Urban ecology: patterns, processes, and applications

This book deals with urbanisation which is a global phenomenon that is increasingly challenging human society and ecosystems. It is therefore crucially important to ensure that the expansion of cities and towns proceeds sustainably. Urban ecology, the interdisciplinary study of ecological patterns and processes in towns and cities, is a rapidly developing field that can provide a scientific basis for the informed decision-making and planning needed to create both viable and sustainable cities. This book discusses our current understanding of all aspects of urban environments, from the physical characteristics of cities to the ecology of the organisms that inhabit them and the diversity of ecosystem services and human social issues encountered within urban landscapes. The book is divided into five sections with the first describing the physical urban environment. Subsequent sections examine ecological patterns and processes within the urban setting, followed by the integration of ecology and biodiversity with social issues. The book concludes with a discussion of the applications of urban ecology and ecosystem services provided by urban biodiversity to land-use planning. The emphasis throughout is on what we actually know (as well as what we should know) about the complexities of social-ecological systems in urban areas, in order to develop urban ecology as a rigorous scientific discipline.

The History of Urban Ecology -- Section 1. Ecology in cities: Man-made physical conditions -- 1.1 Land-Use and Surface-Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators -- 1.2 Urban Climate -- 1.3 Urban Soils--Characterization, Pollution, and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems -- 1.4 Hydrology of Urban Environments -- Section 2. Ecology in cities: Patterns of urban biodiversity -- 2.1 Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes -- 2.2 Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes -- 2.3 Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces -- 2.4 Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation -- 2.5 Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations -- Section 3. Ecology in cities: Process affecting urban biodiversity -- 3.1 Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas -- 3.2 Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes -- 3.3 Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods -- 3.4 Ecology of Urban Amphibians and Reptiles: Urbanophiles, Urbanophobes, and the Urbanoblivious -- 3.5 Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes -- Sectio…