Nancy Grimm | Arizona State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Nancy Grimm

Research paper thumbnail of Nitrate removal in stream ecosystems measured by 15N addition experiments: Total uptake

Limnology and Oceanography, May 1, 2009

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Research paper thumbnail of Priorities for synthesis research in ecology and environmental science

Ecosphere

Synthesis research in ecology and environmental science improves understanding, advances theory, ... more Synthesis research in ecology and environmental science improves understanding, advances theory, identifies research priorities, and supports management strategies by linking data, ideas, and tools. Accelerating environmental challenges increases the need to focus synthesis science on the most pressing questions. To leverage input from the broader research community, we convened a virtual workshop with participants from many countries and disciplines to examine how and where synthesis can address key questions and themes in ecology and environmental science in the coming decade. Seven priority research topics emerged: (1) diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), (2) human and natural systems, (3) actionable and use‐inspired science, (4) scale, (5) generality, (6) complexity and resilience, and (7) predictability. Additionally, two issues regarding the general practice of synthesis emerged: the need for increased participant diversity and inclusive research practices; and in...

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Research paper thumbnail of A Vision for Resilient Urban Futures

Resilient Urban Futures, 2021

A fundamental systems approach is essential to advancing our understanding of how to address crit... more A fundamental systems approach is essential to advancing our understanding of how to address critical challenges caused by the intersection of urbanization and climate change. The social–ecological–technological systems (SETS) conceptual framework brings forward a systems perspective that considers the reality of cities as complex systems and provides a baseline for developing a science of, and practice for, cities. Given the urgency of issues we collectively face to improve livability, justice, sustainability, and resilience in cities, bringing a systems approach to resilience planning and policymaking is critical, as is development of positive visions and scenarios that can provide more realistic and systemic solutions. We provide a vision for more resilient urban futures that learns from coproduced scenario development work in nine US and Latin American cities in the URExSRN. We find that developing an urban systems science that can provide actionable knowledge for decision-makin...

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Research paper thumbnail of Author response for "Capturing practitioner perspectives on infrastructure resilience using Q-methodology

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Research paper thumbnail of Urbanization in and for the Anthropocene

npj Urban Sustainability, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of Socio‐eco‐evolutionary dynamics in cities

Evolutionary Applications, 2020

Cities are uniquely complex systems regulated by interactions and feedbacks between nature and hu... more Cities are uniquely complex systems regulated by interactions and feedbacks between nature and human society. Characteristics of human society—including culture, economics, technology and politics—underlie social patterns and activity, creating a heterogeneous environment that can influence and be influenced by both ecological and evolutionary processes. Increasing research on urban ecology and evolutionary biology has coincided with growing interest in eco‐evolutionary dynamics, which encompasses the interactions and reciprocal feedbacks between evolution and ecology. Research on both urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics frequently focuses on contemporary evolution of species that have potentially substantial ecological—and even social—significance. Still, little work fully integrates urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics, and rarely do researchers in either of these fields fully consider the role of human social patterns and processes. Becaus...

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Research paper thumbnail of Using Biomimicry to Support Resilient Infrastructure Design

Earth's Future, 2020

Infrastructure must be resilient to both known and unknown disturbances. In the past, resilient i... more Infrastructure must be resilient to both known and unknown disturbances. In the past, resilient infrastructure design efforts have tended to focus on principles of robustness and recovery against projected failures. This framing has developed independently from resilience principles in biological and ecological systems. As such, there are open questions as to whether the approaches of natural systems that lead to adaptation and transformation are relevant to engineered systems. To improve engineered system resilience, infrastructure managers may benefit from considering and applying a set of “Life's Principles”—design principles and patterns drawn from the field of biomimicry. Nature has long withstood disturbances within and beyond previous experience. Infrastructure resilience theory and practice are assessed against Life's Principles identifying alignments, contradictions, contentions, and gaps. Resilient infrastructure theory, which emphasizes a need for flexible and agi...

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Research paper thumbnail of Defining Extreme Events: A Cross‐Disciplinary Review

Earth's Future, 2018

Extreme events are of interest worldwide given their potential for substantial impacts on social,... more Extreme events are of interest worldwide given their potential for substantial impacts on social, ecological, and technical systems. Many climate‐related extreme events are increasing in frequency and/or magnitude due to anthropogenic climate change, and there is increased potential for impacts due to the location of urbanization and the expansion of urban centers and infrastructures. Many disciplines are engaged in research and management of these events. However, a lack of coherence exists in what constitutes and defines an extreme event across these fields, which impedes our ability to holistically understand and manage these events. Here, we review 10 years of academic literature and use text analysis to elucidate how six major disciplines—climatology, earth sciences, ecology, engineering, hydrology, and social sciences—define and communicate extreme events. Our results highlight critical disciplinary differences in the language used to communicate extreme events. Additionally, ...

