How well do trees fit the city? Lessons from an urban tree survey in Córdoba, Argentina.

GALFRASCOLI, GIOVANA; BERNARDELLO, GABRIEL; CALVIÑO, ANA

BOLETíN DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE BOTáNICA

SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE BOTÁNICA

Año: 2023 vol. 58

0373-580X

Background and aims: Urban tree composition is generally highly diverse and largely non-native  in  origin.  Species  selection,  however,  should  consider  not  only  future predicted  climate  and  species’  environmental  requirements,  but  also  the  regional invasion risk assessments and the respiratory health potential of species. Here, we assessed  the  suitability  of  the  most  frequent  urban  tree  species  by  using  available online databases. M&M: Suitability was assessed by analysing tree attributes in relation to their invasive status in the study area, the respiratory health potential of the species given by their known pollination strategy and the bioclimatic match of species with the plantation zone. We grouped species according to their nativeness as non-native, regionally native and local native. After filtering those with undesirable characteristics (i.e., invasive species and/or with anemophilous pollination strategy) we analysed three bioclimatic variables: annual temperature, annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality.Results: Results showed that the composition of Córdoba’s street trees is heavily biased towards  non-native  species,  many  of  which  are  invasive,  have  an  anemophilous pollination strategy and/or exhibit high bioclimatic mismatch. In addition, the strong bias in the current tree composition towards species from more humid, temperate regions is evident. Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of revising current policy decisions to adjust urban tree flora in the face of climate change.