Methodological foundation of a numerical taxonomy of urban form

Cities are complex products of human culture, characterised by a startling diversity of visible traits. Their form is constantly evolving, reflecting changing human needs and local contingencies, manifested in space by many urban patterns. Urban morphology laid the foundation for understanding many such patterns, largely relying on qualitative research methods to extract distinct spatial identities of urban areas. However, the manual, labour-intensive and subjective nature of such approaches represents an impediment to the development of a scalable, replicable and data-driven urban form characterisation. Recently, advances in geographic data science and the availability of digital mapping products open the opportunity to overcome such limitations. And yet, our current capacity to systematically capture the heterogeneity of spatial patterns remains limited in terms of spatial parameters included in the analysis and hardly scalable due to the highly labour-intensive nature of the task. In this paper, we present a method for numerical taxonomy of urban form derived from biological systematics, which allows the rigorous detection and classification of urban types. Initially, we produce a rich numerical characterisation of urban space from minimal data input, minimising limitations due to inconsistent data quality and availability. These are street network, building footprint and morphological tessellation, a spatial unit derivative of Voronoi tessellation, obtained from building footprints. Hence, we derive homogeneous urban tissue types and, by determining overall morphological similarity between them, generate a hierarchical classification of urban form. After framing and presenting the method, we test it on two cities – Prague and Amsterdam – and discuss potential applications and further developments. The proposed classification method represents a step towards the development of an extensive, scalable numerical taxonomy of urban form and opens the way to more rigorous comparative morphological studies and explorations into the relationship between urban space and phenomena as diverse as environmental performance, health and place attractiveness.

The Use of the Taxonomic Measure in Assessing the Intensity of Border Regions Interaction

This study concerns the analysis of the intensity of regional ties, in particular those between border regions. Given its strictly methodological character, the goal of this study is to delineate the possible uses of numerical taxonomy in assessing the intensity of cross-border ties. The first section of the text recounts the methodological problems resulting from the use of qualitative and quantitative data in regional studies, while also outlining a strategy of measuring cross-border ties within the scope of the taxonomic measure. This is followed by an analysis showcasing the potential of the proposed methodology in assessing ties between border regions.

Context in Landscape Planning: Improving Conservation Outcomes by Identifying Social Values for a Flagship Species

Sustainable conservation planning depends on understanding local context including the way social values impact a landscape. Flamingos are used here as a flagship species to focus the social values of a broad range of people living in and working in the Camargue in France. A survey questionnaire (n = 87) was used to identify the range of ways in which people value the landscape and their perception of effectiveness of flamingo management strategies. Survey analysis was conducted through a multi-method approach, triangulating standard descriptive statistics, qualitative data analysis, and multivariate analysis applying numerical taxonomy. Applying numerical taxonomy allowed us to identify and define six social assemblages. Each assemblage had geographical characteristics with distinct values and perceptions in relation to management. The primary residence and geographic identity of the participants was defining, showing clear value differences from participants living in different parts of the delta. The participants most frequently agreed that flamingos contributed to the aesthetic, economic, biodiversity, and recreational values of the landscape. We show how identifying points of consensus and points in contest is necessary for navigating differences in values for conservation planning. This research shows the importance of the local social context in sustainably managing landscape change.

Phylogeny, Phenology, and Foraging Breadth of Ashmeadiella (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Ashmeadiella Cockerell (Megachilidae: Osmiini) is a bee genus endemic to North America, with greatest richness in arid and Mediterranean regions of the southwestern United States. Species relationships of Ashmeadiella were last analyzed in the 1950s, when Robert Sokal and Charles Michener developed a novel statistical clustering method for classification called numerical taxonomy. To revisit the taxonomic groups they established, we built a molecular phylogeny including all five subgenera. Furthermore, we assembled life history data to lay the foundation for future conservation programs for these bees. We chose three aspects of bee biology that can inform conservation strategies: documenting periods of the year adult bees are flying, assembling data for the flowers each species visits, and compiling the localities and ecoregions where each species is reported. Our results suggest that some Ashmeadiella species may need to be synonymized and that the subgenera should be revised due to non-monophyly. We therefore propose synonymizing the subgenera Cubitognatha and Chilosima with Arogochila. Biological data from published collection records reveal that adult flight periods range from a few months to 11 mo; most species utilize floral resources from multiple plant families; and, over half of the species have ranges extending into the Mojave Desert.

A numerical approach to the taxonomy of some species of the Subtribe Cassiinae in Nigeria

Twelve morphological parameters from the leaves, fruits, and pedicel of fifteen (15) species of the subtribe Cassiinae were studied using the methods of numerical taxonomy. Characters such as leaflet length, leaflet width, and leaflet length/width ratio contributed significantly in the delimitation of the species studied. While C. italica and Ch. mimosoides are the most closely related taxa, C. fistula and C. singueana appear to be the most distantly related as reflected by the cluster coefficients. Further illustrations as revealed by the dendrogram and scatter plot generated placed the 15 studied species into three groups. While we acknowledge the relevance of phylogenetic analysis in taxonomic studies as it is in recent times, we strongly support the application of numerical taxonomy to compliment findings.

Keragaman Morfologi dan Analisis Kekerabatan Anggrek Phaleonopsis Spesies dan Hybrid

Perakitan varietas baru anggrek dari Phaleonopsis memerlukan tetua dengan sifat tertentu yang disesuaikan dengan permintaan pasar. Keberhasilan perakitan varietas baru ditentukan oleh hubungan kekerabatan antar anggrek yang digunakan sebagai tetua sehingga diperlukan karakterisasi. Karakterisasi morfologi anggrek hybrid juga diperlukan untuk menentukan dan membedakan penampakan morfologi antar anggrek. Tujuan penelitian yaitu untuk menentukan keragaman morfologi anggrek Phaleonopsis spesies dan hybrid berdasarkan nilai Indeks Shanon dan menentukan hubungan kekerabatan berdasarkan nilai similaritasnya. Penelitian dilakukan di tiga kebun anggrek yang ada di Yogyakarta yaitu Kebun Anggrek Balelawang, Titi Orchids, dan Kebun Anggrek Mas Jogja. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode observasional deskriptif yaitu pengamatan langsung di lapangan terhadap lima belas anggrek Phaleonopsis berdasarkan Panduan Karakterisasi Anggrek dari Balai Tanaman Hias. Hasil pengamatan morfologi tanaman dan bentuk bunga anggrek diubah menjadi data biner. Penentuan keragaman diketahui melalui perhitungan Indeks Shanon dan hubungan kekerabatanya diketahui menggunakan software Numerical Taxonomy and Multivariate Analysis System (NTYSYS) Spc 21. Berdasarkan karakter morfologinya menunjukkan nilai Indeks Shanon sebesar 2,70 yang diklasifikasikan dalam keragaman sedang. Hubungan kekerabatan Phaleonopsis spesies dan hybrid membentuk dua kelompok dengan nilai similiaritasnya 0,48.