Urban ecosystems
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are we more rural or urban as a population?
urban - most are interactions with the worlds in cities
are urban areas ecosystems?
yes, but flows of material and energy are often dominated by human culture, not natural processes
does air pollution from roads affect plants
ozone degrades chlorophyll A quicker than B
biodiversity in cities/urban adaptors
urban adaptors: • pigeons • squirell-naturalised • cats and dogs-domesticated • peregrine falcons now seen on skyscrapers
novel ecosystems
ecosystems consisting of species that do not share an evolutionary history
impact of artificial light
• light pollution illuminates world when it should be dark • LED white lights • can be active for 24 hours • impacts on diurnal species that are only active in the day can be active for longer • trees get confused on when leaf to fall • light as a barrier-repeal animals • interferes with detection of seasonal changes in daylength • obscures natural cues for navigation
ecosystem effects of artificial light
• lead to mismatches between species • may disrupt predator prey interactions • may alter availability of food • alter other species interactions
urban biogeochemistry
seeing a city as an ecosystem. changes throughout the day as to when there’s most pollution. water sources affected.
why are trees so important in a city ecosystem?
important for heat budget and regulating chemicals. filter for pollution.
urban heat island effect
tarmac absorbs heat green areas reduce the effect high status areas have up to 2 degrees change due to lands. runoff also increased with urbanisation.
land sharing
mixed land use, with natural components or urban ecosystem interspersed within built areas
land sparing
zoned land use, with density of built areas maximised to allow unused land to be allocated for natural ecosystems.