Predation risk and decision-making of grey squirrels in urban and rural forested parks - Mark Givelas; Adam R. Martin; Rudy Boonstra (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Standing vegetation and seed bank patterns paint a bleak picture for urban grassland restoration - Misha Malherbe; Peter C. le Roux; Natalie S. Haussmann (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanisation and urban sprawl are major drivers of global habitat transformation and biodiversity loss. Natural vegetation in urban areas is confined to remnant patches and, as a result, the conservation of these patches of vegetation is becoming increasingly important for biodiversity conservation. Globally grasslands experience high rates of transformation and are threatened by expanding urban areas, causing fragmentation, and facilitating the spread of invasive species. This study explores how above- and belowground vegetation communities within remnant grassland patches vary as a function of patch connectivity and patch size in the City of Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa. We sampled twelve sites from eleven nature reserves within Tshwane to investigate the relationships between urbanisation and vegetation characteristics. Tshwane’s grassland patches have high levels of invasion, with alien species making up a considerable portion of both standing (13% richness and a third of cover) and seed bank vegetation (31% richness and 26% abundance). Furthermore, we found low similarity between standing vegetation and the seed bank (mean ± SD = 0.25 ± 0.06). Neither road density nor reserve size were related to the total cover or richness of vascular plants, nor the cover or richness of alien species. Similarly, neither variable predicted above-belowground similarity. This suggests that the connectivity of remnant grassland patches does not have any significant effect on vegetation characteristics in this disturbed urban environment. Our results indicate that restoration relying only on natural revegetation from the seed bank is unlikely to be effective and we suggest that active restoration interventions, such as reseeding and invasive species control, may be needed to restore these grasslands and improve their long-term conservation value.

Urbanization shifts stress-response traits in an alien herb across five tropical cities - Lorena Flores-Reyes; José Ramos-Zapata; Pamela Medina-van Berkum; Rogelio O. Corona-Núñez; Héctor Estrada-Medina; Mariana Chávez-Pesqueira; Diego Carmona (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

A macroscopic synthesis and future directions on the study of ecological interaction networks in urban areas - Issaac Azrrael Teodosio Faustino; Fernando González-García; Michelle Ramos-Robles; Wesley Dáttilo (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Exploring perceptions of marine and terrestrial bird species and the satisfaction of their presence in coastal urban environments - Giorgia Graells; Derek Corcoran; Francisca Cuevas; Stefan Gelcich (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Effect of physiological traits and soil properties on carbon sequestration capacity of roadside vegetation along motorways - Hongcheng Bai; Xiaoqian Zhang (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The legacy of neighborhood age: how the past shapes the current diversity, composition, and cover of urban trees - Sergio Javier Ceballos; Alejandro Nicolas Saravia; Javier Foguet; Yohana Jimenez; M. Virginia González; Guadalupe Coria; Santiago Gibilisco; Pablo Quiroga; Ezequiel Aráoz (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Vegetation regulations and upkeeping influence avifauna diversity within residential developments of Mexico City - Lorna Hernandez-Santin; O. EricRamirez-Bravo; Cristina Hernandez-Santin (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Biodiversity inclusive design is an emerging branch offering built-environment professionals the opportunity to support species conservation within urban landscapes through the design process and upkeep of those areas. Considering its recent emergence coupled with vegetation development time frames (i.e. life cycles), the evidence of how biodiversity inclusive design supports species composition is still lacking. Thus, past cases that inadvertently used biodiversity offer an opportunity to inform the potential trajectories of these frameworks and to identify the array of biodiversity enhancement actions available to designers looking to support species persistence within urban areas. Here, we assessed the avian community and vegetation characteristics of two housing developments within Zona Esmeralda. We discussed the ecological context to then understand the role of biodiversity inclusive practices as drivers of avifauna diversity. The ecological context was addressed by comparing our study with others that also addressed avifauna in urban areas within central Mexico. We found that Zona Esmeralda presented higher ecological value than what is traditionally expected from residential areas, which was attributed to habitat characteristics within our study, where greater vegetation complexity and availability were associated with higher bird diversity. Our study showed that vegetation upkeep (i.e. management/maintenance during construction and maintenance phases) was the strongest contributor to vegetation assemblages and therefore enhanced bird diversity. Our study highlights that even the partial use of biodiversity inclusive design principles (particularly relating to vegetation upkeep) can support biodiversity and boost the ecological value of such areas, when compared to areas that do not apply these principles.

