Urban Ecology

Lois Balin
Trans-Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists Program
 Urbanization:

The process of changing the land’s character

from rural to urban.
Process of Urbanization
• Urban interface
• Suburbs
• Downtown
Areas that once provided habitat for
wildlife are quickly disappearing
To make way for…………
Three Questions to be Answered are:

1. What happens to the land as we urbanize it?

2. How do natural systems typically respond to
those impacts?
3. How can we change the future?
Urbanization Effects on Ecosystems

• Soils
• Hydrology
• Flora
• Fauna
 What Happens to the Soil?

• “Scraping”
• Loss of organic matter
• Water balance
• Compaction and erosion
What Happens to Plant Communities?

• Altered Plant Structure

• Altered Succession
• Altered Species Composition
 URBAN Heat Island Effect

• Shade reduces the amount of heat

absorbed; 20–45°F cooler in shade
• Evapotranspiration cools the air, reduces
summer T°s 3–9°F
• Reduces wind speed reduces heat loss
Trees Save Energy for Heating and Cooling
• Shade reduces annual
cooling energy by > 25%
 Trees Reduce Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• Release O2
• Sequester CO2
• Intercept particulates
Alien Species Invade Native Flora Habitat
• Early succession invaders colonize
• Non-native, exotic, noxious weeds take over
• No ecosystem is exempt from the devastating
effects of invasive plants.
Impacts of Invasive Alien Plants on Ecosystems
 Reduce and disrupt biodiversity
 Hybridize with natives (negative genetic impacts)
 Encroach and replace threatened and endangered species
 Reduce habitat for native wildlife species
 Interrupt ecological processes
 Eco-effects of Plants

• Prevent soil erosion

• Buffer flooding
• Uptake nutrients and pollutants
• Increased wildlife habitat
What Happens to the Hydrology?
• Water-proofed” Ground
“

• Increased Run-Off
• Decreased Water Infiltration
• Erosion
 Urban Effects on Hydrology

• River Channelization
• Loss of Habitat and Stream Function
• Change in Species Composition
 What Happens to the Water?
• Pollution (fertilizers, pesticides, heavy
metals)
• Decrease in biodiversity
Effects of Urbanization on the Land

Fragmentation

Non-Native Plants
Habitat
Pollution Simplification

Habitat Diversity
Natural Areas Reduce Stress
and Promote Healing
 People Prefer the Sounds of Nature

#1...
Birds #3...
Singing Wind

#2...
Moving
Water
Least Preferred Sounds...

• Traffic
• Sirens
• Gunfire
What Happens to the Wildlife?
Ecological Niche
• Generalists increase
• Specialists decrease
Wildlife are Valuable to Everyone!
• Plant Pollination
• Seed Dispersal
• Insect Control
• Ecological Stability
• Biodiversity
Wildlife Threats Frequency Chart
#1 Threat to Wildlife is Loss of Habitat
Urban Impacts on Invertebrates
• Urban food web
• Prey base
• Destroys, modifies or creates habitat
 Urban Impacts on Fish
• Habitat modification
– Sedimentation
– Increased water temperature
• Eutrophication
• Change in species composition

Pupfish

LeonSprings Pupfish
Commanche Pupfish
Urban Impacts on Amphibians and Reptiles

• High Mortality
• Difficulty Dispersing
• Loss of Habitat
Urban impacts on Birds
Change in habitat
•
Loss of native plants
•
Change in species richness
•
Urban Impacts on Mammals
• Decrease in large mammals
• Increase in smaller predators
• Increase in granivores
Increase in Exotic Species
• Competition

• Nuisance
 City Rats
Are not native species

Rodents don’t come

from unmowed
habitats… they come
from city dumpsters
 Effects of Urbanization on Wildlife:
Habitat Diversity

Specialists Generalists and Non-natives

Thrive!

Interspecific Competition
Traditional development causes radical shifts
in wildlife populations. But that can change.
Potential Urban Wildlife Habitat
• Golf Courses/Parks
• Corporations
• Institutions/Schools
• Backyard
Potential Wildlife Habitat - Retention Ponds
Restoration and Preservation of Habitats Rich in Biodiversity

• Detain storm water

• Filter out impurities
• Create habitat
• Recharge groundwater
• Increase property values.
Feather Lake
• Ecologically Sensitive Management

• Conservation Planning and Development

• Eco-friendly codes and ordinances to

protect open space
Erosion Control
 Stabilization Techniques
to control erosion and protect property

• Live plantings

• Bioengineering

• Hard armoring
 Flooding and Erosion Control Using Native Plants

Native grasses control sediment

• 30 ft. wide filter strip on 7% slope removes >95% sediment from runoff
• Land containing fibrous rooted plants absorbs runoff 127% faster than bare ground
•
Live Planting and
Bioengineering
• coconut fiber rolls
• “Livingfencing
willow System”
• brush layering
Hard armoring
Ecologically Sensitive Development
Chicago, Department
of Environment
Green Roofing Systems

Prairie grasses and forbs on

green roofs capture
2kg of particulate matter
per 10m2 surface area

Chicago, Green
Technology Center
City and County Conservation Planning

• “Open space”
• “Arroyo Protection”
• Conservation Development Planning
• Eco-sensitive Management Practices
 We won’t have a society
if we destroy the environment.
- Margaret Mead