SYMP 11 - Stewardship of Urban Systems 1: Ecosystem Processes and Services in the ULTRA Network

Wednesday, August 10, 2011: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
Ballroom G, Austin Convention Center
Organizer: George Hess
Co-organizers: Paige S. Warren and Madhusudan Katti
Moderator: George Hess
Urban ecosystem ecology has emerged as a crucial proving ground in the development of transdisciplinary approaches to both the study of coupled human natural systems and the effective management of human-dominated systems. A comprehensive socio-ecological theory of urban ecosystems still eludes the field, though application of a variety of integrating concepts such as ecosystem metabolism and ecosystem services has led to important progress. To address this need, the Urban Long-Term Research Area (ULTRA) program has generated a new network of research sites funded by the National Science Foundation and the US Forest Service. Teams of scientists and practitioners are conducting interdisciplinary research on the dynamic interactions between people and natural ecosystems in sub/urban settings in ways that advance both fundamental and applied knowledge. The current exploratory phase of the network includes 20 projects across the United States. This symposium and its companion (Stewardship in Urban Systems 2: Socio-ecology, Governance, and Equity in the ULTRA network) collectively bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers from all 20 projects to share their approaches and findings. Speakers in this symposium will explore the ecological flows and interactions of materials and organisms in urban landscapes, and the resulting effects on ecosystem services. The session features 11 oral presentations (12 min + 3 min questions) that focus on the flows of material and organisms through sub/urban areas, particularly as people affect them. Speakers examine a range of topics, including tradeoffs between city-building and ecosystem services, and the biological and social aspects of water movement and use. The symposium juxtaposes presentations addressing vastly different ecoregions from Boston to Los Angeles to cities in Hawai’i and from mega-metropolises like New York City to small cities like Fresno, California. Two discussion / break periods provide opportunities to develop comparative approaches to urban ecosystem ecology.
Endorsement:
Urban Ecosystems Ecology
8:15 AM
The metabolism of Boston
Nathan Phillips, Boston University; Lucy Hutyra, Boston University; Mark Friedl, Boston University; Suchi Gopal, Boston University; Robert Kaufmann, Boston University; Joseph Ferreira, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Peter Furth, Northeastern University; David, Y. Hollinger, USDA Forest Service; David R. Foster, Harvard University; Stephen Wofsy, Harvard University
8:30 AM
Convergences and synergies between conserving biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services to people: The Chicago ULTRA Project
Bryan Pijanowski, Purdue University; Aaron Durnbaugh, Chicago Department of the Environment; Paul Gobster, United States Forest Service; Susan I. Stewart, USDA Forest Service; Liam Heneghan, DePaul University; Jennifer Hirsch, The Field Museum; Eric Lonsdorf, University of Minnesota; Emily Minor, University of Illinois at Chicago; David H. Wise, University of Illinois at Chicago; Nancy Tuchman, Loyola University-Chicago; Lynne Westphal, USDA Forest Service
8:45 AM
Human population impact on the atmospheric CO2 levels of NYC over the last 180 years:  Results from an urban to rural transect
Kevin L. Griffin, Columbia University; Wade R. McGillis, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatroy; Diana Y. Hsueh, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatroy
9:00 AM
Re-purposing vacant lots for ecosystem services in urban communities
B. Michael Walton, Cleveland State University; Theresa Schwarz, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Kent State University; John J. Mack Jr., Cleveland Metroparks; David Beach, GreenCityBlueLake Institute, Cleveland Museum of Natural History; Parwinder S. Grewal, Ohio State University; Elaine Price, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission; Mary M. Gardiner, The Ohio State University OARDC (Wooster)
9:15 AM
9:35 AM
9:45 AM
Urban greening and urban growth: Quantifying ecosystem service trade-offs for the greater Boston Metropolitan Area
Paige S. Warren, University of Massachusetts; Robert Ryan, University of Massachusetts; Colin Polsky, Clark University; Craig Nicolson, University of Massachusetts; Eric Strauss, Loyola-Marymount; Michael Strohbach, University of Massachusetts
10:00 AM
Interactions between urban water policy, residential irrigation, and plant and bird diversity in Fresno-Clovis Metro Area
Madhusudan Katti, California State University, Fresno; Seth T. Reid, California State University, Fresno; Bradley W. Schleder, California State University, Fresno; John T. Bushoven, California State University, Fresno; Andrew Rhys Jones, California State University, Fresno; Derya Özgöç-Çağlar, Ankara Regional Development Agency
10:15 AM
Where does all the water go? The ecohydrology of Los Angeles
Diane E. Pataki, University of Utah; Chris Boone, Arizona State University; Terri S. Hogue, UCLA; G. Darrel Jenerette, University of California; Heather R. McCarthy, University of Oklahoma; Joseph P. McFadden, University of California, Santa Barbara; Caroline Mini, UCLA; Stephanie Pincetl, UCLA
10:30 AM
Materials flows and land use change in two urban areas of Hawai'i Island
Marian Chertow, Yale University; Karen Seto, Yale University
10:45 AM
Equitable distribution of ecosystem services in the Triangle Region of North Carolina
Melissa R. McHale, North Carolina State University; Lawrence E. Band, University of North Carolina; Philip, R. Berke, University of North Carolina; Emily Bernhardt, Duke University; Kevin Bigsby, North Carolina State University; Sarah Bruce, Triangle J Council of Governments; George Hess, NC State University; Dean Urban, Duke University; Michael D. Youth, North Carolina State University
11:00 AM
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