Urban biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Abstract

The urbanisation process, which consists of the transformation of semi-natural and natural habitats to heavily modified habitats dominated by buildings and infrastructure such as roads, continues in response to an increasing human population and an increasing proportion of people inhabiting urban areas. The urbanisation process generally has negative impacts upon biodiversity, and as urban areas are expected to expand in the future, we need to acquire a better understanding of the ecological effects of urbanisation. In this Collection focusing on urban biodiversity, articles improve our understanding of the distribution of biodiversity between and within urban areas, whilst also seeking to understand the consequences of urbanisation for trophic cascades and genetic divergence. Other articles advance our understanding of the impacts of stressors in the form of noise and light pollution, whilst also examining how best to conserve urban biodiversity via features such as green roofs. The articles in this Collection therefore advance our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on biodiversity, yet also highlight those avenues that warrant further attention in terms of using sophisticated technological approaches to examine the most pressing topical issues in biodiversity conservation in urban areas globally.