Environmental factors influencing ground-nesting bee communities in an urban landscape: implications for conservation - Indré Cepukaitè; Anders Björkén; Lina Ahlbäck Widenfalk; Mats Jonsell; Barbara Locke (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Habitat loss and degradation of nesting habitats due to agricultural and urban development is considered one of the key factors causing pollinator decline worldwide. Nesting habitat requirements and availability is a strong determinant to which wild bee species are prevailing in urban spaces and knowledge of habitat requirements is therefore fundamental for successful conservation management. Although urban environments can host relatively diverse wild bee communities, ground-nesting bees and associated cleptoparasitic bees are disadvantaged, primarily due to a scarcity of suitable nesting resources. Further, conservation efforts for wild bee habitat (re)creation are largely focused on aerial nesters, despite the proportionally greater diversity and higher vulnerability of ground-nesting bees. The aim of this study was to investigate how environmental factors, including the age and size of sand patches, sand grain size, soil temperature, and the proportion of ground litter-cover vs. bare ground, have shaped ground-nesting bee community structure in an urban landscape. This was done by evaluating wild bee diversity and abundance across various sites with a range of qualities in Uppsala, Sweden. This study revealed a drastic 85% loss of suitable sandy habitat over a 75-year period due to urbanization. Based on the results of this study, we recommend a conservation approach for urban developers to lessen the negative impacts of urbanization on wild bee diversity and abundance. This includes the establishment of numerous bare ground sandy sites with medium size sand grain, and periodical management of vegetation to sustain bare sandy soil patches.

Emotional landscape analysis of cultural ecosystem services in heritage parks: a deep learning approach using social media data - Siyi Ren; Xiaolong Chen; Hongfeng Zhang (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Changes in urban landcover picks winners and losers in the non-invasive bird community - Ryan J. Fisher (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

An interdisciplinary, co-teaching approach to a course in urban social-ecological systems - Vikki L. Rodgers; Stephen Deets; Sarah Foster; Paul Schmitz; Megan Way (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Crypsis in a polymorphic mammal along an urbanization gradient - Jessica Proctor; Alessandra Bryan; Bradley J. Cosentino; James P. Gibbs (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Macrophyte life forms shape macroinvertebrate composition more than richness: implications for urban stream wetland conservation - Tong Wang; Heyun Wang; Xue Yang; Jinming Yang; Yajing He; Zhigang Wu; Zhenghao Fan; Zhen Sun; Xiaolong Chi; Haifang Li (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Inspiring citizens and municipalities to initiate pollinator conservation: the urban pollinator matrix modeling tool - Dean E. Pearson; Alli L.W. DePuy; Marirose P. Kuhlman (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Anthropogenic impacts like climate change, pollution, and habitat loss represent ominous environmental threats that can seem insurmountable to concerned citizens. Habitat loss through urbanization presents a particularly acute threat to insect pollinators, which are essential to human agricultural systems and human well-being. Herein, we introduce a user-friendly online modeling tool, The Urban Pollinator Matrix, that predicts how actions initiated by citizens and municipalities can benefit pollinators in backyards and across local communities. The Urban Pollinator Matrix applies a fuzzy interaction web approach to qualitatively model how backyard and community-scale actions can increase pollinator populations. We demonstrate an application of this tool by contrasting how cultivating native flowering plants vs. discontinuing traditional lawn care (i.e., lawn mowing and broadleaf herbicide use) in Missoula, MT, USA, might affect urban pollinators. Our model predicts that reducing traditional lawn care by 50% would increase pollinators modestly, with generalists like honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) benefiting most. In contrast, increasing native landscaping to levels comparable with ornamental landscaping (60% of the community), with no constraints on lawn care, was predicted to generate substantial increases in pollinator abundance, particularly for sensitive groups like bumblebees ( Bombus spp.) and other native bees. These predictions suggest that cultivating native plants can achieve far greater benefits for important pollinator groups than less socially acceptable actions like discontinuation of traditional lawn care. The Urban Pollinator Matrix provides a modeling template for citizens and municipalities around the globe to incorporate pollinator conservation into urban planning for the betterment of the planet.

