URCAD Sneak Peek: Kelly McVicker

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 17:31:23 -0400

Come hear about Kelly's research, "Food Web Dynamics: How Urbanization Of Riparian Systems Affects Prey Availability in Aquatic And Terrestrial Systems" at URCAD Online, 2020.

Co-invetigators: Aaron Curry, Monica Argueta

Abstract:

As the world becomes more urbanized over time, natural processes are changed, one being the introduction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) into the ecosystem. There is evidence to suggest that an effect might be the alteration of food web dynamics; when riparian spiders, especially those of the genus Tetragnatha, consume emerging aquatic insects, PPCPs move into terrestrial systems. To observe the effect on urbanization on prey availability, spiders were collected, and sticky traps were set out for insects along the Gwynns Falls watershed along a gradient from urban to rural. The data suggest that there are more prey available to spiders in urban riparian systems than in rural riparian systems, and that the prey available in urban riparian systems is a higher proportion of aquatic species than terrestrial species. This is supported by the fact that the spiders in urban areas were significantly longer from cephalothorax to abdomen. Because the spiders were not significantly larger in mass, the data implies that the prey available in urban areas, though more abundant, are smaller. Thus, contamination in urban streams will have a higher impact on tetragnathids and on urban terrestrial systems.

Mentor: Chris Hawn

Come see Kelly's presentation and other undergraduate research and creative work, April 22-29th at URCAD.umbc.edu!