- Title Pages
- List of Contributors
- Introduction
- The History of Urban Ecology
- Introduction
-
Chapter 1.1 Land-Use and Surface-Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators -
Chapter 1.2 Urban Climate -
Chapter 1.3 Urban Soils—Characterization, Pollution, and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems -
Chapter 1.4 Hydrology of Urban Environments - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 2.1 Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes -
Chapter 2.2 Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes -
Chapter 2.3 Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces -
Chapter 2.4 Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation -
Chapter 2.5 Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 3.1 Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas -
Chapter 3.2 Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes -
Chapter 3.3 Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods -
Chapter 3.4 Ecology of Urban Amphibians and Reptiles: Urbanophiles, Urbanophobes, and the Urbanoblivious -
Chapter 3.5 Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 4.1 Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services -
Chapter 4.2 Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes—A Historical Perspective -
Chapter 4.3 The Urban Landscape as a Social-Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services -
Chapter 4.4 Water Services in Urban Landscapes -
Chapter 4.5 The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 5.1 Urban Ecology—The Bigger Picture -
Chapter 5.2 Urban Ecology and Human Health -
Chapter 5.3 Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City -
Chapter 5.4 Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities -
Chapter 5.5 Linking Social and Ecological Systems -
Chapter 5.6 Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets - Summary
- Concluding Remarks: The Way Forward for Urban Ecology
- References
- Index
Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods
Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods
- Chapter:
- (p.159) Chapter 3.3 Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods
- Source:
- Urban Ecology
- Author(s):
Johan Kotze
Stephen Venn
Jari Niemelä
John Spence
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Urbanisation impacts arthropod communities negatively but also creates opportunities for some species. Given their vital role in ecosystem function, arthropods are important components of urban landscapes, particularly in providing ecosystem services, including human well-being. The cityscape consists of a collection of habitat patches, ranging from fragmented natural habitats to characteristically urban habitats, such as parks, ruderal habitats, domestic gardens, roadside greens, and built surfaces, all of which have their own arthropod communities. Edge effects, patch size, and habitat quality interact with arthropod life history and morphological traits to structure arthropod communities in these island habitats. Research on the responses of arthropod communities along urban–rural gradients shows a general trend of a loss of specialist and poorly dispersive species at the urban end of the gradient. This chapter recommends moving beyond such pattern-driven research, with a new focus on quantifying the concepts of disturbance and urbanisation to unravel the processes that generate species responses to urbanisation. Despite negative effects of urban development, these environments also select for life history, morphological and physiological changes, and ultimately for genetic differentiation in arthropod populations. However, there is still much to be learnt about how urbanisation structures the population genetics of arthropod populations. The task of conserving urban arthropod biodiversity is challenging, not least because many adults do not like bugs. However, through education and conservation projects in urban areas, such fears can be alleviated. Collaboration among landscape architects, urban ecologists, and entomologists can help to meet biodiversity objectives in urban areas and this will have ecological and social benefits.
Keywords: urbanisation, arthropods, edge effects, urban–rural gradients, urban habitats, genetic differentiation, conservation, human well-being
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- Title Pages
- List of Contributors
- Introduction
- The History of Urban Ecology
- Introduction
-
Chapter 1.1 Land-Use and Surface-Cover as Urban Ecological Indicators -
Chapter 1.2 Urban Climate -
Chapter 1.3 Urban Soils—Characterization, Pollution, and Relevance in Urban Ecosystems -
Chapter 1.4 Hydrology of Urban Environments - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 2.1 Plant Communities of Urban Wetlands: Patterns and Controlling Processes -
Chapter 2.2 Potemkin Gardens: Biodiversity in Small Designed Landscapes -
Chapter 2.3 Vegetation of Urban Hard Surfaces -
Chapter 2.4 Composition and Diversity of Urban Vegetation -
Chapter 2.5 Anthropogenic Ecosystems: The Influence of People on Urban Wildlife Populations - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 3.1 Coupled Relationships between Humans and other Organisms in Urban Areas -
Chapter 3.2 Urban Flora and Vegetation: Patterns and Processes -
Chapter 3.3 Effects of Urbanization on the Ecology and Evolution of Arthropods -
Chapter 3.4 Ecology of Urban Amphibians and Reptiles: Urbanophiles, Urbanophobes, and the Urbanoblivious -
Chapter 3.5 Biodiversity and Community Composition in Urban Ecosystems: Coupled Human, Spatial, and Metacommunity Processes - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 4.1 Global Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services -
Chapter 4.2 Social-Ecological Transformations in Urban Landscapes—A Historical Perspective -
Chapter 4.3 The Urban Landscape as a Social-Ecological System for Governance of Ecosystem Services -
Chapter 4.4 Water Services in Urban Landscapes -
Chapter 4.5 The Role of Ecosystem Services in Contemporary Urban Planning - Summary
- Introduction
-
Chapter 5.1 Urban Ecology—The Bigger Picture -
Chapter 5.2 Urban Ecology and Human Health -
Chapter 5.3 Multifunctional Green Infrastructure Planning to Promote Ecological Services in the City -
Chapter 5.4 Building for Biodiversity: Accommodating People and Wildlife in Cities -
Chapter 5.5 Linking Social and Ecological Systems -
Chapter 5.6 Building Urban Biodiversity through Financial Incentives, Regulation, and Targets - Summary
- Concluding Remarks: The Way Forward for Urban Ecology
- References
- Index
