Understanding the urban ecosystem : interactions between plants, animals, and people
Cities are the pinnacle of human change to the environment, creating unique types of ecosystems which present many challenges to local organisms: habitat fragmentation, introduced species, and various pollutants. Being crucibles of anthropogenic effects, urban ecosystems offer opportunities to understand how humans impact nature. Moreover, since a majority of the world’s population resides in citiCities are the pinnacle of human change to the environment, creating unique types of ecosystems which present many challenges to local organisms: habitat fragmentation, introduced species, and various pollutants. Being crucibles of anthropogenic effects, urban ecosystems offer opportunities to understand how humans impact nature. Moreover, since a majority of the world’s population resides in citi
