Abstract
We hypothesize that lower public visibility of residential backyards reduces households’ desire for social conformity, which alters residential land management and produces differences in ecological composition and function between front and backyards. Using lawn vegetation plots (7 cities) and soil cores (6 cities), we examine plant species richness and evenness and nitrogen cycling of lawns in Boston, Baltimore, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, Los Angeles (LA), and Salt Lake City (SLC). Seven soil nitrogen measures were compared because different irrigation and fertilization practices may vary between front and backyards, which may alter nitrogen cycling in soils. In addition to lawn-only measurements, we collected and analyzed plant species richness for entire yards—cultivated (intentionally planted) and spontaneous (self-regenerating)—for front and backyards in just two cities: LA and SLC. Lawn plant species and soils were not different between front and backyards in our multi-city comparisons. However, entire-yard plant analyses in LA and SLC revealed that frontyards had significantly fewer species than backyards for both cultivated and spontaneous species. These results suggest that there is a need for a more rich and social-ecologically nuanced understanding of potential residential, household behaviors and their ecological consequences.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 102-111 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Landscape and Urban Planning |
| Volume | 178 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Land management
- Plant diversity
- Residential landscapes
- Urban ecology
- Urban soils
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Cite this
A multi-city comparison of front and backyard differences in plant species diversity and nitrogen cycling in residential landscapes. / Locke, Dexter H.; Avolio, Meghan; Trammel, Tara; Roy Chowdhury, Rinku; Morgan Grove, J.; Rogan, John; Martin, Deborah G.; Bettez, Neil; Cavender-Bares, Jeannine; Groffman, Peter M.; Hall, Sharon; Heffernan, James B.; Hobbie, Sarah E.; Larson, Kelli; Morse, Jennifer L.; Neill, Christopher; Ogden, Laura A.; O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath P.M.; Pataki, Diane; Pearse, William D.; Polsky, Colin; Wheeler, Megan M.
In: Landscape and Urban Planning, Vol. 178, 01.10.2018, p. 102-111.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A multi-city comparison of front and backyard differences in plant species diversity and nitrogen cycling in residential landscapes
AU - Locke, Dexter H.
AU - Avolio, Meghan
AU - Trammel, Tara
AU - Roy Chowdhury, Rinku
AU - Morgan Grove, J.
AU - Rogan, John
AU - Martin, Deborah G.
AU - Bettez, Neil
AU - Cavender-Bares, Jeannine
AU - Groffman, Peter M.
AU - Hall, Sharon
AU - Heffernan, James B.
AU - Hobbie, Sarah E.
AU - Larson, Kelli
AU - Morse, Jennifer L.
AU - Neill, Christopher
AU - Ogden, Laura A.
AU - O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath P.M.
AU - Pataki, Diane
AU - Pearse, William D.
AU - Polsky, Colin
AU - Wheeler, Megan M.
PY - 2018/10/1
Y1 - 2018/10/1
N2 - We hypothesize that lower public visibility of residential backyards reduces households’ desire for social conformity, which alters residential land management and produces differences in ecological composition and function between front and backyards. Using lawn vegetation plots (7 cities) and soil cores (6 cities), we examine plant species richness and evenness and nitrogen cycling of lawns in Boston, Baltimore, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, Los Angeles (LA), and Salt Lake City (SLC). Seven soil nitrogen measures were compared because different irrigation and fertilization practices may vary between front and backyards, which may alter nitrogen cycling in soils. In addition to lawn-only measurements, we collected and analyzed plant species richness for entire yards—cultivated (intentionally planted) and spontaneous (self-regenerating)—for front and backyards in just two cities: LA and SLC. Lawn plant species and soils were not different between front and backyards in our multi-city comparisons. However, entire-yard plant analyses in LA and SLC revealed that frontyards had significantly fewer species than backyards for both cultivated and spontaneous species. These results suggest that there is a need for a more rich and social-ecologically nuanced understanding of potential residential, household behaviors and their ecological consequences.
AB - We hypothesize that lower public visibility of residential backyards reduces households’ desire for social conformity, which alters residential land management and produces differences in ecological composition and function between front and backyards. Using lawn vegetation plots (7 cities) and soil cores (6 cities), we examine plant species richness and evenness and nitrogen cycling of lawns in Boston, Baltimore, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Phoenix, Los Angeles (LA), and Salt Lake City (SLC). Seven soil nitrogen measures were compared because different irrigation and fertilization practices may vary between front and backyards, which may alter nitrogen cycling in soils. In addition to lawn-only measurements, we collected and analyzed plant species richness for entire yards—cultivated (intentionally planted) and spontaneous (self-regenerating)—for front and backyards in just two cities: LA and SLC. Lawn plant species and soils were not different between front and backyards in our multi-city comparisons. However, entire-yard plant analyses in LA and SLC revealed that frontyards had significantly fewer species than backyards for both cultivated and spontaneous species. These results suggest that there is a need for a more rich and social-ecologically nuanced understanding of potential residential, household behaviors and their ecological consequences.
KW - Land management
KW - Plant diversity
KW - Residential landscapes
KW - Urban ecology
KW - Urban soils
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048261648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85048261648&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.05.030
DO - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.05.030
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85048261648
VL - 178
SP - 102
EP - 111
JO - Landscape and Urban Planning
JF - Landscape and Urban Planning
SN - 0169-2046
ER -