scholarly journals Urban White-tailed Jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) Eat Spike Plants (Cordyline australis) in Winter

2012 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alwynne B. Beaudoin ◽  
Yves Beaudoin
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Stem Base ◽  
Preferred Foods ◽  
Garden Plant ◽  
The City

We observed White-tailed Jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) eating spike plants (Cordyline australis), a non-native ornamental garden plant, in our front yard within the city of Edmonton, Alberta. We have noted this persistent behaviour every winter between 2006-2007 and 2011-2012. By late January, the plants were usually eaten right down to the stem base. We suggest that the White-tailed Jackrabbits turn to this food source in winter when more preferred foods are lacking, are in short supply, or are not as readily accessible. Our observations add another plant species to the list of non-native plants consumed by White-tailed Jackrabbits.

The Garden in the City

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Native Plants ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Keynote Address ◽  
Video Presentation ◽  
The City

Video presentation of the opening keynote address given at the 2007 Greenscapes conference at Brock University (St. Catharines, ON). Lorraine Johnson is the author of numerous books related to environmental issues and gardening, including The New Ontario Naturalized Garden; 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens; and The Gardener's Manifesto. In this address Johnson discusses some key ideas relating to the theme of "the garden in the city."

scholarly journals A Digital Framework to Predict the Sunshine Requirements of Landscape Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2098
Author(s):  
Heyi Wei ◽  
Wenhua Jiang ◽  
Xuejun Liu ◽  
Bo Huang
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Adaptive Selection ◽  
Landscape Plant ◽  
Landscape Plants ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Stability And Accuracy ◽  
The City

Knowledge of the sunshine requirements of landscape plants is important information for the adaptive selection and configuration of plants for urban greening, and is also a basic attribute of plant databases. In the existing studies, the light compensation point (LCP) and light saturation point (LSP) have been commonly used to indicate the shade tolerance for a specific plant; however, these values are difficult to adopt in practice because the landscape architect does not always know what range of solar radiation is the best for maintaining plant health, i.e., normal growth and reproduction. In this paper, to bridge the gap, we present a novel digital framework to predict the sunshine requirements of landscape plants. First, the research introduces the proposed framework, which is composed of a black-box model, solar radiation simulation, and a health standard system for plants. Then, the data fitting between solar radiation and plant growth response is used to obtain the value of solar radiation at different health levels. Finally, we adopt the LI-6400XT Portable Photosynthetic System (Li-Cor Inc., Lincoln, NE, USA) to verify the stability and accuracy of the digital framework through 15 landscape plant species of a residential area in the city of Wuhan, China, and also compared and analyzed the results of other researchers on the same plant species. The results show that the digital framework can robustly obtain the values of the healthy, sub-healthy, and unhealthy levels for the 15 landscape plant species. The purpose of this study is to provide an efficient forecasting tool for large-scale surveys of plant sunshine requirements. The proposed framework will be beneficial for the adaptive selection and configuration of urban plants and will facilitate the construction of landscape plant databases in future studies.

scholarly journals Wild orchids of Tyumen and challenges, related to their preservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 00053
Author(s):  
Mariya Kazantseva ◽  
Sergei Artyomenko
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Public Gardens ◽  
The Family ◽  
Forest Belts ◽  
Epipactis Helleborine ◽  
The City

There are 11 plant species of the Orchidaceae family in the city area of Tyumen; eight of them are protected in the Tyumen region, one species is included in the Red Book of Russia. Representatives of the family are found in the urban forest complex, roadside forest belts, on lawns and in public gardens of the central part of the city. Most species are represented locally by single specimens or small groups; three species – Epipactis helleborine, Platanthera bifolia and Neottianthe cucullata can form large complete coenopopulations. The main anthropogenous factors negatively affecting the condition of orchids in the city are: reconstruction of roads and plantations, regular mowing of grass in the habitats of plants. The protection of species requires coordinated efforts of municipal services for the improvement of urban areas and environmental organizations.

scholarly journals Alien woody plants are more versatile than native, but both share similar therapeutic redundancy in South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260390
Author(s):  
Kowiyou Yessoufou ◽  
Annie Estelle Ambani ◽  
Hosam O. Elansary ◽  
Orou G. Gaoue
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Invasion Biology ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Secondary Chemistry ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Medicinal Flora

