Publication Date
4-30-2025
Community gardens are vital urban green spaces that facilitate learning, connect community members to nature and each other, and provide increased food security. They also have the potential to provide wildlife habitat and support urban biodiversity, although the extent to which they do this may vary between gardens. The goal of this study was to measure diversity of multiple taxonomic groups within urban community gardens, examine ecological differences between community gardens in the same city, and identify the socio-ecological factors that drive those differences. We used fieldwork to assess the diversity of plants, birds, bees, and lepidopterans in 24 community gardens across Chicago, Il (USA). We assessed ecological factors including garden size, density of trees and shrubs inside the garden, tree canopy cover in the surrounding landscape, and flowering species richness. We assessed social factors including garden management and household income in the surrounding neighborhoods. We addressed the following questions: (1) How does beta diversity vary between different taxonomic groups in Chicago community gardens? (2) What social factors affect the abundance and diversity of different kinds of plants in the gardens? (3) What ecological factors affect the richness of birds, bees, and Lepidoptera in the community gardens? We found that ecological communities differed greatly between the community gardens. Management type significantly influenced the number of cultivated plant species, the volume of spontaneous vegetation, and the density of trees and shrubs inside the garden. Density of trees and shrubs was also related to income in the surrounding neighborhood. Garden area was positively related to the number of bird species present, while floral richness in the garden and tree canopy cover in the surrounding landscape positively affected lepidopteran species. Our results can inform management of community gardens and be used to increase biodiversity in urban areas.
Recommended Citation
Domanus, Amber; Smith, Alexis; Roberts, Michael; Schnorenberg, Rebecca; Doane, Molly A.; and Minor, Emily
(2025)
"Distinct Socio-Ecological Drivers Shape the Diversity of Plants, Birds, and Lepidopterans in Chicago Community Gardens,"
Cities and the Environment (CATE):
Vol. 17:
Iss.
2, Article 9.
DOI: 10.15365/cate.2024.170209
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cate/vol17/iss2/9
DOI
10.15365/cate.2024.170209
