobby Habig Bobby Habig Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution urban ecology mammals habitat heterogeneity patch size biodiversity human population density |
| title | Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area |
| title_full | Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area |
| title_fullStr | Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area |
| title_short | Predictors of Mammalian Diversity in the New York Metropolitan Area |
| title_sort | predictors of mammalian diversity in the new york metropolitan area |
| topic | urban ecology mammals habitat heterogeneity patch size biodiversity human population density |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.903211/full |
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