Incluye bibliografía e índice: páginas 309-318

List of contributors.. Preface.. 1. Urban ecology Kevin.. 2. Urbanisation.. 3. Urban environments and ecosystem functions.. 4. Individual species and urbanisation.. 5. Species diversity and urbanisation: patterns, drivers and implications.. 6. Urbanisation and alien invasion.. 7. Interactions between people and nature in urban environments.. 8. Urban ecology and human social organisation.. 9. Urban ecology and human health and wellbeing.. 10. Bringing cities alive: the importance of urban greenspaces for people and biodiversity.. 11. Integrating nature values in urban planning and design.. 12. Urban futures.. Index

This is the urban century in which, for the first time, the majority of people live in towns and cities. Understanding how people influence, and are influenced by, the 'green' component of these environments is therefore of enormous significance. Providing an overview of the essentials of urban ecology, the book begins by covering the vital background concepts of the urbanisation process and the effect that it can have on ecosystem functions and services. Later sections are devoted to examining how species respond to urbanisation, the many facets of human-ecology interactions, and the issues surrounding urban planning and the provision of urban green spaces. Drawing on examples from urban settlements around the world, it highlights the progress to date in this burgeoning field, as well as the challenges that lie ahead. Inglés