Spatial urban and peri-urban biodiversity patterns
type: CreativeWork
description: Urbanisation is one of the major drivers of land use change, habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. However, urban areas should not be considered as “ecological deserts”. Instead, they have the potential to support diverse communities, on condition that suitable habitat patches occur. To reach adequate management decisions and design actions mitigating biodiversity loss in urban areas, it is necessary to identify the major factors that shape up biotic communities. In this context, the current study investigated how biodiversity responds to urbanisation in Patras (Greece), a medium-sized densely built Mediterranean city. In order to comprehend species responses among taxa that manifest diverse ways of using their environment, a multi-taxon approach was used: the groups of birds, butterflies and bats were studied, as they are considered good indicators of environmental change. Their diversity patterns and community structure were investigated, in order to determine the way they are influenced by landscape composition (land cover) and specific habitat characteristics. For this, the urban landscape was described in terms of an urbanisation gradient: the study area was stratified into three zones of decreasing urbanisation, namely the urban (> 50% built cover), the suburban (30-50% b.c.) and the peri-urban zone (< 30% b.c.). Built cover was calculated using Urban Atlas as a baselayer. Sampling sites were randomly selected and equally distributed along the urbanisation gradient. Bird surveys were conducted both in spring and winter in 90 sites, using 10-min point counts. Butterflies were sampled during spring in 45 sites with 300-m transects. Bat surveys were also conducted with 300-m transects in the same sites as for butterflies, during bat post-breeding season for two consecutive years. Landscape composition (land cover) was assessed within a buffer zone around each sampling site, using Google Earth imagery as a baselayer. The main land cover types in the study a…
abstract: Urbanisation is one of the major drivers of land use change, habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. However, urban areas should not be considered as “ecological deserts”. Instead, they have the potential to support diverse communities, on condition that suitable habitat patches occur. To reach adequate management decisions and design actions mitigating biodiversity loss in urban areas, it is necessary to identify the major factors that shape up biotic communities. In this context, the current study investigated how biodiversity responds to urbanisation in Patras (Greece), a medium-sized densely built Mediterranean city. In order to comprehend species responses among taxa that manifest diverse ways of using their environment, a multi-taxon approach was used: the groups of birds, butterflies and bats were studied, as they are considered good indicators of environmental change. Their diversity patterns and community structure were investigated, in order to determine the way they are influenced by landscape composition (land cover) and specific habitat characteristics. For this, the urban landscape was described in terms of an urbanisation gradient: the study area was stratified into three zones of decreasing urbanisation, namely the urban (> 50% built cover), the suburban (30-50% b.c.) and the peri-urban zone (< 30% b.c.). Built cover was calculated using Urban Atlas as a baselayer. Sampling sites were randomly selected and equally distributed along the urbanisation gradient. Bird surveys were conducted both in spring and winter in 90 sites, using 10-min point counts. Butterflies were sampled during spring in 45 sites with 300-m transects. Bat surveys were also conducted with 300-m transects in the same sites as for butterflies, during bat post-breeding season for two consecutive years. Landscape composition (land cover) was assessed within a buffer zone around each sampling site, using Google Earth imagery as a baselayer. The main land cover types in the study a…
author: Τζωρτζακάκη, Όλγα
language: en
keywords: Urbanization, Biodiversity, Patterns, 577.56, Αστικοποίηση, Βιοποικιλότητα, Πρότυπα
date published: 2019-11-30T08:48:45Z
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:29:32Z
provider: University of Patras
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Patras

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10889/12857