Leslie Rieck
PhD Candidate Ecosystem Science
The Shape of Urban Streams: Fluvial Geomorphology and Food Webs in Urban Landscapes
Streams and rivers are dynamic systems that closely interact with their surrounding terrestrial landscapes. Urban land use is an increasing stressor on fluvial systems, impacting stream geomorphology via alterations in sediment delivery, hydrology, and vegetation cover, among other factors. In many cases, urbanization can prompt appreciable changes in stream morphology and habitat, which in turn can strongly affect aquatic communities and food webs. Additionally, changes in fluvial geomorphic characteristics might be expected to alter transfers of organic material and energy between streams and their adjacent terrestrial zones, although this is a new avenue of research. In this seminar, theoretical and empirical evidence is presented relative to the effects of urban-induced fluvial geomorphic change on stream ecosystems, with implications for both stream conservation and management in urban landscapes.
