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Urban environments are expanding globally as the number and proportion of humans that live in cities continue to increase. The discipline of urban ecology is also expanding as interest surges in the ecological impacts of urbanization and the diverse ways in which urban environments can affect their human and non-human residents --This book provides an accessible introduction to urban ecology, using established ecological theory to identify generalities in the complexity of urban environments. Engaging yet scholarly, it examines the biophysical processes of urbanization and how these work together to influence (a) the characteristics of urban environments in developed and developing countries, and (b) the dynamics of urban populations, communities and ecosystems. With a strong international focus, it also explores the ecology of humans in cities and discusses practical strategies for conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services in urban environments. Finally, it argues that existing ecological theory is appropriate for understanding the ecology of urban environments across all levels of organization, from individual organisms to entire ecosystems; effective science and management need not wait on a new theory of urban ecology --Designed as a text book for upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students, Ecology of Urban Environments will also be an invaluable resource for researchers and policy-makers in the urban sphere --Book Jacket. |
