Gardens in urbanizing rural areas reveal an unexpected floral diversity related to housing density.
The increasing urbanization of rural areas leads to a strong development of horticultural flora, which is the main source of alien and invasive plants. In order to assess the pool of cultivated species under different urbanization pressures, the diversity and distribution of horticultural flora were studied in 120 Mediterranean gardens belonging to three housing density types. The results showed a great richness and heterogeneity of this flora, and similarities in species composition between gardens of the same housing density types. Twenty-four percent of the cultivated species are well adapted to the Mediterranean climate, and 21 species known to be invasive on the French territory have emanated from gardens. Inventorying areas adjoining gardens would be useful in identifying escaped garden plants and to assess the associated risks for biological diversity. The results also suggested a detailed analysis of the influence of social, economic and regional factors on planting practices, in order to identify the drivers of these original floral patterns.
UMR 151 UP/IRD, Laboratoire Population-Environnement-Développement, Université de Provence, centre Saint-Charles, Case 10, 3 place Victor-Hugo, Marseille cedex 3, France. audrey.marco@up.univ-mrs.fr
Audrey
A
Marco
Thierry
T
Dutoit
Magali
M
Deschamps-Cottin
Jean-François
JF
Mauffrey
Michel
M
Vennetier
Valérie
V
Bertaudière-Montes
D044822:Biodiversity; D002980:Climate; D005602:France; D051639:Gardening; D063245:Plant Development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology*; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D014507:Urbanization