PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 6: Urban Ecology.
Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Toward understanding ecological structure and function in urban systems: a new land cover classification.
Schwarz, Kirsten*,1, Cadenasso, Mary1, Pickett, Steward1, 1 Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
ABSTRACT- The link between ecosystem structure and function is fundamental to our understanding of ecology. Structures in urban areas are dynamic and difficult to define. This makes studying the structure-function link in cities challenging. Anderson et al. (1976), an industry standard in land cover classification, confounds structure and function thereby limiting the ability to test their relationship. In addition, the resolution of this classification scheme is not appropriate to accurately define the spatial heterogeneity characteristic of urban systems. We developed a new classification that separates structure from function and can be applied at finer spatial resolutions. The classification uses three components to define structure: 1) building type and density, 2) vegetation texture and density, and 3) the presence/absence of parking lots. We applied this classification to three study areas along an urban to rural gradient in the Gwynn Falls Watershed, Baltimore, Maryland. Using false-color infrared air photos, study regions approximately 18 km2 were classified using on-screen polygon delineation. Class richness and frequency, as well as measures of patch size, shape, and distribution, were calculated using Patch Analyst (Remel et al. 1999). Regions closer to the city center are more heterogeneous, with 19% more patches than suburban areas. Patches in urban areas are, on average, 19% smaller than patches found in suburban areas. With cities becoming an increasing component of land use cover, scientists can use this classification in combination with social and biogeochemical datasets as a critical tool to better understand the structure of cities and explore the functional dynamics of urban systems.
Key words: land cover classification, patch dynamics, spatial heterogeneity, urban ecology