Understanding why alien plant species are incorporated into the medicinal flora in several local communities is central to invasion biology and ethnobiology. Theories suggest that alien plants are incorporated in local pharmacopoeias because they are more versatile or contribute unique secondary chemistry which make them less therapeutically redundant, or simply because they are locally more abundant than native species. However, a lack of a comprehensive test of these hypotheses limits our understanding of the dynamics of plants knowledge, use and potential implications for invasion. Here, we tested the predictions of several of these hypotheses using a unique dataset on the woody medicinal flora of southern Africa. We found that the size of a plant family predicts the number of medicinal plants in that family, a support for the non-random hypothesis of medicinal plant selection. However, we found no support for the diversification hypothesis: i) both alien and native plants were used in the treatment of similar diseases; ii) significantly more native species than alien contribute to disease treatments particularly of parasitic infections and obstetric-gynecological diseases, and iii) alien and native species share similar therapeutic redundancy. However, we found support for the versatility hypothesis, i.e., alien plants were more versatile than natives. These findings imply that, although alien plant species are not therapeutically unique, they do provide more uses than native plants (versatility), thus suggesting that they may not have been introduced primarily for therapeutic reasons. We call for similar studies to be carried out on alien herbaceous plants for a broader understanding of the integration of alien plants into the pharmacopoeias of the receiving communities.

scholarly journals The use of plants on balconies in the city

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 180-187
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Krzymińska ◽  
Jan Bocianowski ◽  
Katarzyna Mądrachowska
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Pelargonium Zonale ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Pelargonium Peltatum ◽  
Urban Green Infrastructure ◽  
The City

As a popular and excellent place for plants, balconies enable people easy access to and close contact with nature, thus forming an integral part of the urban green infrastructure. The aim of the study was to assess the use of plants on balconies of detached houses and blocks of flats in the small Polish town of Sieraków. Plants were grown on about 33% of the balconies of detached houses and on 51% of the balconies of blocks of flats. Most of the balconies were decorated with one plant species only and the plants were most frequently placed on the railing. The most popular plant species were Pelargonium peltatum (L.) L’Hér., Pelargonium zonale (L.) L’Hér. and Petunia × atkinsiana D. Don. There were no large differences between both the building types as regards to the balcony decoration.

Exotic plant invasion and understorey species richness: a comparison of two types of eucalypt woodland in agricultural Western Australia

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Abensperg-Traun ◽  
Lyn Atkins ◽  
Richard Hobbs ◽  
Dion Steven
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Exotic Species ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Invasion ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Road Verge ◽  
Exotic Plant Invasion

Exotic plants are a major threat to native plant diversity in Australia yet a generic model of the invasion of Australian ecosystems by exotic species is lacking because invasion levels differ with vegetation/soil type and environmental conditions. This study compared relative differences in exotic species invasion (percent cover, spp. richness) and the species richness of herbaceous native plants in two structurally very similar vegetation types, Gimlet Eucalyptus salubris and Wandoo E. capillosa woodlands in the Western Australian wheatbelt. For each woodland type, plant variables were measured for relatively undisturbed woodlands, woodlands with >30 years of livestock grazing history, and woodlands in road-verges. Grazed and road-verge Gimlet and Wandoo woodlands had significantly higher cover of exotic species, and lower species richness of native plants, compared with undisturbed Gimlet and Wandoo. Exotic plant invasion was significantly greater in Gimlet woodlands for both grazed (mean 78% cover) and road-verge sites (mean 42% cover) than in comparable sites in Wandoo woodlands (grazed sites 25% cover, road-verge sites 19% cover). There was no significant difference in the species richness of exotic plants between Wandoo and Gimlet sites for any of the three situations. Mean site richness of native plants was not significantly different between undisturbed Wandoo and undisturbed Gimlet woodlands. Undisturbed woodlands were significantly richer in plant species than grazed and road-verge woodlands for both woodland types. Grazed and road-verge Wandoo sites were significantly richer in plant species than communities in grazed and road-verge Gimlet. The percent cover of exotics was negatively correlated with total (native) plant species richness for both woodland types (Wandoo r = ?0.70, Gimlet r = ?0.87). Of the total native species recorded in undisturbed Gimlet, 83% and 61% were not recorded in grazed and road-verge Gimlet, respectively. This compared with 40% and 33% for grazed and road-verge Wandoo, respectively. Grazed Wandoo and grazed Gimlet sites had significantly fewer native plant species than did road-verge Wandoo and road-verge Gimlet sites. Ecosystem implications of differential invasions by exotic species, and the effects of grazing (disturbance) and other factors influencing susceptibility to exotic plant invasion (landscape, competition and allelopathy) on native species decline are discussed. Exclusion of livestock and adequate methods of control and prevention of further invasions by exotic plants are essential requirements for the conservation of these woodland systems.

