Plant species composition, calculated leaf masses and estimated biogenic emissions of urban landscape types from a field survey in Phoenix, Arizona

Vegetation in the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area was surveyed using a modified stratified random sampling design to identify plant species and to measure foliar volumes for species-specific calculation of leaf mass. We identified the genus and species and measured the crown dimensions of plants located in a park and parking lot, and in three types of urban landscapes: flood-irrigated, mesic and xeric. Species compositions of these landscape types were compared quantitatively using a Sorenson index of similarity and the landscape types were found to be dissimilar. The three landscape types varied in calculated leaf masses and the respective identities of the dominant species, and relatively few plant species accounted for the majority of the leaf mass. Plant species and leaf mass data were used to estimate relative contributions from each landscape type of the biogenic volatile organic compounds isoprene and monoterpenes. Results from this study have implications for future plant surveys taken for biogenic emissions inventory development, and for plant species selection for urban landscapes, especially large-scale tree planting programs.