Ecology of cities and towns : a comparative approach / edited by Mark J. McDonnell, Amy K. Hahs, Jürgen H. Breuste.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Scope of the book and need for developing a comparative approach to the ecological study of cities and towns / Mark J. McDonnell, Jürgen H. Breuste and Amy K. Hahs -- part I. Opportunities and challenges of conducting comparative studies. Comparative urban ecology: challenges and possibilities / Jari Niemela, D. Johan Kotze and Vesa Yli-Pelkonen ; Frameworks for urban ecosystem studies: gradients, patch dynamics and the human ecosystem in the New York metropolitan area and Baltimore, USA / Steward T.A. Pickett [and others] ; Comparative effects of urbanisation in marine and terrestrial habitats / M.G. Chapman and A.J. Underwood ; Comparative ecology of cities and towns: past, present and future / Mark J. McDonnell and Amy K. Hahs ; Comparative urban ecological research in developing countries / Sarel Cilliers, Henk Bouwman and Ernst Drewes ; Using models to compare the ecology of cities / Michael McCarthy.

Part II. Ecological studies of cities and towns. Responses of faunal assemblages to urbanisation: global research paradigms and an avian case study / Carla P. Catterall ; Effect of urban structures on diversity of marine species / M.G. Chapman [and others] ; Comparative studies of terrestrial vertebrates in urban areas / Charles Nilon ; The ecology of roads in urban and urbanising landscapes / Rodney van der Ree ; Spatial pattern and process in urban animal communities / Yosihiro Natuhara and Hiroshi Hashimoto ; Invertebrate biodiversity in urban landscapes: assessing remnant habitat and its restoration / Dieter F. Hochuli, Fiona J. Christie and Boris Lomov ; Arthropods in urban ecosystems: community patterns as functions of anthropogenic land use / Nancy E. McIntyre and Jessamy J. Rango ; Light pollution and the impact of artificial night lighting on insects / Gerhard Eisenbeis and Andreas Hänel.

A comparison of vegetation cover in Beijing and Shanghai: a remote sensing approach / Jun Yang and Zhou Jinxing ; Vegetation composition and structure of forest patches along urban-rural gradients / Wayne C. Zipperer and Glenn R. Guntenspergen ; Environmental, social and spatial determinants of urban arboreal character in Auckland, New Zealand / Colin D. Meurk [and others] ; Carbon and nitrogen cycling in soils of remnant forests along urban-rural gradients: case studies in the New York metropolitan area and Louisville, Kentucky / Margaret M. Carreiro [and others] ; Investigative approaches to urban biogeochemical cycles: New York metropolitan area and Baltimore as case studies / Richard V. Pouyat [and others].

Part III. Integrating science with management and planning ; Structural analysis of urban landscapes for landscape management in German cities / Jürgen H. Breuste ; Preservation of original natural vegetation in urban areas: an overview / Clas Florgård ; Homogeneity of urban biotopes and similarity of landscape design language in former colonial cities / Maria E. Ignatieva and Glenn H. Stewart ; Tools to assess human impact on biotope resilience and biodiversity in urban planning: examples from Stockholm, Sweden / Katarina Lofvenhaft ; Landscape ecological analysis and assessment in an urbanising environment / Ulla Mörtberg ; Applying landscape ecological principles to a fascinating landscape: the city / Robbert Snep, Wim Timmermans and Robert Kwak ; A trans-disciplinary research approach providing a platform for improved urban design, quality of life and biodiverse urban ecosystems / Charles T. Eason, Jennifer E. Dixon and Marjorie R. van Roon ; Pattern: process metaphors for metropolitan landscapes / Laura R. Musacchio ; Valuing urban wetlands: modification, preservation and restoration / Glenn R. Guntenspergen [and others].

Part IV. Comments and synthesis. What is the main object of urban ecology? Determining demarcation using the example of research into urban flora / Rudiger Wittig ; How to conduct comparative urban ecological research / Susanna Lehvävirta and Johan Kotze ; Ecological scientific knowledge in urban and land-use planning / Kristina L. Nilsson and Clas Florgård ; Envisioning further steps in comparative urban ecology / Orie Loucks ; Towards a comparative ecology of cities and towns / Kirsten Parris ; A comparative ecology of cities and towns: synthesis of opportunities and limitations / Amy K. Hahs, Mark J. McDonnell and Jürgen H. Breuste.