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Research paper thumbnail of The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen Experiments: an example of successful ecological research collaboration

Freshwater Science, 2014

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Research paper thumbnail of Partitioning assimilatory nitrogen uptake in streams: an analysis of stable isotope tracer additions across continents

Ecological Monographs, 2017

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecohydrological interfaces as hot spots of ecosystem processes

Water Resources Research, 2017

The movement of water, matter, organisms, and energy can be altered substantially at ecohydrologi... more The movement of water, matter, organisms, and energy can be altered substantially at ecohydrological interfaces, the dynamic transition zones that often develop within ecotones or boundaries between adjacent ecosystems. Interdisciplinary research over the last two decades has indicated that ecohydrological interfaces are often “hot spots” of ecological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes and may provide refuge for biota during extreme events. Ecohydrological interfaces can have significant impact on global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity, pollutant removal, and ecosystem resilience to disturbance. The organizational principles (i.e., the drivers and controls) of spatially and temporally variable processes at ecohydrological interfaces are poorly understood and require the integrated analysis of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes. Our rudimentary understanding of the interactions between different drivers and controls critically limits...

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Research paper thumbnail of Moving Towards a New Urban Systems Science

Ecosystems, 2016

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Research paper thumbnail of Frontiers in Ecosystem Ecology from a Community Perspective: The Future is Boundless and Bright

Ecosystems, 2016

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Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Urban Ecology toward a Science of Cities

BioScience, 2016

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Research paper thumbnail of Symposium 17. Ecosystem Capacity for Sustaining Long‐term Water Supplies

The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 2012

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Research paper thumbnail of Type and timing of stream flow changes in urbanizing watersheds in the Eastern U.S

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 2015

Linking the type and timing of hydrologic changes with patterns of urban growth is essential to i... more Linking the type and timing of hydrologic changes with patterns of urban growth is essential to identifying the underlying mechanisms that drive declines in urban aquatic ecosystems. In six urbanizing watersheds surrounding three U.S. cities (Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA, and Pittsburgh, PA), we reconstructed the history of development patterns since 1900 and assessed the magnitude and timing of stream flow changes during watershed development. Development reconstructions indicated that the majority of watershed development occurred during a period of peak population growth, typically between 1950 and 1970. Stream flow records indicated significant increases in annual frequency of high-flow events in all six watersheds and increases in annual runoff efficiency in five watersheds. Annual development intensity during the peak growth period had the strongest association with the magnitude of changes in high-flow frequency from the pre- to post-development periods. Results suggest the timi...

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Research paper thumbnail of Viewing the Urban Socio-ecological System Through a Sustainability Lens: Lessons and Prospects from the Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER Programme

Long Term Socio-Ecological Research, 2012

Cities are complex socio-ecological systems (SES). They are focal points of human population, pro... more Cities are complex socio-ecological systems (SES). They are focal points of human population, production, and consumption, including the generation of waste and most of the critical emissions to the atmosphere. But they also are centres of human creative activities, and in that capacity may provide platforms for the transition to a more sustainable world. Urban sustainability will require understanding grounded in a theory that incorporates reciprocal, dynamic interactions between societal and ecological components, external driving forces and their impacts, and a multiscalar perspective. In this chapter, we use research from the Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER programme to illustrate how such a conceptual framework can enrich our understanding and lead to surprising conclusions that might not have been reached without the integration inherent in the SES approach. By reviewing research in the broad areas of urban land change, climate, water, biogeochemistry, biodiversity, and organismal interactions, we explore the dynamics of coupled human and ecological systems within an urban SES in arid North America, and discuss what these interactions imply about sustainability.

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Research paper thumbnail of Urbanization and the carbon cycle: Current capabilities and research outlook from the natural sciences perspective

Earth's Future, 2014

This paper explores the urban carbon cycle from the natural sciences perspective, identifying key... more This paper explores the urban carbon cycle from the natural sciences perspective, identifying key knowledge gaps and priority areas for future research. The combination of large, concentrated carbon fluxes and rapid change makes cities key elements of the carbon cycle and offers the potential for them to serve as “first responders” for climate action. Estimates of urban‐scale carbon fluxes are significantly more uncertain than at larger spatial scales, in part because past studies have mostly avoided local/urban scales where the mix of anthropogenic and natural fluxes is complex and difficult to observationally isolate. To develop effective emission reduction policies, we need to understand emission sources and how they may be changing. Such improved quantification and understanding of underlying processes at the urban scale will not only provide policy‐relevant information and improve the understanding of urban dynamics and future scenarios, but will also translate into better glob...

