Yards with plants that mimic native vegetation offer birds
"mini-refuges" and help to offset losses of biodiversity in cities,
according to results of a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
"Native" yards support birds better than those
with traditional grass lawns and non-native plantings.
Researchers conducted the study through the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
site, one of 26 such sites around the globe in ecosystems from coral reefs to
deserts, from forests to grasslands.