Birds Use Two Versions of Vegetable Walls For Design and Protection

Transcription

1 : AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BIRDS USE OF TWO TYPES OF VEGETAL WALLS The association of biodiversity and urban ecosystems has usually concerned the impact of urbanization on biodiversity. However, biodiversity concepts can easily be applied to the urban ecosystem itself. As more and more people live in cities, restoration, preservation and enhancement of biodiversity in urban areas become important. (Savard et al 2000)

2 : BACKGROUND Patrick Blanc Botanist and Green Wall Designer Philippe Clergeau Professor of the Museum of Natural History Department of Ecology and Biodiversity Management

3 COMPARISON: MUR EMLEMATIQUE ET MUR VIGNE

4 MATERIALS AND METHODS

5 MUR EMLEMATIQUE 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes 5 Rue des Barres 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy 11 Rue du Fauconnier 17 Rue d Ankara 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin 21 Rue d Alsace 37 Quai Branly, Musee Quai Branly 36 Rue de la Verrerie, BHV Homme 49 Rue Pierre Charron, Perhsing Hotel Porte du Parvis, Quatre Temps, La Defense 100 Avenue du President Kennedy, Spa Ken Club 261 Boulevard Raspail, Cartier Foundation

6

7 MUR VIGNE 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes 5 Rue des Barres 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy 11 Rue du Fauconnier 17 Rue d Ankara 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin

8

9 MATERIALS AND METHODS METHODS - conducted during the breeding season (begins in April and ends in July) - point count method (standing 40 to 50 feet from the wall surface) - 20 minute timed bird counts - between 7:30am and10am - on mornings with no precipitation

10 BREEDING BIRDS OF PARIS PUBLICATION BY FREDERIC MALHER Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE:

11 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 21 Rue d Alsace URBAN CONTEXT 210ft 210ft 3ft 80ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue d'alsace Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 210ft 210ft 3ft 80ft

12 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 37 Quai Branly, Musee Quai Branly URBAN CONTEXT 145ft 145ft 3ft 80ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Quai Branly Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 145ft 145ft 3ft 80ft

13 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 36 Rue de la Verrerie, BHV Homme URBAN CONTEXT 40ft 40ft 3.5ft 40ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue de la Verrerie Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 40ft 40ft 3.5ft 40ft

14 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 49 Rue Pierre Charron, Pershing Hotel URBAN CONTEXT 4.5ft 50ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue Pierre Charron Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 4.5ft 50ft

15 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: Porte du Parvis, Quatre Temps, La Defense URBAN CONTEXT 25ft 25ft 3ft 50ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Porte du Parvis Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 25ft 25ft 3ft 50ft

16 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 100 Avenue du President Kennedy, Spa Ken Club URBAN CONTEXT 3ft 20ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Avenue du President Kennedy Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 3ft 20ft

17 MUR EMLEMATIQUE EMBLEMATIQUE: 261 Boulevard Raspail, Cartier Foundation URBAN CONTEXT 25ft 20ft 6ft 25ft AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Boulevard Raspail Emblematique Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 25ft 20ft 6ft 25ft

18 MUR VIGNE 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes 5 Rue des Barres 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy 11 Rue du Fauconnier 17 Rue d Ankara 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin

19 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts URBAN CONTEXT 140ft 140ft 1ft 60ft Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue de L'hotel De Ville Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 140ft 140ft 1ft 60ft

20 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes URBAN CONTEXT 1ft 50ft Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue Cuvier Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 1ft 50ft

21 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 5 Rue des Barres URBAN CONTEXT 35ft 35ft 70ft 1.5ft 20ft Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue des Barres Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 35ft 35ft 70ft 1.5ft 20ft

22 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy URBAN CONTEXT 50ft 50ft 1.5ft 25ft Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 50ft 50ft 1.5ft 25ft

23 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 11 Rue du Fauconnier URBAN CONTEXT 20ft 20ft 1ft 60ft Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue du Fauconnier Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 20ft 20ft 1ft 60ft

24 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 17 Rue d Ankara URBAN CONTEXT 1ft 15ft Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue d'ankara Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 1ft 15ft

25 MUR VIGNE VIGNE: 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin URBAN CONTEXT 20ft 20ft 4ft 20ft Coral Vine, Polygonaceae Family AVERAGE NUMBER OF BIRDS COUNTED AT THIS WALL RELATIVE TO THE AVERAGE FOR THE WALL TYPE Rue Lucien Sampaix Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow OBSERVED SPECIES Blackbird Turdus merula Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Common Pigeon Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus House Sparrow Passer domesticus SOURCE: 20ft 20ft 4ft 20ft

26 RESULTS The Null Hypothesis Claim: There are no differences between the two types of vegetal walls. Birds use green emblematique walls the same way that they use vine walls. Result of Null Hypothesis Testing: The results were not statistically significant. Thus, I cannot claim there are no differences between wall types. (I cannot say that they are the same). I found no statistical evidence that use of the walls by birds varies by wall type. However, looking at he data offers certain clues.

