Homogenizing an urban habitat mosaic: arthropod diversity declines in New York City parks after Super Storm Sandy

The frequency and intensity of hurricanes are increasing globally, and anthropogenic modifications in cities have created systems that may be particularly vulnerable to their negative effects. Organisms living in cities are exposed to variable levels of chronic environmental stress. However, whether chronic stress ameliorates or exacerbates the negative effects of hurricanes remains an open question. Here, we consider two hypotheses about the simultaneous consequences of acute disturbances from hurricanes and chronic stress from urbanization for the structure of urban arthropod communities. The tipping point hypothesis posits that organisms living in high stress habitats are less resilient than those in low stress...

Categories: Publication; Tags: Forests, Landscapes, New York City, Plants, Southeast CASC, All tags... Super Storm Sandy, Wildlife and Plants, biotic homogenization, disturbance adapted, diversity, extreme weather, hurricane, tipping point, urban ecology, Fewer tags