scholarly journals Study on Application of Native Plants in Park Greening in Guilin

2019 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 04006
Author(s):  
Yanni Lai ◽  
Fang Zhao ◽  
Qin Du ◽  
Xuefang Xie ◽  
Qiutong Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Plants ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
City Image ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Urban Construction ◽  
Development Agenda ◽  
Native Tree ◽  
Native Tree Species ◽  
The City ◽  
Selection Of

With the Guangxi Guilin being listed as an innovative demonstration zone for the national sustainable development agenda in 2018, the urban construction processes in Guilin continued to advance. In the construction of city image, garden planning and design has played an important role. Urban landscaping plays an important role in urban development and has a great influence on the image of the city. The selection of urban landscaping trees is mainly based on native plants, which directly determines the ornamental effect of landscaping. This paper aims to study the application of native tree species in Guilin in garden planning.

Palaeoenvironment and agriculture of ancient Loulan and Milan on the Silk Road

The Holocene ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Zhang ◽  
Houyuan Lu ◽  
Naiqin Wu ◽  
Xiaoguang Qin ◽  
Luo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Foxtail Millet ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Ancient Lake ◽  
Naked Barley ◽  
Main Food Source ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
The City ◽  
Lop Nor ◽  
The Silk Road

Ancient Loulan, an important city on the Silk Road, disappeared about 1500 years ago. The environmental conditions associated with the vicissitude of ancient Loulan have been debated since the city was rediscovered in ad 1900. However, little paleobotanical evidence concerning vegetation and environment in this area has so far been available. In this study, phytoliths and diatoms extracted from 16 samples including two fossil camel coprolites from sites of Loulan and Milan indicate that the landscape of ancient Loulan was a typical oasis, where reeds, grasses of Paniceae and Pooideae probably grew along with some shrubs. Also, some typical brackish diatoms might live in some water bodies in the catchment of an ancient lake, Lop Nor. Our results also suggest that common millet as staple crop, and foxtail millet and possibly naked barley as non-staple crops were the main food source for ancient Loulan and Milan residents between ad 50 and 770.

scholarly journals Assessing Soil Metal Levels in an Industrial Environment of Northwestern China and the Phytoremediation Potential of Its Native Plants

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Yujing Yang ◽  
Changxiao Li ◽  
Xilu Ni ◽  
Wenchao Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Native Plants ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Metal Levels

Various industrial activities contribute heavy metals to terrestrial ecosystems. In order to evaluate the soil quality of industrial areas and to identify the potential phytoremediator from the native plant species, we collected 45 surface soil samples and 21 plant species in a typical industrial area of northwestern China. The results showed that the average values of the Cd, Cr, As, Pb, Cu, and Zn in the soils were 36.91, 1.67, 7.20, 1.38, 1.27, and 6.66 times, respectively, compared with the corresponding background values. The average single factor pollution index for heavy metals decreased in the order of Cd > As > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb. The study area was seriously polluted by Cd and As, slightly polluted by Zn, and had relatively little contamination by Cr, Pb, and Cu. In terms of the average Nemerow synthetic pollution index in every sampling site, 97.78% of the samples were seriously polluted and 2.22% of the samples were moderately polluted, which indicated that almost all of the samples in the industrial area were seriously polluted. The results of the biomass, heavy metal concentrations, bioconcentration factors (BCF), and translocation factors (TF) for the native plants showed that Achnatherum splendens for metal Cr presented a phytostabilization potential, Artemisia scoparia and Echinochloa crusgalli for metal Cu and Halogeton arachnoideus for metal Zn presented a phytoextraction potential, and all of the studied plants were limited as phytoremediators for Cd or Pb contaminated soil.

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