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Carbon fluxes and nitrogen availability along an urban–rural gradient in a desert landscape

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Abstract

Urbanization is increasing in arid and semi-arid regions of the world and impacting native ecosystems through disturbance, climatic modification, and pollution deposition. Arid ecosystems often exhibit a mosaic of shrub/tree canopy covered and non-canopy covered patches that differ in elemental pools and processes. We measured belowground ecosystem attributes and processes in native Larrea tridentata {(D.C.) Cov} dominated communities along an urban–rural gradient in Phoenix, Arizona. Organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and nitrate levels were significantly greater in the urban locations, but soil respiration rates (Rs) were higher at the rural sites. Urban sites exhibited no difference in Rs and N between the canopy and interplant patches while both the rural and suburban sites had significantly greater N and higher Rs under the canopy than in the interplant spaces. Soil respiration rates at the urban locations were not correlated with either soil moisture or temperature individually. These data suggest that urbanization has caused a disconnect of ecological pattern and processes in L. tridentata ecosystems within the urban setting such that water and N limitations no longer explain expected spatial Rs patterns, or elemental pools.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix Parks and Recreation, Arizona State Facilities Management, Mesa Community College at Red Mountain, Mesa Parks and Recreation and the Tonto National Forest for site access. John Briggs, Tad Day and Elizabeth Wentz also provided useful comments on preliminary manuscripts. Two anonymous reviewers also provided suggestions to improve the quality of this paper. Funding for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation (Grant # UPA8/11/99), the Central Arizona Phoenix—Long Term Ecological Research Program, the Arizona State University Graduate College, and the Associated Students of Arizona State University.

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  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Brenda A. Koerner & Jeffrey M. Klopatek

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS, USA

    Brenda A. Koerner

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  1. Brenda A. Koerner
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  2. Jeffrey M. Klopatek
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Correspondence to Brenda A. Koerner.

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Koerner, B.A., Klopatek, J.M. Carbon fluxes and nitrogen availability along an urban–rural gradient in a desert landscape. Urban Ecosyst 13, 1–21 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-009-0105-z

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