Residential landscapes represent a large percentage of urban land cover. Managing these landscapes for native birds and other wildlife could potentially reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on biodiversity by providing mini refugia within urban areas. Residential landscape design in Phoenix, Arizona is dominated by mesic (turf, water-dependent plants), and xeric (gravel, drought-tolerant plants) yards. These landscapes vary in design, vegetation composition and configuration. Previous urban bird studies have shown that birds demonstrate a strong association with vegetation composition. In urban landscapes, humans modify plant conditions and in essence, have created entirely novel plant communities. Therefore, to fully understand how birds respond to residential landscapes, we propose a conceptual model that integrates socioeconomic factors that influence landscaping decisions and thus drive urban bird community patterns. We propose social drivers (e.g. income and education) as processes driving the urban bird community structure. These social drivers have a large influence on landscaping decisions (habitat for birds) and correlate with urban gradient measures (distance from urban center; i.e. ability for native birds to colonize urban landscapes. We explore these relationships at 39 of the bird monitoring locations at the Central Arizona – Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) site.
Results/Conclusions
Preliminary results suggest native bird species align closely with xeric landscaping, and areas closer to remnant desert patches. Although not significant, the census variables suggest a trend towards native birds aligning with higher income neighborhoods, college educated and owner occupied residents. Our results also suggest racial and economic inequalities in regards to biodiversity where Hispanic and poor neighborhoods have fewer native birds. By including socioeconomic variables in the analysis, we gain a greater understanding of the driving factors behind the urban bird community, and thus, provide necessary information for urban planners who aim to create residential landscapes desirable for both birds and people.
