Plants can coexist regardless of geographic background in the harsh conditions of a green roof

Green roofs are a novel ecosystem that place vegetation in an environment where they do not naturally occur, and with species that they do not naturally occur with. However, all successful green roof vegetation will have one thing in common, the ability to survive harsh rooftop conditions (e.g drought, fluctuating temperatures, high wind). When creating a biodiverse green roof, with vegetation from multiple habitats, co-existence is possible through complementary plant combinations and spatial heterogeneity. For example, soil depth heterogeneity can encourage co-existence between stone-crops and graminoids, and species with complementary water use strategies can co-exist in homogenous green roof conditions.