Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS33 Human Activities and Aquatic Ecosystems

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 11:45:00 AM

Location: Galisteo

Kleppel, G, S, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA, gkleppel@csc.albany.edu

Porter, D, E, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA, dporter@inlet.geol.sc.edu

DeVoe, M, R, SC Sea Grant Consortium, Charleston, SC, USA, devoemr@musc.edu

IMPLICATIONS OF URBANIZATION TO ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA’S SALT MARSH ESTUARIES

Studies since 1998 indicate that the gross efficiency of egg production (K1= egg production/ingestion) of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa is lower in rapidly urbanizing, Murrells Inlet than in undeveloped North Inlet, 30 km to the south. Benthic invertebrate species richness, S, in Charleston County tidal creeks varies as the size of the immediately adjacent drainage area, W, indicating sensitivity of the aquatic ecosystem to landscape attributes. In urbanized watersheds, S predicted from W is approximately 50% of S in undeveloped watersheds, indicating sensitivity to land use. In-migration of 0.5 million people to the coastal plain by 2015 will result in the urbanization of 60-90% of the developable land in the 4 fastest growing coastal counties if currently popular, low density, suburban development practices are continued. Accordingly, S will decline by 31-55%. However, when the same population is accommodated within the dimensions of traditional urban communities, <20% of the land is used and biodiversity declines <5%.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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