TY - JOUR AB - Green Roofs (GRs) have been recognized by the EU as key Nature-based Solutions providing environmental and human benefits in cities. Mediterranean GRs (MGRs) are still rare and little is known about the successional dynamics and environmental factors shaping plant community composition. In the current study, we monitored spontaneous plant communities colonising two MGRs different in substrate depths and composition, and year of installation in the city of Genoa (NW Italy). Taxonomic composition variation over time was described using Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) and species turnover rates. A nested ANOVA was used to test differences in plant biomass. Finally, functional composition variations were investigated by calculating CSR ecological strategies of species using the StrateFy tool, which identifies competitive (C), stress-tolerant (S) and ruderal (R) plant strategies. Both the taxonomic and functional structure of spontaneous plant communities were strongly dependent on MGR characteristics, with S species usually dominating on MGRs with shallower substrate, while deeper MGRs were also able to support more C species. However, the temporal variation in biomass and CSR strategy distributions indicates that substrate effects might be modulated by external interactive factors such as climate conditions and human disturbance. Our results show that, although described as extreme habitats, MGRs can support resilient, heterogeneous and dynamic spontaneous plant communities and that substrate plays a key role in driving their temporal evolution. From a planning perspective, our study demonstrates the importance of implementing a functional trait-based approach for species selection in MGRs, considering substrate-related factors and management practices. AU - Pianta, M.* AU - Calbi, M.* AU - Cerabolini, B.E.L.* AU - Poschlod, P.* AU - Schloter, M. AU - Roccotiello, E.* C1 - 75978 C2 - 58298 TI - How substrate depth shapes spontaneous plant colonisation on Mediterranean green roofs: A case study. JO - Urban for. urban gree. VL - 114 PY - 2025 SN - 1618-8667 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The olive tree (Olea europaea) is a native evergreen tree in the Mediterranean region, being one of the most important causes of seasonal respiratory allergies in Mediterranean countries. This work aims to relate flowering phenology, source tree distribution, meteorology, and airborne pollen records for this species and to analyse the possible arrival of air masses from distant areas during days when differences between the phenological and pollen peaks. Aerobiological sampling was carried out in Badajoz (SW Spain) for 4 years (2016-2019) using a Hirst volumetric sampler. Trees were geolocalized in the city and surrounding areas. The pollination phenology of 15 specimens was studied for four years (2016-2019) during the months from April to June. The daily data for the whole period and the hourly data for the four years, including pollen records and meteorology, were analysed. The comparison between the pollen records and sources distribution was assessed. The main pollen season (thereafter, MPS) lasted an average of 34.5 (29-40) days. Phenological observations indicate that pollination occurred for 26.5 days and was mostly within the period of recorded airborne pollen; however, were days with airborne pollen recorded outside the pollination period. In 2017 the peak day was recorded when the flowering period has reached only the 10%, in other seasons this value reached the maximum peak of pollen concentration was found only a few days after the maximum of flowering. The hourly analysis showed that the maximum pollen concentrations were reached just after noon. The analysis of pollen sources and pollen records showed a close relationship with the predominant winds and tree distributions. The observed discrepancies between phenological and aerobiological data (in 2017 and 2018) were explained by the movement of air masses and long-distance transport. AU - Monroy-Colin, A.* AU - Maya-Manzano, J.M. AU - Tormo-Molina, R.* AU - Pecero-Casimiro, R.* AU - Gonzalo-Garijo, M.A.* AU - Fernandez-Rodriguez, S.* C1 - 59246 C2 - 48763 CY - Hackerbrucke 6, 80335 Munich, Germany TI - HYSPLIT as an environmental impact assessment tool to study the data discrepancies between Olea europaea airborne pollen records and its phenology in SW Spain. JO - Urban for. urban gree. VL - 53 PB - Elsevier Gmbh PY - 2020 SN - 1618-8667 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Traffic noise has been linked to mental ill-health but little is known about the impact of residential greenspace on this relationship. In the present study, we investigated whether residential greenspace modified the effect of road traffic noise on general mental health in students. We collected cross-sectional data from 399 participants in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Road traffic noise (L-den) level was calculated from the strategic noise map of the city. We tested several objective greenspace measures - the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), tree cover density, and Euclidean distance to the nearest green space. Mental health was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We conducted moderation analysis and used the Johnson-Neyman (J-N) procedure to identify the values along the continuous moderators (i.e., NDVI (500-m), tree cover (500-m), distance to green space), at which the linear relationship between L-den and GHQ-12 transitioned from statistically significant to non-significant. Results indicated that living in a neighborhood deprived of trees (< 5.84%) enhanced the negative effect of noise, whereas in neighborhoods with higher tree cover density noise had no effect. NDVI and distance to green space showed a similar overall trend, but failed to reach formal statistical significance. Living in a less green neighborhood may enhance the negative effect of road traffic noise on mental health. This observed effect modification may not only be due to disrupted propagation of sound waves, but also to higher recreational quality in greener environment. AU - Dzhambov, A.M.* AU - Markevych, I. AU - Tilov, B.G.* AU - Dimitrova, D.D.* C1 - 53960 C2 - 45165 CY - Office Jena, P O Box 100537, 07705 Jena, Germany SP - 233-239 TI - Residential greenspace might modify the effect of road traffic noise exposure on general mental health in students. JO - Urban for. urban gree. VL - 34 PB - Elsevier Gmbh, Urban & Fischer Verlag PY - 2018 SN - 1618-8667 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Objective We investigated whether families with lower individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) reside in less green neighbourhoods in four areas in Germany. Methods Data were collected within two German birth cohorts – GINIplus and LISAplus. Net equivalent household income was categorized into study area-specific tertiles and used as a proxy for individual-level SES. Neighbourhood greenness was calculated in 500-m buffers around home addresses as: 1) the mean normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI); 2) percent tree cover. Associations between income and neighbourhood greenness were assessed per study area using adjusted linear regression models. Results In the Munich and Leipzig areas, families in the low and medium income tertiles resided in neighbourhoods with lower NDVI compared to those in the high income tertile (mean percent change in NDVI: −4.0 (95% confidence interval = −6.7 to −1.3) and −5.5 (−10.9 to −0.2), respectively). In contrast, in the Wesel area, families in the low income tertile resided in neighbourhoods with higher NDVI (2.9 (0.5–5.3)). Only the association in the Munich area was replicated when using tree cover instead of the NDVI. Conclusions This study provides suggestive evidence that the presence and direction of associations between greenness and SES is region-specific in Germany. The degree of urbanization did not clarify this heterogeneity completely. AU - Markevych, I. AU - Maier, W. AU - Fuertes, E. AU - Lehmann, I.* AU - von Berg, A.* AU - Bauer, C.P.* AU - Koletzko, S.* AU - Berdel, D.* AU - Sugiri, D.* AU - Standl, M. AU - Heinrich, J. C1 - 50153 C2 - 42153 CY - Jena SP - 88-95 TI - Neighbourhood greenness and income of occupants in four German areas: GINIplus and LISAplus. JO - Urban for. urban gree. VL - 21 PB - Elsevier Gmbh, Urban & Fischer Verlag PY - 2017 SN - 1618-8667 ER -