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Research paper thumbnail of Diel Feeding Chronologies in Two Sonoran Desert Stream Fishes, Agosia chrysogaster (Cyprinidae) and Pantosteus clarki (Catostomidae)

The Southwestern Naturalist, 1981

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Research paper thumbnail of Subsystems, flowpaths, and the spatial variability of nitrogen in a fluvial ecosystem

Landscape Ecology, 2007

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Research paper thumbnail of Nitrate removal in stream ecosystems measured by 15N addition experiments: Total uptake

Limnology and Oceanography, May 1, 2009

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Research paper thumbnail of Priorities for synthesis research in ecology and environmental science

Ecosphere

Synthesis research in ecology and environmental science improves understanding, advances theory, ... more Synthesis research in ecology and environmental science improves understanding, advances theory, identifies research priorities, and supports management strategies by linking data, ideas, and tools. Accelerating environmental challenges increases the need to focus synthesis science on the most pressing questions. To leverage input from the broader research community, we convened a virtual workshop with participants from many countries and disciplines to examine how and where synthesis can address key questions and themes in ecology and environmental science in the coming decade. Seven priority research topics emerged: (1) diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), (2) human and natural systems, (3) actionable and use‐inspired science, (4) scale, (5) generality, (6) complexity and resilience, and (7) predictability. Additionally, two issues regarding the general practice of synthesis emerged: the need for increased participant diversity and inclusive research practices; and in...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of A Vision for Resilient Urban Futures

Resilient Urban Futures, 2021

A fundamental systems approach is essential to advancing our understanding of how to address crit... more A fundamental systems approach is essential to advancing our understanding of how to address critical challenges caused by the intersection of urbanization and climate change. The social–ecological–technological systems (SETS) conceptual framework brings forward a systems perspective that considers the reality of cities as complex systems and provides a baseline for developing a science of, and practice for, cities. Given the urgency of issues we collectively face to improve livability, justice, sustainability, and resilience in cities, bringing a systems approach to resilience planning and policymaking is critical, as is development of positive visions and scenarios that can provide more realistic and systemic solutions. We provide a vision for more resilient urban futures that learns from coproduced scenario development work in nine US and Latin American cities in the URExSRN. We find that developing an urban systems science that can provide actionable knowledge for decision-makin...

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Research paper thumbnail of Author response for "Capturing practitioner perspectives on infrastructure resilience using Q-methodology

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Urbanization in and for the Anthropocene

npj Urban Sustainability, 2021

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Socio‐eco‐evolutionary dynamics in cities

Evolutionary Applications, 2020

Cities are uniquely complex systems regulated by interactions and feedbacks between nature and hu... more Cities are uniquely complex systems regulated by interactions and feedbacks between nature and human society. Characteristics of human society—including culture, economics, technology and politics—underlie social patterns and activity, creating a heterogeneous environment that can influence and be influenced by both ecological and evolutionary processes. Increasing research on urban ecology and evolutionary biology has coincided with growing interest in eco‐evolutionary dynamics, which encompasses the interactions and reciprocal feedbacks between evolution and ecology. Research on both urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics frequently focuses on contemporary evolution of species that have potentially substantial ecological—and even social—significance. Still, little work fully integrates urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics, and rarely do researchers in either of these fields fully consider the role of human social patterns and processes. Becaus...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Using Biomimicry to Support Resilient Infrastructure Design

Earth's Future, 2020

Infrastructure must be resilient to both known and unknown disturbances. In the past, resilient i... more Infrastructure must be resilient to both known and unknown disturbances. In the past, resilient infrastructure design efforts have tended to focus on principles of robustness and recovery against projected failures. This framing has developed independently from resilience principles in biological and ecological systems. As such, there are open questions as to whether the approaches of natural systems that lead to adaptation and transformation are relevant to engineered systems. To improve engineered system resilience, infrastructure managers may benefit from considering and applying a set of “Life's Principles”—design principles and patterns drawn from the field of biomimicry. Nature has long withstood disturbances within and beyond previous experience. Infrastructure resilience theory and practice are assessed against Life's Principles identifying alignments, contradictions, contentions, and gaps. Resilient infrastructure theory, which emphasizes a need for flexible and agi...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Defining Extreme Events: A Cross‐Disciplinary Review

Earth's Future, 2018

Extreme events are of interest worldwide given their potential for substantial impacts on social,... more Extreme events are of interest worldwide given their potential for substantial impacts on social, ecological, and technical systems. Many climate‐related extreme events are increasing in frequency and/or magnitude due to anthropogenic climate change, and there is increased potential for impacts due to the location of urbanization and the expansion of urban centers and infrastructures. Many disciplines are engaged in research and management of these events. However, a lack of coherence exists in what constitutes and defines an extreme event across these fields, which impedes our ability to holistically understand and manage these events. Here, we review 10 years of academic literature and use text analysis to elucidate how six major disciplines—climatology, earth sciences, ecology, engineering, hydrology, and social sciences—define and communicate extreme events. Our results highlight critical disciplinary differences in the language used to communicate extreme events. Additionally, ...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Lotic Intersite Nitrogen Experiments: an example of successful ecological research collaboration

