PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #48: Urban Ecology.
Thursday, August 8. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Urban form, environmental values, and ecological impacts in greater Atlanta, GA.

PIEKIELEK, NATHAN^*,1, ¹ The University of Georgia, Athens, GA

ABSTRACT- Better understanding the human social dynamics of anthropogenic ecological impacts will be one of the next major challenges of ecology. An interdisciplinary project drawing on the physical, biological, and social sciences is in progress in Peachtree City, GA to better understand how homeowner beliefs, values, and socioeconomic status determine chemical loads and ecological impacts on urban aquatic systems. Compounds affecting water quality and biological function are detected at higher concentrations in urban watersheds than in agricultural watersheds and residential lawn care practices are the largest contributors. Sampling was organized both spatially and temporally by watershed sub basin to allow for easier synthesis and interpretation of this diverse set of information. Chemical and biological results from test site points are compared with spatial organization of property value, percent impervious surface, and homeowner values within test site watershed sub basins. Results show a trend of decreasing percent impervious surface, and related biological impacts, coincident with increasing property value. In addition, respondents of differing socio-economic groups identify very different concerns regarding decision-making that may have environmental impacts. Furthermore, spatial structure of the built environment is making significant contributions to understanding the trends found in the chemical and biological data. The possible implications of these results could be a need to emphasize the importance of urban form when addressing urban environmental problems and restoration efforts.

KEY WORDS: urban ecology, integrative science