Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Insights from coproduced scenarios toward urban sustainability transformations

Urban sustainability transformations call for fundamental shifts in how cities are organized, developed, and governed. Yet we need a better understanding of the diversity of visions and pathways that can enable transformative change. We address this gap through an analysis of 60...

Nutrient legacies from elephant megacarcasses create coldspots of biodiversity and hotspots of ecosystem processes

Terrestrial megafauna (animals >1,000 kg) have substantial impacts on ecosystems while alive; yet, we know little about the impacts of these ecosystem engineers after they die. Like whale carcasses in the ocean, terrestrial megacarcasses may leave ecological legacies via the nutr...

Microbial and Biogeochemical Responses to Streamwater Fecal and Nutrient Contamination

Abstract Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Clearwater River in north-central Idaho, USA, is impaired by elevated nitrate and Escherichia coli(E. coli) levels. However, the relative contributions, spatiotemporal patterns, and ecological effects of known contamination sources remai...

Narrowing urban heat disparities alongside faster greening in low-income neighborhoods across cities in the United States

Urban heat disproportionately burdens socioeconomically vulnerable communities, yet how these disparities change over time remains poorly understood. Here we show that heat disparities between low- and high-income neighborhoods generally narrowed across 55 major cities in the Uni...

The anthropogenic fingerprint on emerging infectious diseases

Abstract Emerging infectious diseases are a hallmark of the Anthropocene 1,2 . Human-driven ecosystem changes and human–wildlife–livestock contact can drive the emergence of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases 3–5 , but how much these processes shape landscapes of outbreak risk is...

Expanding frameworks: Integrating vulnerability, exposure, and critical infrastructure to assess pluvial flood risks in New York City

Extreme precipitation events are increasing their frequency and intensity across the United States, posing growing risks to urban communities through pluvial flooding. Effective adaptation against pluvial flooding through structural and nonstructural measures requires understandi...

Conceptualizing racial inequalities and injustice in social–ecological systems: A foundation for ecology of segregation

Segregation, or social–economic inequity across space, is a widespread phenomenon. What can ecology, with its fundamental concern for spatial heterogeneity, contribute conceptually and practically to issues of segregation? And what can urban ecology learn? The relationships of fo...

Multiple drivers and long-term patterns of the ecology of segregation in Latin America

Segregation is a multidimensional phenomenon deeply entwined with historical, social, and ecological contexts. The ecology of segregation framework explores how social norms institutionalize racism, classism, and power dynamics to drive inequitable patterns of environmental benef...