| Abstract |
The functioning of stream ecosystems can be influenced by many factors, both natural and anthropogenic. As urban sprawl becomes an increasing issue and the demand for freshwater increases, urban stream ecosystems are seeing an imbalance in nutrient supply, which may influence rates of key ecosystem processes. The cotton strip assay uses small strips of cotton as surrogates of leaf material to measure decomposition and determine environmental factors that influence carbon cycling. Cotton strips were placed in 19 sites across the Chatahoochee and Ocmulgee River basins in the Atlanta,GA Metropolitan Area. From these cotton strips, phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen content were analyzed to see the effect urbanization had on nutrient content in streams and on the process of carbon cycling. We anticipate that there will be high N and P content in cotton strips in the most urban streams, which increased rates of decomposition. Overall, this technique can show us how nutrient imbalances affect the ecosystem processes that occur in urban environments and inform efforts to potentially reduce or fix nutrient imbalances.
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| Modified Abstract |
As urban sprawl becomes an increasing issue and the demand for freshwater increases, urban stream ecosystems are seeing an imbalance in nutrient supply, which may influence rates of key ecosystem processes. The cotton strip assay uses small strips of cotton as surrogates of leaf material to measure decomposition and determine environmental factors that influence carbon cycling. Cotton strips were placed in 19 sites across the Chatahoochee and Ocmulgee River basins in the Atlanta,GA Metropolitan Area. From these cotton strips, phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen content were analyzed to see the effect urbanization had on nutrient content in streams and on the process of carbon cycling. We anticipate that there will be high N and P content in cotton strips in the most urban streams.
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