From urban lawns to urban meadows: Reduction of mowing frequency increases plant taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity

In regions where intensive farming is the dominant land use, urban areas are an opportunity for biodiversity conservation. Thence there is an urgent need to promote more biodiversity-friendly cities. Lawns are widely distributed urban habitats which cover important surface in public and private places. However theses habitats are currently poor refuges for plant and animal communities due to their intensive management. This study assesses if a reduction in mowing frequency results in a more diverse plant community and changes functional ecological characteristics of urban lawns. We used a quasi-experimental situation resulting from 25 years differentiated management in public green spaces of Rennes (France) to evaluate the effect of reduced mowing frequency on plant taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity. Our results clearly demonstrate that a reduction of mowing frequency induces a dramatic increase in the different components of plant community diversity that results in a switch from urban lawns to urban meadows.