A connectivity analysis to find areas for habitat restoration of the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) in its natural habitat - Tania Fernández; Enrique Martínez-Meyer; Luis Zambrano (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
The axolotl population ( Ambystoma mexicanum ) in its protected wetland in Xochimilco, Mexico City, has declined recently, mainly due to changes in land use. This study evaluates the land use changes in the axolotl habitat in 2002, 2012, and 2021 to understand the landscape fragmentation of the amphibians and to choose the best areas for a restoration program. After categorizing the suitability for restoration of axolotl´s habitat (canals) based on width and neighboring features, we found that only 114 km of a total of 228 km of canals are suitable for restoration. The area suitable for axolotl habitat restoration is reduced to less than 40 km when incorporating land use changes such as urban expansion (87 ha) and greenhouse development (76 ha), along with the decline of crop areas (62 ha) and grassland areas (67 ha). These findings underscore the need for more efficient efforts to restore axolotls' natural habitat, preventing extinction in the wild. It is important to preserve the original habitat of the axolotl since it is one of the few green areas in Mexico City, a supplier of numerous ecosystem services.

Taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional β-diversity along an urbanization gradient in Taipei metropolitan area - Shu-Wei Fu; Jerome Chie-Jen Ko; Tzung-Su Ding (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

A tale of two worlds: spatial arrangement of avian communities in a Neotropical city - Miguel A. Gómez-Martínez; Michelle García-Arroyo; Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza; Angelina Ruiz-Sánchez; Ian MacGregor-Fors (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanization is considered one of the most critical processes related to biodiversity loss worldwide. Birds are one of the most commonly studied groups in urban ecosystems due to their quick response to environmental changes. Despite the current knowledge related to urban bird communities, information associated with the specific factors shaping avian communities in cities is still scarce, especially in the Neotropics. In this study, we performed a citywide survey for birds in the city of Xalapa (Mexico), to compare the species composition of urban communities with those of two reference sites adjacent to the urban area. We hypothesized that the compositional similarity would either be defined by their spatial proximity to their respective reference site or that it would be shaped by resources intrinsic to the city. Considering the nature of our data, we performed a subgroup analysis using randomly selected groups for the urban and reference sites to compare similar samples. We used Sørensen (incidence-based) and Bray-Curtis (abundance-based) cluster analyses and found that the urban bird community composition is better explained by the vegetation cover than by the proximity to the reference sites. We confirmed this association with the results of the GLM, showing a statistically significant association with the vegetation cover. Our results are relevant in terms of urban design, considering that promoting the improvement of vegetation in cities could potentially help avian communities in these changing environments.

Do human-induced habitat changes impact the morphology of a common amphibian, Bufo bufo? - Soline Bettencourt-Amarante; Raphaëlle Abensur; Robin Furet; Clara Ragon; Anthony Herrel (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Human activities induce habitat modifications and the intensification of land use including urbanisation and agriculture. Human-modified habitats are often fragmented, generating patches separated by dispersal barriers. In order to cross landscape obstacles, animals need to adapt or show plastic responses allowing effective dispersal and the pursuit of fitness-relevant activities. Due to their limited dispersal capacity and the need for terrestrial and aquatic habitats to complete their biphasic life cycle, amphibians can be expected to be particularly vulnerable to changes in the landscape. Yet data to test these ideas remain relatively scarce. To test whether human-induced habitat modifications impact the morphology of animals with low dispersal ability we measure 15 morphological traits on 137 common toads ( Bufo bufo ) across four habitat types represented by two or three independent sites across the Ile de France region. The results shown morphological differences among habitat types and sexes. Animals show habitat specific morphologies that may allow them to survive in human-modified habitats. Moreover, females have larger heads possibly to avoid trophic resource competition with males. Males, on the other hand show longer limbs possibly related to their greater movements when finding females during the reproductive season. Overall, our results that animals living in different habitat types are morphologically different with differences between natural and urban habitat being the greatest. Whether these differences are due to local adaptation or plastic responses remains to be investigated.

