Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Green Roofs And Urban Biodiversity: Their Role As Invertebrate Habitat And The Effect Of Design On Beetle Community, Sydney Marie Gonsalves

Dissertations and Theses

With over half the world's population now living in cities, urban areas represent one of earth's few ecosystems that are increasing in extent, and are sites of altered biogeochemical cycles, habitat fragmentation, and changes in biodiversity. However, urban green spaces, including green roofs, can also provide important pools of biodiversity and contribute to regional gamma diversity, while novel species assemblages can enhance some ecosystem services. Green roofs may also mitigate species loss in urban areas and have been shown to support a surprising diversity of invertebrates, including rare and endangered species. In the first part of this study I reviewed …