Existing ecological theory applies to urban environments

Abstract

There is a prominent view within urban ecology that existing ecological theory is insufficient to understand the ecology of urban environments. However, many ecological theories, hypotheses and paradigms have been shown to apply to cities just as they do to other types of ecosystems. Here, I identify 16 ecological theories that have been applied to urban environments, with examples. I also illustrate the utility of metapopulation theory in cities with a case study on pond-breeding frogs in Melbourne, Australia.