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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study and Soil Research Part 3

The Baltimore Ecosystem Study and Soil Research Part 3 . Katalin Szlávecz The Johns Hopkins University. Outline. Urban ecosystems – The Baltimore Ecosystem Study Biodiversity and importance of soil fauna Urban soil biodiversity Exotic / invasive soil invertebrates.

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The Baltimore Ecosystem Study and Soil Research Part 3

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  1. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study and Soil ResearchPart 3 Katalin Szlávecz The Johns Hopkins University

  2. Outline • Urban ecosystems – The Baltimore Ecosystem Study • Biodiversity and importance of soil fauna • Urban soil biodiversity • Exotic / invasive soil invertebrates

  3. Why Study Urban Biodiversity? • Major land use change today • General ecological questions • Habitat fragmentation • Disturbance • Species invasion • Management issues • Pest, introduced species • Conservation of habitat fragments • Educational importance • “What lives in our backyard / schoolyard?”

  4. Biodiversity of Cities Has Value • In may represent a large fraction of the regional fauna • New species to the region, or science • The only record of the species is in a city

  5. Urban Soil Fauna is not Always Poor Fauna of Warsaw and Mazovia (1974-78) Memorabilia Zoologia 34. 1981

  6. Soil Animals as Indicators Orthometopon planum Cylisticus convexus Porcellium collicola

  7. Lawn Care Affects Soil Community Springtails (Collembola) Mites (Acari) Cryptostigmata

  8. Outline • Urban ecosystems – The Baltimore Ecosystem Study • Biodiversity and importance of soil fauna • Urban soil biodiversity • Exotic / invasive soil invertebrates

  9. Introduction of Soil Animals • Immigrants • Ship ballast • Ornamental plants

  10. Non-native Species in Soil Fauna Depends on: taxon, region, site • Carrion beetles: 0 % (Wolf 2002) • Earthworms: • Urban 80 % • Rural 53 % • Millipedes: 54 % • Isopods 100 % Ophyiulus pilosus Oxidus gracilis

  11. New to North America Lumbricus friendi clitellum New to science male pore New to science Biogeographical Origin of Earthworms

  12. What Makes Them Successful? I. Geological Processes After last Ice Age many unutilized opportunities Native Introduced James, 1995 Reynolds,1995

  13. What Makes Them Successful?II. Natural History • Larger body size • Detritivory (all species) • Invasive spp: broad tolerance • Synanthropic/peregrine • Reproductive strategies: • parthenogenesis (e.g. T. pusillus, A. hilgendorfi) • sperm storage • large brood size • multiple generations

  14. What Makes Them Successful? Effect of humans • Multiple introductions • Enhance dispersal • Creation of favorable habitats (urban environments) • less fluctuation • abundant resources • greater heterogeneity

  15. Exotics can colonize habitats different from their native ones • Chaetophilocia sicula : • Lumbricus friendi : Native New Mediterranean shrub Temperate deciduous forest Native New Temperate deciduous forest Ag field

  16. Buildings: sewer system Domicole species Greenhouses in the temperate regions Many habitats in the warmer regions Extreme Adaptation Dichogaster bolaui Csuzdi et al. 2004

  17. Summary • Urban ecosystem research is accepted by the ecologist community • Long-term research is essential • Soil is a complex subsystem, which provides essential services

  18. Are Urban and Rural Forests Different? Szlavecz et al. (in press)

  19. Asian Native European Asian European Native Nitrogen pools after incubation “Native soil” from the field Mesocosm experiments

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