Towards a Mechanistic Understanding of Landscape-scale Responses of Animal Communities to Urbanization

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

Although ecologists recognize that landscape heterogeneity and land use change can profoundly affect the distribution and abundance of organisms, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood and supported by few empirical data. This deficit is particularly acute in urbanizing regions, where remnant ecosystems occur within rapidly changing landscapes. This research aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of how urbanization influences the ecological mechanisms that structure animal communities. A combination of field experiments and observational studies will test the extent to which observed landscape-scale patterns in animal communities result from changes in species interactions between breeding birds and their predators and alterations to local plant communities, especially those due to invasion by an exotic shrub. As urbanization rapidly transforms landscapes around the globe, ecologists are pressed to better understand how development affects ecosystems and to find ways that conservation of biodiversity can be successful in an urbanizing world. This research is important because it represents among the first large-scale, spatially-replicated experiments designed to identify underlying local mechanisms of urban-associated changes in animal communities and how exotic plants mediate predator-prey interactions. From an applied perspective, the research also informs strategies for ecological restoration and conservation in urban systems. In addition to providing educational opportunities to university students, broader impacts include supporting urban environmental policy and planning by fostering partnerships between scientists and decision-makers and facilitating use of science in urban development issues.