Kristi M. Backe

2 items:

Effects of Urban Heat Islands on Temperate Forest Trees and Arthropods Abstract (from Springer) Purpose of Review: Our goal is to provide an overview of how urban heat islands affect forests and synthesize recent literature on that topic. We focused on direct effects of high temperatures from urban heat islands on forest trees and indirect effects via changes in soil moisture and pest density. We also focused on the effects of urban heat islands on arthropods with particular emphasis on tree pests. Recent Findings: Urban heat islands can push trees and arthropods closer to their thermal limits with consequences for tree growth and arthropod fitness. Urban heat islands can alter the distribution of trees and arthropods allowing species to survive at higher altitudes or latitudes than... Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Exotic urban trees conserve similar natural enemy communities to native congeners but have fewer pests Abstract (from PeerJ): Urban trees serve a critical conservation function by supporting arthropod and vertebrate communities but are often subject to arthropod pest infestations. Native trees are thought to support richer arthropod communities than exotic trees but may also be more susceptible to herbivorous pests. Exotic trees may be less susceptible to herbivores but provide less conservation value as a consequence. We tested the hypotheses that native species in Acer and Quercus would have more herbivorous pests than exotic congeners and different communities of arthropod natural enemies. The density of scale insects, common urban tree pests, was greatest on a native Acer and a native Quercus than exotic congeners... Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Forests, Landscapes, Plants, Southeast CASC, Wildlife and Plants

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