Urban ecological systems: Scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Pickett, Steward T. A.; Cadenasso, Mary L.; Grove, J. Morgan; Boone, Christopher G.; Groffman, Peter M.; Irwin, Elena G.; Kaushal, Sujay S.; Marshall, Victoria; McGrath, Brian; Nilon, Charles H.; Pouyat, Richard V.; Szlávecz, Katalin; Troy, Austin; Warren, Paige S.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.08.022

Cited by 895 publications

(622 citation statements)

References 294 publications

(379 reference statements)

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“…Indeed, Pickett et al. (2011) defined urbanized areas as those where people live in high densities and also where infrastructures such as roads or bridges as well as buildings cover most of the surface. Urbanized areas influence climate and soil characteristics with impacts on ecosystems (Pickett et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Urbanized areas influence climate and soil characteristics with impacts on ecosystems (Pickett et al. 2011). Temperatures are generally higher in cities than in neighboring rural or natural areas, phenomenon known as “heat island effect” (Escourrou 1990; Pachauri and Reisinger 2008; Stocker et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These temperature increases are influenced by urban human population density (Gaston 2010; Pickett et al. 2011; Susca et al. 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2008; Gaston 2010; Pickett et al. 2011), although urban areas also support animal and plant species (Aronson et al. 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, humans greatly modify plant communities in parks and gardens across cities and often urban communities are dominated by non‐native plants that have lower insect populations (Pickett et al. 2011). A lower diversity of insects, amphibians, and reptiles occurs in urban compared to rural areas, and the abundance of domestic animals such as cats and dogs increases with human density (Bol'shakov et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole‐nesting birds

Vaugoyeau

Adriaensen

Artemyev

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas. In some birds, breeding success is determined by synchrony between timing of breeding and peak food abundance. Pertinently, caterpillars are an important food source for the nestlings of many bird species, and their abundance is influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and date of bud burst. Higher temperatures and advanced date of bud burst in urban areas could advance peak caterpillar abundance and thus affect breeding phenology of birds. In order to test whether laying date advance and clutch sizes decrease with the intensity of urbanization, we analyzed the timing of breeding and clutch size in relation to intensity of urbanization as a measure of human impact in 199 nest box plots across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East (i.e., the Western Palearctic) for four species of hole‐nesters: blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis), and pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Meanwhile, we estimated the intensity of urbanization as the density of buildings surrounding study plots measured on orthophotographs. For the four study species, the intensity of urbanization was not correlated with laying date. Clutch size in blue and great tits does not seem affected by the intensity of urbanization, while in collared and pied flycatchers it decreased with increasing intensity of urbanization. This is the first large‐scale study showing a species‐specific major correlation between intensity of urbanization and the ecology of breeding. The underlying mechanisms for the relationships between life history and urbanization remain to be determined. We propose that effects of food abundance or quality, temperature, noise, pollution, or disturbance by humans may on their own or in combination affect laying date and/or clutch size.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These temperature increases are influenced by urban human population density (Gaston 2010; Pickett et al. 2011; Susca et al. 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2008; Gaston 2010; Pickett et al. 2011), although urban areas also support animal and plant species (Aronson et al. 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole‐nesting birds

Vaugoyeau

Adriaensen

Artemyev

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Urbanization and the carbon cycle: Current capabilities and research outlook from the natural sciences perspective

et al. 2014

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This paper explores the urban carbon cycle from the natural sciences perspective, identifying key knowledge gaps and priority areas for future research. The combination of large, concentrated carbon fluxes and rapid change makes cities key elements of the carbon cycle and offers the potential for them to serve as "first responders" for climate action. Estimates of urban-scale carbon fluxes are significantly more uncertain than at larger spatial scales, in part because past studies have mostly avoided local/urban scales where the mix of anthropogenic and natural fluxes is complex and difficult to observationally isolate. To develop effective emission reduction policies, we need to understand emission sources and how they may be changing. Such improved quantification and understanding of underlying processes at the urban scale will not only provide policy-relevant information and improve the understanding of urban dynamics and future scenarios, but will also translate into better global-scale anthropogenic flux estimates, and advance our understanding of carbon cycle and climate feedbacks across multiple scales. Understanding the relationship between urbanization and urban carbon flows requires intellectual integration with research communities beyond the natural sciences. Cities can serve as interdisciplinary process laboratories that are sufficiently constrained in both spatial and governance scale to support truly integrated research by the natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering. A thoughtfully crafted science research agenda that is grounded in sustained, dense observations relevant to estimating urban carbon fluxes and their controlling processes and is focused on a statistically significant sample of cities will advance our understanding of the carbon cycle.

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Green Urbanism

Barton¹

2019

The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies

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Green urbanism is the term that has given rise to new ways of reconnecting urban development with nature and environmental conditions. Although there is a long history of integrating parks and other green spaces into cities, the twentieth century was marked by rapid urban growth where artificial landscapes supplanted and displaced the green and blue landscapes beneath them. This concern for the synergy of artificial and natural landscapes led to the fields of urban ecology, ecological urbanism, and urban sustainability. Together, they have defined much of the sustainable urban development agenda that was put in place at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, was cemented within the Agenda 21 program, and continues strongly today within the HabitatIII“New Urban Agenda.” However, perhaps the principal contribution of green urbanism as a concept within this wider development debate is its concern with the experience and practice of interventions at community and neighborhood scales.

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Urban ecological systems: Scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Cited by 895 publications

References 294 publications

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole‐nesting birds

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole‐nesting birds

Urbanization and the carbon cycle: Current capabilities and research outlook from the natural sciences perspective

Green Urbanism

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