Can we use the fundamental climatic niche to select species for urban stormwater management?

Cities generate significant volumes of stormwater runoff which degrades urban waterways. Vegetated stormwater control measures, such as bioretention cells and street tree pits, can mitigate these effects. However, a universal means of identifying the species best able to use large volumes of water, while retaining the ability to survive harsh urban climates, has not been found. We explore whether the fundamental climatic niche of a species can be used to identify species best suited for use in stormwater control measures.