Turnover and change in the street flora of Cambridge, UK

Preston, Christopher D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9640-1580. 2025 Turnover and change in the street flora of Cambridge, UK. Plant Ecology & Diversity. 10, pp. 10.1080/17550874.2024.2444203

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Abstract/Summary

•Background: The general characteristics of urban floras are well studied, but less information is available on the behaviour of species at the street scale. •Aims: To discuss the phenology and dynamics of the street flora. •Methods: Vascular plants in flower were recorded at monthly intervals from January 2016 in eight connected streets in a primarily residential area of urban Cambridge, which is neither markedly deprived nor especially affluent. •Results: There is a regular seasonal cycle with fewest flowering species in February or March and most in June or July. Monthly totals in winter are correlated with the mean minimum temperature of the preceding month, and occasional severe summer droughts reduce the number of species flowering in August. In 2023 and 2024 the cessation of herbicide use by the city council, combined with wet summer weather, led to record numbers of flowering species. Species flowering in all years and recorded in all streets, the basic street flora, contrast with persistent colonies of rare species and a large number of casual occurrences. •Conclusions: The street flora has a core of species which may change over the decades, joined by an ever-fluctuating cast of transient species.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1080/17550874.2024.2444203
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	UKCEH Fellows
ISSN:	1755-0874
Additional Keywords:	casual occurrences, herbicide, neophytes, phenology, summer drought, winter cold
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Botany
Date made live:	10 Jan 2025 16:33 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538709

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