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    Unintended consequences of urbanization for aquatic ecosystems: A case study from the Arizona desert

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    Date
    2008-09-01
    Authors
    Roach, WJ
    Heffernan, JB
    Grimm, NB
    Arrowsmith, JR
    Eisinger, C
    Rychener, T
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    Abstract
    Many changes wrought during the construction of "designer ecosystems" are intended to ensure - and often succeed in ensuring - that a city can provide ecosystem goods and services; but other changes have unintended impacts on the ecology of the city, impairing its ability to provide these critical functions. Indian Bend Wash, an urbanizing watershed in the Central Arizona-Phoenix (CAP) ecosystem, provides an excellent case study of how human alteration of land cover, stream channel structure, and hydrology affect ecosystem processes, both intentionally and unintentionally. The construction of canals created new flowpaths that cut across historic stream channels, and the creation of artificial lakes produced sinks for fine sediments and hotspots for nitrogen processing. Further hydrologic manipulations, such as groundwater pumping, linked surface flows to the aquifer and replaced ephemeral washes with perennial waters. These alterations of hydrologic structure are typical by-products of urban growth in arid and semiarid regions and create distinct spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen availability. © 2008 American Institute of Biological Sciences.
    Type
    Journal article
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    http://hdl.handle.net/10161/8365
    Published Version (Please cite this version)
    10.1641/B580808
    Publication Info
    Roach, WJ; Heffernan, JB; Grimm, NB; Arrowsmith, JR; Eisinger, C; & Rychener, T (2008). Unintended consequences of urbanization for aquatic ecosystems: A case study from the Arizona desert. BioScience, 58(8). pp. 715-727. 10.1641/B580808. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10161/8365.
    This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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