Native vs introduced: a comparative study of structure and diversity of plants in urban green areas from San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico

Native vs introduced: a comparative study of structure and diversity of plants in urban green areas from San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Native vs introduced: a comparative study of structure and diversity of plants in urban green areas from San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico Javier Jiménez-Pérez, María Cecilia Hernández-Cavazos, Cristian Adrian Martinez-Adriano, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8912598/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Urban forests play a critical role as a source of environmental services for both human fitness and local fauna. Historically, urban planning activities have prioritized the use of introduced species for ornamental purposes and availability. However, the recent trend highlights the importance of using native species. Native species are better adapted and require less management. In this way, we compared the structure and diversity of native and introduced woody plants in the main urban green areas of San Pedro Garza Garcia, in the Mexican Northeastern. We conducted a census of urban trees between January and March 2024 across seven parks and two main sidewalks (total area: 59.1 ha). For each species, we determined the abundance, dominance, and frequency, as well as the Importance Value Index. We determined the effective species index by correcting the Shannon Entropy Index. To assess group differences, we generated confidence intervals using BOOTSTRAP simulations (10,000 samples) and conducted proportion tests. We also analyzed dominance and distribution patterns, using range-abundance curves and histograms of height and diameter. We recorded 11,318 individuals from 98 plant species (50 native and 48 introduced). Native species accounted for 69% of individuals and 68% of basal area, while introduced species contributed 31% and 32%, respectively. The introduced species have higher diversity, while the native ones were most abundant and had better structure. This highlights the importance of prioritizing native over introduced species in urban forest projects for complementary functions and better structure. species diversity urban forest urban forest structure urban public parks urban planning Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8912598","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596809584,"identity":"9c8e331b-228b-4942-8670-6d46903c2f30","order_by":0,"name":"Javier Jiménez-Pérez","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Javier","middleName":"","lastName":"Jiménez-Pérez","suffix":""},{"id":596809585,"identity":"928c806c-4857-4619-a76e-d83b10052e54","order_by":1,"name":"María Cecilia Hernández-Cavazos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad Autónoma de 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