Community composition
There was a significant effect of urbanisation on butterfly community
composition (PERMANOVA: F 8,1 = 2.96; p =
0.013), with a clear separation between urban and rural sites in NMDS
space (Figure 5A). There was also a significant effect of urbanisation
on bird community composition (PERMANOVA: F 8,1 =
11.46, p = 0.001), with a clear separation between rural and
urban sites in NMDS space (Figure 5B). Finally, there was a significant
effect of urbanisation on vegetation community composition (PERMANOVA:F 8,1 = 5.93, p = 0.001), with a clear
separation between urban and rural sites in NMDS space (Figure 5C).
These results conclusively support our fourth hypothesis.