Journal of Ecology and Conservation

Urban Ecology

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Urban ecology examines the relationships between living things and their urban environments, with an emphasis on how cities might be planned and managed to accommodate biodiversity and ecosystem services. As cities grow, they have the potential to fragment habitats and enhance pollution, but they also present opportunities for green space and wildlife corridors. Urban ecology encourages sustainable urban design, incorporating natural features such as parks, rivers, and green roofs into cities to build healthier, more resilient places for people and wildlife.

Since many of the methods used in urban ecology are similar to those in ecology, it is a subdivision of ecology. Although ecological research methods have been developed for millennia, many of the methods used to investigate urban ecology are relatively new. Chemical and biochemical methods, temperature monitoring, heat mapping, remote sensing, and long-term ecological research sites are some of the methods used to investigate urban ecology.

Chemical and biochemical techniques

Pollutant concentrations and their impacts can be assessed by chemical methods. As with pH testing, tests can be as easy as dipping a commercial test strip; however, more difficult tests, like analyzing the temporal and spatial variation of heavy metal contamination from industrial runoff, are also possible. Mercury was collected from the livers of birds from several North Sea areas in that specific investigation.

Temperature data and heat mapping

Numerous types of research can make use of temperature data. The capacity to link temperature with other variables that might be influencing or occurring in the environment is a crucial component of temperature data.

Remote sensing

The process of gathering data from far-off places via satellite imaging, radar, and aerial photography is known as remote sensing. Remote sensing is employed in urban ecology to gather information on vegetation, light, weather patterns, and terrain. By detecting the photosynthetic wavelengths of light emitted, remote sensing can be used to determine an area's productivity in urban ecology.

LTERs and long-term data sets

Government-funded research facilities that have gathered trustworthy long-term data over a considerable amount of time in order to detect long-term ecological or climatic trends are known as long-term ecological research (LTER) sites. Long-term spatial and temporal data, including average temperature, precipitation, and other ecological phenomena, are available from these sites. For urban ecologists, gathering enormous volumes of data over extended periods of time is the primary goal of LTERs.

Urban effects on the environment

Urbanization is a prime illustration of how humans impact the environment and are the driving force behind urban ecology. Environmental, social, and economic factors all play a role in urbanization. Air pollution, ecosystems, land use, biogeochemical cycles, water pollution, solid waste management, and climate are the six main facets. Migration into cities and the swift environmental consequences that followed—increased carbon emissions, energy use, and a damaged ecology—were the main causes of urbanization.

Urban effects on climate

It has been discovered that several factors, including pollution and changed geochemical cycles, cause urban environments and surrounding areas to display distinct local temperatures, precipitation, and other characteristic activity.  Urban heat islands, the oasis effect, greenhouse gasses, and acid rain are a few instances of how cities affect the climate.