Biodiversity for the birds

Non-native plants in homeowners' yards endanger wildlife

Date:  October 23, 2018

Source:  University of Delaware

Human-dominated landscapes are one of the most rapidly expanding and least-understood ecosystems on Earth. Historically, in urban areas, landowners convert native plant communities into habitats dominated by non-native species. While less susceptible to pest damage and demanding less maintenance, non-native plants are extremely poor at supporting insects -- critical food for higher order consumers like birds.

In the first study of its kind, University of Delaware researchers Doug Tallamy and Desirée Narango teamed up with Peter Marra, director of the of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) to investigate the link between non-native plants and birds' population growth in these landscapes. The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

"This is the first time that the breeding success of a bird has been directly tied to landscape decisions that homeowners make. Quite simply, humans are changing the vegetation of North America with these non-native species," said Tallamy, professor in the UD Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology.

In the United States, 432 species -- more than one-third of birds -- are insectivorous and, thus, could be harmed by declines in food availability and at risk of local extinction in urban and suburban areas.

Continued