Arthropod Diversity, Ecosystem Services, and Resilience Across Urban Habitat Mosaics
Contrary to popular depictions, cities are not monolithic deserts of concrete populated only by buildings and automobiles. Instead, they are complex mosaics of many different kinds of habitats. For this project, we are assessing and experimentally evaluating patterns of local diversity, the interaction between community composition and ecosystem processes & services, and the resilience of urban arthropod communities to extreme weather events that are becoming increasingly common.
People
Amy Savage, Post-doc
Elsa Younsteadt, Research Associate
Andrew Ernst, The Taxonomist
Steve Frank, Assistant Professor
Project Publications
Savage, A. M., Hackett, B.**, Guénard, B., Youngsteadt, E. K., Dunn, R. R. (2014). Fine-scale heterogeneity across Manhattan’s urban habitat mosaic is associated with variation in ant composition and richness. Insect Conservation and Diversity. doi: 10.1111/icad.12098. View PDF.
In the Press
The Ants of Manhattan
New York Times December 1, 2014 – Features the research of Amy Savage et al.
Ants Abound in Manhattan’s Slivers of Green
Scientific American November 21, 2014 – Features the research of Amy Savage et al.
Ants of New York
The New Yorker September 29, 2014 – Features the research of Amy Savage et al.