DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jv351
title: Data from: Increasing biodiversity in urban green spaces through simple vegetation interventions

description: 1. Cities are rapidly expanding worldwide and there is an increasing
 urgency to protect urban biodiversity, principally through the provision
 of suitable habitat, most of which is in urban green spaces. Despite this,
 clear guidelines of how to reverse biodiversity loss or increase it within
 a given urban green space is lacking. 2. We examined the taxa- and
 species-specific responses of five taxonomically and functionally diverse
 animal groups to three key attributes of urban green space vegetation that
 drive habitat quality and can be manipulated over time: the density of
 large native trees, volume of understorey vegetation and percentage of
 native vegetation. 3. Using multi-species occupancy-detection models we
 found marked differences in the effect of these vegetation attributes on
 bats, birds, bees, beetles and bugs. At the taxa-level, increasing the
 volume of understorey vegetation and percentage of native vegetation had
 uniformly positive effects. We found 30–120% higher occupancy for bats,
 native birds, beetles and bugs with an increase in understorey volume from
 10 to 30%, and 10–140% higher occupancy across all native taxa with an
 increase in the proportion of native vegetation from 10 to 30%. However,
 increasing the density of large native trees had a mostly neutral effect.
 At the species-specific level, the majority of native species responded
 strongly and positively to increasing understorey volume and native
 vegetation, whereas exotic bird species had a neutral response. 4.
 Synthesis and applications. We found the probability of occupancy of most
 species examined was substantially reduced in urban green spaces with
 sparse understorey vegetation and few native plants. Our findings provide
 evidence that increasing understorey cover and native plantings in urban
 green spaces can improve biodiversity outcomes. Redressing the dominance
 of simplified and exotic vegetation present in urban landscapes with an
 increase in understorey vegetation volume and percentage of native
 vegetation will benefit a broad array of biodiversity.
description: Insectivorous bat
 dataAcoustic data collected
 using anabats. Species scientific names given in supplementary materials
 of paper.bat2.csvBee dataData on bees, collected using sweep net and coloured pan traps. Species scientific names given in supplementary materials of paper.bee3.csvExotic bird dataData from timed area searches for birds. Species exotic to Australia are included. Species scientific names given in supplementary materials of paper.birexo.csvNative bird dataData from timed area searches. Only species native to Australia are included. Species scientific names given in supplementary materials of paper.birnat2.csvColeopteran dataBeetle data collected using light traps. Family scientific names given in supplementary materials of paper.col4.csvHeteropteran bug dataBug data collected using sweep net. Species scientific names given in supplementary materials of paper.het4.csvEnvironmental co-variatesSite specific co-variates per green spacecvd2.csvAppendix B R/Stan codeAppendix B.R