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Symposium
9: Spatial heterogeneity in urban ecosystems: Integration and scaling in coupled
natural-human systems
Endorsed
by the ESA Urban Ecosystem Ecology Section
Tuesday,
August 9, 1:30 PM - 5 PM, Meeting Room 517c, Level 5, Palais
des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Mary Cadenasso
(cadenassom@ecostudies.org),
Morgan Grove, Steward Pickett
Description: Urban
ecosystems, including central cities and exurbs, comprise ecological, social,
and physical components. Fundamental ecological concepts, such as spatial
heterogeneity, can advance understanding of urban ecosystems. Urban areas are
notoriously heterogeneous across scales and this heterogeneity integrates
biophysical and social features. How heterogeneity of urban areas is expressed
by ecological, social, and physical disciplines must be explored. Initial
efforts to employ patch dynamics and other modern spatial approaches are
promising. However, the novelty of these applications makes the time ripe for
evaluating the role of spatial heterogeneity in understanding coupled
natural-human systems. The speakers will illustrate the measurement and function
of urban spatial heterogeneity in their disciplinary realms, as well as how
heterogeneity governs integration between ecological, social, and physical
processes at various scales. Each speaker will highlight past successes in
evaluating and exploiting urban heterogeneity as an integrative tool, as well as
point out future research needs and opportunities.
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