Abstract
Context.
Urban ecosystems demonstrate complex biodiversity patterns, influenced by both social and ecological landscape heterogeneity. The role of ecological factors is widely recognised, yet the relationships between social and ecological elements, particularly across various spatial scales and considering both landscape composition and configuration, remains underexplored. This limits our understanding of urban environments as interconnected socio-ecological systems.
Objectives.
We examine the influence of social and ecological landscape heterogeneity on solitary bee pollinator abundance, aiming to elucidate the complex socio-ecological dynamics influencing urban biodiversity across multiple scales, with a focus on the combined effects of these heterogeneities.
Methods.
Data on solitary bee activity were gathered from 347 participants in Johannesburg, South Africa, through a citizen science campaign. We explored the correlation between bee abundance and social (i.e. household income) and ecological heterogeneity (i.e. urban green cover, NDVI, and landscape connectivity), assessing these relationships at 300m, 2000m, and 5000m scales.
Results.
Household income significantly influenced pollinator abundance across all spatial scales examined, indicating the presence of environmental injustice. In contrast, ecological heterogeneity, including both landscape composition and configuration, exhibited negligible effects on pollinator activity, suggesting a limited impact of ecological landscape heterogeneity on urban bee biodiversity. Additionally, the ability of wealthier households to improve bee habitats and their higher likelihood of hosting bees in the citizen science project highlighted socio-economic differences in environmental engagement.
Conclusions.
Disparities in ecosystem services and biodiversity along socio-economic gradients show the need for integrating social heterogeneity into landscape ecology. Policies on urban greening that consider both social and ecological factors are essential for equitable, sustainable urban ecosystems.