Grimm Lab

The Urban and Stream Ecology Lab at Arizona State University investigates how climate change, human activities, and environmental disturbances shape the resilience of ecosystems across streams, cities, and the landscapes that connect them. Led by Regents Professor Nancy Grimm, the lab integrates ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, and sustainability science to understand how natural and human systems interact in a rapidly changing world.

For more than four decades, the lab has advanced foundational research on desert stream ecosystems, revealing how floods, droughts, wildfire, and climate variability influence ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling, stream metabolism, and biodiversity. At the same time, the lab has helped pioneer the field of urban ecology, developing new ways to understand cities as interconnected social-ecological-technological systems and exploring how nature-based, technological, and governance solutions can strengthen resilience to extreme heat, drought, flooding, and other environmental challenges.

Through long-term ecological research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and partnerships with communities and decision-makers, the Urban and Stream Ecology Lab seeks to generate knowledge that supports sustainable and resilient futures. Lab members work across scales, from microorganisms in desert streams to global networks addressing climate adaptation, all while contributing to major initiatives including the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research program (CAP LTER), the Global Futures Laboratory, and international efforts to advance nature-based solutions for climate resilience.

A new study co-authored by Arizona State University Regents Professor Nancy Grimm reveals that climate change is already destabilizing stream ecosystems in the Arizona desert. Drawing on 35 years of data from Sycamore Creek, researchers found that rising temperatures and prolonged drought have altered species interactions that once helped maintain ecosystem stability. The study, published in PNAS, shows that even a one-degree increase in air temperature can dramatically affect stream invertebrate communities, making them more vulnerable to climate variability and increasing the risk of biodiversity loss. These findings provide important insights into how climate change is reshaping natural ecosystems and the services they provide.

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