Freshwater Science, 2014

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Partitioning assimilatory nitrogen uptake in streams: an analysis of stable isotope tracer additions across continents

Ecological Monographs, 2017

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Ecohydrological interfaces as hot spots of ecosystem processes

Water Resources Research, 2017

The movement of water, matter, organisms, and energy can be altered substantially at ecohydrologi... more The movement of water, matter, organisms, and energy can be altered substantially at ecohydrological interfaces, the dynamic transition zones that often develop within ecotones or boundaries between adjacent ecosystems. Interdisciplinary research over the last two decades has indicated that ecohydrological interfaces are often “hot spots” of ecological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes and may provide refuge for biota during extreme events. Ecohydrological interfaces can have significant impact on global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity, pollutant removal, and ecosystem resilience to disturbance. The organizational principles (i.e., the drivers and controls) of spatially and temporally variable processes at ecohydrological interfaces are poorly understood and require the integrated analysis of hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes. Our rudimentary understanding of the interactions between different drivers and controls critically limits...

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Research paper thumbnail of Moving Towards a New Urban Systems Science

Ecosystems, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Frontiers in Ecosystem Ecology from a Community Perspective: The Future is Boundless and Bright

Ecosystems, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Urban Ecology toward a Science of Cities

BioScience, 2016

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Symposium 17. Ecosystem Capacity for Sustaining Long‐term Water Supplies

The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 2012

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Type and timing of stream flow changes in urbanizing watersheds in the Eastern U.S

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 2015

Linking the type and timing of hydrologic changes with patterns of urban growth is essential to i... more Linking the type and timing of hydrologic changes with patterns of urban growth is essential to identifying the underlying mechanisms that drive declines in urban aquatic ecosystems. In six urbanizing watersheds surrounding three U.S. cities (Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA, and Pittsburgh, PA), we reconstructed the history of development patterns since 1900 and assessed the magnitude and timing of stream flow changes during watershed development. Development reconstructions indicated that the majority of watershed development occurred during a period of peak population growth, typically between 1950 and 1970. Stream flow records indicated significant increases in annual frequency of high-flow events in all six watersheds and increases in annual runoff efficiency in five watersheds. Annual development intensity during the peak growth period had the strongest association with the magnitude of changes in high-flow frequency from the pre- to post-development periods. Results suggest the timi...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Viewing the Urban Socio-ecological System Through a Sustainability Lens: Lessons and Prospects from the Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER Programme

Long Term Socio-Ecological Research, 2012

Cities are complex socio-ecological systems (SES). They are focal points of human population, pro... more Cities are complex socio-ecological systems (SES). They are focal points of human population, production, and consumption, including the generation of waste and most of the critical emissions to the atmosphere. But they also are centres of human creative activities, and in that capacity may provide platforms for the transition to a more sustainable world. Urban sustainability will require understanding grounded in a theory that incorporates reciprocal, dynamic interactions between societal and ecological components, external driving forces and their impacts, and a multiscalar perspective. In this chapter, we use research from the Central Arizona–Phoenix LTER programme to illustrate how such a conceptual framework can enrich our understanding and lead to surprising conclusions that might not have been reached without the integration inherent in the SES approach. By reviewing research in the broad areas of urban land change, climate, water, biogeochemistry, biodiversity, and organismal interactions, we explore the dynamics of coupled human and ecological systems within an urban SES in arid North America, and discuss what these interactions imply about sustainability.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Urbanization and the carbon cycle: Current capabilities and research outlook from the natural sciences perspective

Earth's Future, 2014

This paper explores the urban carbon cycle from the natural sciences perspective, identifying key... more This paper explores the urban carbon cycle from the natural sciences perspective, identifying key knowledge gaps and priority areas for future research. The combination of large, concentrated carbon fluxes and rapid change makes cities key elements of the carbon cycle and offers the potential for them to serve as “first responders” for climate action. Estimates of urban‐scale carbon fluxes are significantly more uncertain than at larger spatial scales, in part because past studies have mostly avoided local/urban scales where the mix of anthropogenic and natural fluxes is complex and difficult to observationally isolate. To develop effective emission reduction policies, we need to understand emission sources and how they may be changing. Such improved quantification and understanding of underlying processes at the urban scale will not only provide policy‐relevant information and improve the understanding of urban dynamics and future scenarios, but will also translate into better glob...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Diel Feeding Chronologies in Two Sonoran Desert Stream Fishes, Agosia chrysogaster (Cyprinidae) and Pantosteus clarki (Catostomidae)

The Southwestern Naturalist, 1981

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Subsystems, flowpaths, and the spatial variability of nitrogen in a fluvial ecosystem

Landscape Ecology, 2007

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact