Monitoring local plant biodiversity patterns in parks of Salem, Oregon
Start Date
3-16-2026 4:00 PM
End Date
3-16-2026 6:00 PM
Abstract
Urban nature provides many benefits for people and the environment, but there is limited information on plant biodiversity patterns across park types. Using a case study in Salem, Oregon, we hypothesized that there would be a difference in species richness across park types, with natural passive-use parks having the greatest number of species, especially native species because they are adapted to local conditions and may require less intensive management. We also predicted that multi-use and recreational active-use parks would have a greater number of non-native species due to human preferences for their aesthetics. Using a random stratified sampling design, we selected five natural passive-use, five recreational active-use, and five multiuse parks. For each, we collected data within five randomly selected 400m2 plots and recorded the species and cover of trees, saplings/shrubs, and woody vines. We sampled five randomly selected 1m2 subplots within each 400m2 plot for herbaceous species and cover. We found 157 species from 122 genera and 54 families, which included 19% trees, 32% shrubs, 46% herbs, and 3% vines species. Of these species, there were 45% native, 41% non-native, 8% invasive, and 6% unknown species. The Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed significantly more trees in natural passive-use parks (p< 0.05), higher species richness, and higher numbers of native and invasive species compared to recreational active-use parks. This study highlights key improvement areas in park management, including encouraging additional invasive species removal and monitoring in natural passive-use parks, as well as promoting more native species in multi-use and recreational active-use parks.
Subjects
Habitat assessment, Land/watershed management, Plant ecology
Creative Commons License
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Monitoring local plant biodiversity patterns in parks of Salem, Oregon
Urban nature provides many benefits for people and the environment, but there is limited information on plant biodiversity patterns across park types. Using a case study in Salem, Oregon, we hypothesized that there would be a difference in species richness across park types, with natural passive-use parks having the greatest number of species, especially native species because they are adapted to local conditions and may require less intensive management. We also predicted that multi-use and recreational active-use parks would have a greater number of non-native species due to human preferences for their aesthetics. Using a random stratified sampling design, we selected five natural passive-use, five recreational active-use, and five multiuse parks. For each, we collected data within five randomly selected 400m2 plots and recorded the species and cover of trees, saplings/shrubs, and woody vines. We sampled five randomly selected 1m2 subplots within each 400m2 plot for herbaceous species and cover. We found 157 species from 122 genera and 54 families, which included 19% trees, 32% shrubs, 46% herbs, and 3% vines species. Of these species, there were 45% native, 41% non-native, 8% invasive, and 6% unknown species. The Kruskal-Wallis tests revealed significantly more trees in natural passive-use parks (p< 0.05), higher species richness, and higher numbers of native and invasive species compared to recreational active-use parks. This study highlights key improvement areas in park management, including encouraging additional invasive species removal and monitoring in natural passive-use parks, as well as promoting more native species in multi-use and recreational active-use parks.