"Trash as habitat and pollutant in urban streams”

UMBC: Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education

Fall 2026 Seminar Series 

virtually presents

Dr. Megan Fork

Department of Biology, West Chester University

"Trash as habitat and pollutant in urban streams”

Friday, October 23, 2026

2:00 PM online

WebEx Link

This seminar series is free and open to the public.

Abstract

Trash is a persistent and conspicuous pollutant in urban streams throughout the globe, with a wide variety of physical, chemical, and biological impacts. At the same time, when natural substrates are buried or armored by fine sediment, trash in the streambed may provide stable habitat for stream biota. In this talk, I'll describe two different studies on trash in streams: First, I'll share the results of a modified Before-After-Control-Impact study examining the effectiveness of municipal single-use plastic (SUP) bans at keeping trash out of streams and riparian areas. We saw no change in the amount or relative abundance of single use plastics in the stream bed over the course of our 16 month study, regardless of whether or not there was a SUP ban in place. In riparian zones, we saw decreases in the amount of trash over time, but no differences among sites with different ban statuses. In the second study, we used an in-stream experiment to assess different trash materials in terms of their ability to provide habitat for periphyton. Items with more textured surfaces supported greater biomass and GPP, while organic items like fruit skin and cardboard supported higher rates of respiration. Trash is simultaneously a subsidy and stress, depending on the characteristics of the trash and its environmental context.

Bio

Megan Fork is an Associate Professor of Biology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Her student-centered research program asks about the transport, transformation, and consequences of nutrients and contaminants in urban and suburban ecosystems. 

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Claire Welty
Director, Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education