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Human modification, through resource extraction, species introduction, and landscape manipulation, has transformed ecosystems throughout the world. As technological and lifestyle changes shift the human impact on the environment, ecosystems progress toward a new equilibrium which marginalizes some species but opens roles for others. What will local species communities resemble in a thousand years? Inevitable species translocations and changes in environmental conditions make predictions difficult. Humans may disrupt ecosystems, but we also introduce new food resources, exotic species, and novel ecological niches which evolution will fill over long time periods.
Of the plant species on the campus known to the author, 40% are cultivated. Of the naturalized plants, half were introduced from foreign regions. Plants are both extremely visible and easily isolated. As a result, the local flora presents an especially interesting opportunity to study the artificial ecosystem that we have created for ourselves.
Inside human structures, a small number of secretive generalists eke out an existence.
Plantings across campus nurture a variety of trees, shrubs, and weeds.
The high level of human influence over these areas creates a fascinating blend of rare exotics and common natives.
At right, the nuances that separate different types of lawns may be difficult to notice, but different environmental conditions and maintenance practices combine to create a range of ground cover types:
Below, many plants and animals may be found at the student rooftop farm and nowhere else on campus.
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