Effects of Landscape Manipulation on Human Behavior, Knowledge, and

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Effects of Landscape Manipulation on Human
Behavior, Knowledge, and Social Organization in
an Urban Ecosystem David Casagrande1, Scott
Yabiku2, Elizabeth Farley Metzger2, Diane Hope2,
Corinna Gries2, Kelli Larson2, Nancy Grimm2 1
Western Illinois University, 2 Arizona State
University
Socio-ecological Relationships
Project Overview   This research represents the
human dimension of a multidisciplinary experiment
to study the reciprocal relationships between
humans and different types of residential
landscaping in metropolitan Phoenix,
Arizona.   Researchers at ASUs Global Institute
of Sustainability (GIOS) Central Arizona-Phoenix
Long Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) Project
have secured an agreement with the
ASU-Polytechnic campus to landscape selected
clusters of faculty, staff, and student family
housing in the North Desert Village housing area.
CAP-LTER researchers are selectively varying the
landscaping of 24 single-family units with 6
units clustered in each landscape type. The
remaining 122 units are receiving no landscaping
other than a gravel ground cover. A cluster of
six of the non-landscaped houses serve as an
observational control. In contiguous groups of
six, single-family units received one of four
treatments that vary landscape design and water
delivery   1. Mesic / irrigated (high water use
plants and turf grass, with irrigation)   2. Oasis
/ mixed (a mixture of high and low water use
plants and turf grass, with both drip irrigation
and sprinkler systems)   3. Xeric / drip (low
water use plants without turf grass, with a drip
irrigation system)   4. Native / minimal (plants
native to the Sonoran Desert, with minimal
watering) 5. Control (no landscaping other than
gravel) Bio-physical variables of analysis
include above- and below-ground floral and faunal
species assemblages, plant biomass and primary
productivity, soil respiration and composition,
and microclimate. Human variables include
behavior, social networks, environmental
attitudes, perceptions of landscapes,
demographics and residence histories.
Pre-treatment measurement of variables and
landscape installations were completed in Fall
2005. Post-intervention measurement of variation
within the different treatments and control began
in Spring 2006 and will be repeated at regular
intervals. Here, we present initial findings and
hypotheses from our analysis of pre-treatment
data.
Behavior and Social Networks Residents were
asked to estimate frequencies of their outdoor
recreation. These were cross-checked with direct
observations of behavior using time allocation
spot surveys. Residents also answered a series of
questions about the density of social networks
within each of their six-house clusters.
Recreational behavior was significantly
correlated with network density (plt0.05). Note
that these data precede the landscape
alterations. Implication Outdoor recreation
leads to stronger social networks in which
ecological information and perceptions of
landscapes are likely to be shared.
Spearman r 1.00 n 5 P lt 0.01
Ecological Knowledge Using photographs and
illustrations, residents were asked to name 10
plant and 6 bird species, and identify them as
native to the Sonoran desert or introduced.
Knowledge was uniformly low, with only 42 of
questions answered correctly (SD 8). Long-term
residents of the Southwest performed no better
than recent immigrants (t 0.15, df 50,
P1-tailed 0.44). Respondents correctly
identified native vs. introduced status more
often than names. Consistent with the cognitive
literature, knowledge focuses on a few
charismatic species like the saguaro cactus and
road runner. Implication Overall low knowledge
and a focus on ecological characteristics like
plant spines and leaf size may help explain low
preferences for native landscaping.
Percent Correct Plants
Name Native saguaro 93 95 Me
xican fan palm 50 91 bougainvillea 49 67 palo
verde 25 98 eucalyptus 16 69 creosote
bush 15 98 lantana 5 69 Arizona ash
3 65 brittle bush 2 73 ironwood 2 98
Percent Correct Birds
Name Native road
runner 84 98 gambels quail 44 69 Gila
Woodpecker 32 58 cactus wren 21 65 house
sparrow 19 29 starling 4 36
Preferences for Different Types of Landscapes
Length of Residence and Perceptions of Desert
Landscaping We were surprised to find that the
longer people lived in metropolitan Phoenix, the
less they preferred desert landscaping for homes.
Responses to the survey question The natural
desert is beautiful indicated that long-term
residents were as likely to appreciate the
natural desert as short-term residents. But they
were also more likely to make statements like I
have lived in Arizona all my life. I love the
desert, in its place, or You get tired of it
when youve lived here all your life. Its
beautiful when youve been gone for
awhile. Implication Length of residence in the
Southwest may not affect perceptions of natural
desert, but appears to increase the belief that
the desert does not belong in home landscaping.
North Desert Village in its current condition
A digital picture of an actual residence at North
Desert Village was altered to represent each of
the four treatment landscapes. Residents were
shown these pictures and were asked, On a scale
from 1 to 4, how much do you like this kind of
yard? 1. Dislike very much 2. Dislike
somewhat 3. Like somewhat 4. Like very
much ANOVA results from 55 survey respondents
indicate significant variation in rating scores
across treatment landscapes (plt.0001).
Comparisons using Tukeys method (alpha.05) show
that respondents rated Mesic and Oasis
significantly higher than Xeric and
Native. Implication Despite living in the
Sonoran desert, respondents overwhelmingly prefer
landscapes with higher water requirements.  If
these findings generalize to the greater Phoenix
area, this may suggest difficulty in convincing
residents to avoid landscapes with high water use.
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