Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595534267621241 |
| id |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu1595534267621241 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
oai_dc |
| spelling |
ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu15955342676212412021-08-03T07:15:53Z Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells Wituszynski, David Michael Ecology Environmental Engineering Ecosystem Health Reconciliation Ecology Urban Ecology Bioretention Green Infrastructure Constructed Ecosystems Ecological Design There is an urgent need to increase the habitat value of cities, both for human health and for conservation. Constructed Green Infrastructure (GI), which uses vegetated areas to solve engineering problems such as stormwater mitigation, is an attractive option for habitat creation, and ecological engineers, with their stated goal to design for both human and natural benefit, should be key players in its design and implementation. However, ecological engineers are hampered by the lack of a suitable reference by which to evaluate the ecological goals of the GI which they design. They are further hampered by the lack of information about the ecology of many common GI practices.Bioretention cells (BRCs) are the most common form of green infrastructure used for stormwater management. Much work has been done to evaluate the hydrological and pollutant-removal capabilities of BRCs, but there has been comparatively little investigation of the ecological properties of these systems. This is a critical gap in knowledge, as ecological design of BRCs could not only increase their functioning as stormwater infrastructure but could also contribute ecological value to urban areas. Investigation of the habitat value of BRCs could lead to design techniques that subsidize and/or prioritize habitat creation in tandem with stormwater management, allowing ecological engineers to capitalize on the current popularity of this practice to improve urban habitat for both humans and non-humans.I address this gap in knowledge with a multi-taxon survey of biodiversity in BRCs installed as part of a large-scale retrofit of GI in Columbus, OH. I developed and validated a protocol to survey birds with automated acoustic monitoring – a first in an urban area – and determined that BRCs affected bird community composition during spring migration but not during the summer breeding period. BRCs did not generally harbor more species than lawns, but nearby remnant ravines appeared to increase species richness at both BRC and lawn sites. I also sampled ground-active arthropods with pitfall traps and identified carabid beetles to species. Carabid communities in BRCs were different from those in nearby lawns and ravines, indicating the ability of BRCs to host biologically unique assemblages in this urban area. These findings suggest that BRCs have the potential to significantly contribute habitat value to urban areas.I integrated the above findings, along with sampled vegetation volume and diversity, into a comprehensive measure of ecosystem health following the Vigor-Organization-Resilience model. BRCs scored higher than either lawns or ravines in this system, across a variety of metrics, reinforcing their potential ecological value. This technique, which is based on standard wildlife sampling strategies, has great potential in allowing ecological engineers to quantify their success is meeting their ecological design goals, alongside their societal ones. Much work remains to be done in calibrating the technique across a diversity of ecosystems, both constructed and natural, and in investigating other aspects of the ecology of BRCs. However, this study suggests that BRCs have potential to elevate the ecology of urban areas, and encourages ecological engineers to more closely consider the ecological aspects of their designs. 2020 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595534267621241 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595534267621241 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Ecology Environmental Engineering Ecosystem Health Reconciliation Ecology Urban Ecology Bioretention Green Infrastructure Constructed Ecosystems Ecological Design |
| spellingShingle |
Ecology Environmental Engineering Ecosystem Health Reconciliation Ecology Urban Ecology Bioretention Green Infrastructure Constructed Ecosystems Ecological Design Wituszynski, David Michael Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| author |
Wituszynski, David Michael |
| author_facet |
Wituszynski, David Michael |
| author_sort |
Wituszynski, David Michael |
| title |
Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| title_short |
Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| title_full |
Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| title_fullStr |
Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Ecological Structure and Function of Bioretention Cells |
| title_sort |
ecological structure and function of bioretention cells |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595534267621241 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT wituszynskidavidmichael ecologicalstructureandfunctionofbioretentioncells |
| _version_ |
1719457622630858752 |