Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - 8
PLANT PROFILE
DO BIODIVERSE GREEN
ROOFS INCREASE PROFITS?
BY DR. BRADLEY ROWE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING
Diversity is a term that has been thrown around a lot lately, both
in terms of the entire world and on a much smaller scale as on an
individual green roof. Because the theme of this issue of the LAM is
business, we can ask the question: does diversity improve the business
case for green roofs and make them more likely to be installed?
Green roof on the MSU Molecular Sciences Building showing
plants with a variety of functional traits in plant height, spread,
and leaf shapes. The tall vertical structure of the herbaceous
perennials and grasses complements the low spreading habit
of the understory of sedum.
Photo courtesy B. Rowe
F
irst, we should define diversity. The term diversity simply
refers to variation within and among species. If all humans
were tall then there would be no diversity in height among
humans. The same could be said for other human traits
and this also applies to other animals and plants within a species. Likewise, a diverse population among species will include
numerous different species of animals and/or plants such as
dogs, beetles, and coneflowers. A diverse plant community will in
turn likely result in a diverse population of soil microorganisms,
insects, and animals on the food chain.
LIVING ARCHITECTURE MONITOR / WINTER 2020 / 8
Without getting too complicated, we should also define
diversity in functional traits.
In plants these may refer to a
plant's ability to tolerate full
sun and dry conditions or morphological characteristics such
as fleshy leaves (succulence),
leaf cuticles (waxy leaf surfaces
that lower water loss), albedo
(reflectiveness), dormant life
stages (underground structures
such as bulbs and tubers serve
as survival mechanisms to
overcome unfavorable environmental conditions such as
cold or drought), plant height,
and extensiveness of the root
system. Greater diversity in a
plant community usually results
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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020
Table of Contents
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - IP
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - Cover1
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - Cover2
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - Table of Contents
Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - AD1
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Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor Winter 2020 - Cover3
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