Document Preview
  • Citation/Abstract
  • Dissertation or Thesis

Can Plant Functional Traits Be Used as Integrators of Environmental Stressors in Urban Areas?

. 
 University of Illinois at Chicago ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,  2024. 31691054.

Abstract (summary)

As cities increasingly become the primary residence for rapidly growing populations, there is a pressing need for development to accommodate all inhabitants. However, urbanization often involves the removal of vegetation cover, exacerbating the stressful environmental conditions caused by anthropogenic activities. Urban environmental stressors are harmful to both humans and plants, generating poor air quality, elevated temperatures, soil compaction, and extreme weather events such as heat waves, flooding, and droughts. 

The Chicago Metropolitan Region is a heavily populated and industrialized area that is increasingly experiencing adverse weather events due to climate change. Thus, it is crucial to understand interactions between urban vegetation and the atmosphere to mitigate climate change using nature-based solutions, fostering climate resilient communities. One effective approach to investigate these interactions is by studying how urban vegetation responds to its environment by expressing anatomical, chemical, physiological, and morphological traits – demonstrating phenotypic plasticity.

In this study, we examined leaf functional traits (LFTs) and gas exchange properties in two abundant tree species in the Chicago Metropolitan Region, Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) and Little-leaved Linden (Tilia cordata), at three sites in the Chicago Metropolitan Region: an urban park (University of Illinois Chicago; Chicago, IL), a suburban park (Morton Arboretum; Lisle, IL), and a suburban residential site (Village-Lombard Building Department; Lombard, IL) to assess tree responses to environmental stressors during summer and fall 2023.

Norway Maple and Little-leaved Linden were selected as target species due to their prevalence in the Chicago Metropolitan region. Both species are abundant in cities due to their high tolerance and ability to cope with environmental stressors. We assessed the following parameters in these two species: leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), C/N ratio, photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs), instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUEi), leaf nitrogen content per leaf area (NLA), and percentage of leaf nitrogen content (%N) for trees sampled at each site. Additionally, we evaluated growing degree days (GDD) and land surface temperature (LST) at the urban and suburban sites. The data from this study was compared to global datasets to assess where it is located on the spectrum. 

This research was funded by a Department of Energy (DOE) grant called Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS), one of the Urban Integrated Field Laboratories (UIFLs). This interdisciplinary project aims to promote nature-based solutions and foster climate resilience in the Chicago Metropolitan Region, with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods through community engagement. The findings from this project contribute valuable insights concerning the complex interactions between urban vegetation and the environment, providing knowledge that can be used to design mitigation strategies for extreme weather events in cities while fostering environmental justice.

Indexing (details)


Title
Can Plant Functional Traits Be Used as Integrators of Environmental Stressors in Urban Areas?
Author
Dziedzic, Nicole
Publication title
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
Publication date
2024
Pages
56
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.