Are cities the same everywhere? Testing homogeneity of human-dominated ecosystems at continental scales

Hall, Sharon J.

IGN 2-7
Are cities the same everywhere? Testing homogeneity of human-dominated ecosystems at continental scales

Monday, August 10, 2015

345, Baltimore Convention Center

Sharon J. Hall, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Jennifer K. Learned, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Benjamin L. Ruddell, Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ

Kelli L. Larson, Schools of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning/Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Jeannine M. Cavender-Bares, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN

Neil Bettez, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Peter M. Groffman, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

Morgan Grove, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

James B. Heffernan, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC

Sarah E. Hobbie, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN

Jennifer L. Morse, Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR

Christopher Neill, Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA

Kristen C. Nelson, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, Spatial Analysis Laboratory, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

Laura A. Ogden, Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Diane E. Pataki, Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Will Pearse, McGill University

Colin Polsky, Center for Environmental Studies, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL

Rinku Roy Choudhury, Indiana University

Meredith K. Steele, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Tara L.E. Trammell, Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Have you noticed that urban/suburban landscapes seem to look similar in cities, with lawns and rows of single-family homes? Or perhaps you've noticed how differently you manage your yard compared to your neighbors. We hypothesize these patterns are part of the American residential macrosystem, a homogenous social/ecological system distributed across diverse geographies. Across our six US study cities, plants, soils, and microclimate are more similar in residential yards than they are across the native ecosystems they replaced, driven by heterogeneous management practices that lead to a common aesthetic. I'll share how we use social and biophysical gradients to scale up.

IGN 2-7 Are cities the same everywhere? Testing homogeneity of human-dominated ecosystems at continental scales

IGN 2-7
Are cities the same everywhere? Testing homogeneity of human-dominated ecosystems at continental scales