Residential lands cover a substantial portion of the land area in the United States, and this portion is increasing with time. Despite the importance of these areas, little is currently known about biogeochemical cycles in residential environments. In this study, we present results from a series of studies developed to understand the factors that drive carbon cycling in urban grasslands. Field sites are located along a climatic gradient from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (Baltimore, MD) to Burlington, VT.
Results/Conclusions In these urban grasslands, aboveground standing stock does not vary substantially with biophysical or sociodemographic factors. However, fluxes including productivity, soil respiration, and total belowground carbon allocation (TBCA) are driven strongly by biophysical factors such as soil texture as well as sociodemographic factors such as irrigation, mowing height, and fertilization. Results from this work will be used to develop a large-scale understanding of spatial and temporal patterns in C and N cycling in these heterogeneous residential systems.
