Incluye bibliografía: páginas 323-366 e índice: páginas 367-374

List of Contributors.. Introduction.. The History of Urban Ecology-An Ecologist's Perspective.. 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.. Summary.. Section 2-Ecology in Cities: Patterns of Urban Biodiversity.. Introduction.. 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.. Summary.. Section 3-Ecology in Cities: Processes Affecting Urban Biodiversity.. Introduction.. 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 Urbanisation 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.. Summary.. Section 4-Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Social Systems in Urban Landscapes.. Introduction.. 4.1 Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services.. 4.2 Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes - A Historical Perspective.. 4.3 The Urban Landscape as a Social - Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services.. 4.4 Water Services in Urban Landscapes.. 4.5 The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning.. Summary

Section 5-Urban Design, Planning, and Management: Lessons from Ecology.. Introduction.. 5.1 Urban Ecology - the Bigger Picture.. 5.2 Urban Ecology and Human Health.. 5.3 Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City.. 5.4 Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities.. 5.5 Linking Social and Ecological Systems.. 5.6 Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets.. Summary.. Concluding Remarks: The Way Forward for Urban Ecology.. References.. Index

Urbanization is a global phenomenon that is increasingly challenging human society. It is therefore crucially important to ensure that the relentless 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. Urban Ecology brings together an international team of leading scientists to discuss our current understanding of all aspects of urban environments, from the biology of the organisms that inhabit them to 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 with social issues. The book concludes with a discussion of the applications of urban ecology 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. Inglés