27 RESULTS COMPARISON 1: Average Bird Counts (number of birds observed at each wall) Average Bird Count Emblematique Average Bird Count Vigne

28 RESULTS COMPARISON 2: Bird Population Density (number of birds observed per square foot of wall surface) Average Density Emblematique Average Density Vigne

29 RESULTS COMPARISON 3: Bird Population Diversity (number of bird species observed) Average Diversity Emblematique Average Diversity Vigne

30 RESULTS COMPARISON 4: Average Bird Counts, By Species (number of birds observed at each wall, by species) Average Bird Counts Emblematique Average Bird Counts Vigne Blackbird Greenfinch Common Pigeon Wood Pigeon House Sparrow

31 RESULTS COMPARISON 5: Average Columba sp. (generalist species) Counts (number of Columba sp. observed at each wall) Average Columba sp. Count Emblematique Average Columba sp. Count Vigne 5 0 1

32 RESULTS COMPARISON 6: Average Columba sp. (generalist species) Density (number of Columba sp. observed per square foot of wall surface) Average Columba sp. Density Emblematique Average Columba sp. Density Vigne

33 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts GREEN WALLS OF PARIS RESULTS 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes 5 Rue des Barres 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy 11 Rue du Fauconnier 17 Rue d Ankara 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin COMPARING AREA DEPENDENCY 21 Rue d Alsace Emblematique 37 Quai Branly, Musee Quai Branly 36 Rue de la Verrerie, BHV Homme 49 Rue Pierre Charron, Perhsing Hotel Porte du Parvis, Quatre Temps, La Defense 100 Avenue du President Kennedy, Spa Ken Club 261 Boulevard Raspail, Cartier Foundation 18 Rue de L hotel De Ville, Cite des Arts 47 Rue Cuvier, Le Jardin des Plantes 5 Rue des Barres 13 Avenue Franklin D Roosevelt, German Embassy 11 Rue du Fauconnier 17 Rue d Ankara 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, Jardin Villemin Vigne

34 RESULTS COMPARISON 7: Columba sp. Counts and Area Dependency (similar trends observed when all species are included) Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Emblematique 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Vigne 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Emblematique Linear (Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Emblematique) Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Vigne Linear (Columba sp. Count/Area Relationship Vigne)

35 RESULTS COMPARISON 8: Density and Area Dependency Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Emblematique 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Vigne Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Emblematique Linear (Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Emblematique) Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Vigne Linear (Columba sp. Density/Area Relationship Vigne) ,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000

36 RESULTS COMPARISON 9: Diversity and Area Dependency Diversity/Area Relationship Emblematique 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 Diversity/Area Relationship Vigne Diversity/Area Relationship Emblematique Linear (Diversity/Area Relationship Emblematique) Diversity/Area Relationship Vigne Linear (Diversity/Area Relationship Vigne) ,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000

37 DISCUSSION What could have contributed to variability in data? The city is not a uniform place. Some wall sites were located near parks or water bodies, others on busy streets. One of the largest outliers, 49 Rue Lucien Sampaix, was located near both an urban park and the Canal St. Martin. Thus, these site factors could have constributed to larger counts. What could have contributed to error? Sampling: Extremely large walls were impossible to count evenly, thus area related comparisons may be skewed towards undercounting of birds Wall Construction: In the case of both wall types, the architectural construction beneath the vegetation also played a role in hosting certain bird species (House Sparrows prefering cracks and crevices, and Pigeons prefering ledges and chimneys). Social Behavior of Birds: Bird counts may have also been affected by bird behavior (House Sparrows tend to prefer living in large groups, while other species are more solitary).

38 DISCUSSION Other considerations Financial and environmental costs of the two types of wall construction: The walls designed by Patrick Blanc cost up to 600 Euros per square meter to construct. They require artificial irrigation and fertilizer. Additionally, they must be maintained at least twice a year (vegetation and irrigation systems). Vine walls cost less to install and maintain. They rely more so on natural precipitation and nutrients from ground soil. Maintenance consists of plant trimming. For future studies: To obtain statistically significant results, more observations and less variability of data are necessary. It would also be interesting to observe a greater number of species in future studies (only five were included here during the breeding season). Including migratory species and other breeding birds would help to enrich the understanding of avian biodiversity in the urban environment.

39 Thanks and Acknowledgements to: Frederic Malher Jean-Luc Le Gouallec Katherine Parsons Philippe Clergeau Richard Forman