Influence of habitat structures on fish abundances and diversity: comparing mainstream and tributary communities in the urban uMsunduze Catchment, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - Nolwazi B. Ngcobo; Matthew J. Burnett; Colleen T. Downs (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Various factors drive the decline of freshwater vertebrate biodiversity. These include changing landscape and urbanisation, introduced invasive species, altered habitat, water quality deterioration, instream barriers, and climate change. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of different habitat features on the fish assemblages in an urban river using catch per unit effort (CPUE) as a proxy for fish assemblage per site and season. We sampled 17 main sites and 21 ad-hoc sites in the uMsunduze Catchment in Pietermaritzburg, uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during 2022–2023. We collected data using an electro-shocker, fyke nets, and gill nets, and we also recorded and calculated habitat features such as substrate types, hydraulic biotopes, in-situ water quality, ecohydraulics, average depth, and velocity. We used Generalised Linear Models to determine the habitat features driving fish communities. We calculated the Shannon-Weiner and Pielou diversity indices to compare between rivers. We used the Fish Response Assessment Index (FRAI) tool to understand each site’s ecological integrity per season. Our results indicated that various features, including substrate (mud, sand, gravel), fast intermediate and fast deep ecohydraulics, electrical conductivity, habitat (glide, pool), and average velocity significantly impacted the CPUE of fish. There was no variation in diversity indices between tributaries, but there was a significant difference in fish diversity between the uMsunduze mainstream and its tributaries. The FRAI scores showed great deterioration in the system’s ecological health, and most sites, especially the mainstream sites, were critically or extremely modified. We suggest that the relevant authorities take action to mitigate the pressures compromising the uMsunduze Catchment’s ecological integrity. There is an urgent need for conservation measures for the two “near threatened” species, Enteromius gurneyi and Amphilius natalensis , the former now extirpated as per our study.

Editorial for special issue “Integrating Biodiversity in the Urban Planning and Design Processes” - Diana Dushkova; Maria Ignatieva; Norbert Müller; Charles Nilon (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The value of social media wildlife sightings for elusive species monitoring: a population assessment of servals in a South African urban nature reserve - Kyle Smith; Michael J. Somers (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Data sourced from social media platforms is an underutilised resource for wildlife research, especially in studying enigmatic species. This study evaluates the potential of such data to provide population and behavioural insights into an elusive species, the serval ( Leptailurus serval ), from Rietvlei Nature Reserve, an urban protected area in South Africa. We collected 153 visitor sightings of servals within the reserve from different online platforms spanning from June 2011 to August 2024, from which we identified 30 different individual servals, including three long-term residents. Analysis of these sightings revealed a stable serval population with evidence of reproduction within the reserve and migration through a permeable border fence. Behavioural information from the sightings, such as prey captured and habitat use, align with existing knowledge of serval ecology. Even though data sourced from passive contributions by the public generally falls short in terms of data quality and detail, this study demonstrates that a well-supported social media community can be a valuable source of behavioural and basic population data of elusive species in a specific protected area. This approach allows for cost-effective wildlife research that is beneficial to both wildlife management and the formulation of conservation strategies.

A systematic literature review of citizen science in urban studies and regional urban planning: policy, practical, and research implications - Donizete Beck; Juliana Mitkiewicz (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Comparing approaches to quantify urbanization on a multicontinental scale - David Murray-Stoker; James S. Santangelo; Marta Szulkin; Marc T. J. Johnson (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Belowground sensors capture spatiotemporal variation in urban heat island effect - Nina S. Fogel; Rachel M. Penczykowski (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Designing biodiverse urban gardens: ecological planning through computational techniques for pollinator promotion - Sofía Graffigna; Joana P. Haedo; Agustina Gutiérrez; Pablo A. Marinangeli; Juan P. Torretta; Hugo J. Marrero (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Influence of urban land cover and habitat quality on wild bees - Muzafar Hussain Sirohi; Janet Jackson; Jeff Ollerton (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Brewing sustainability: unveiling the potential of coffee ground as green roof media - Emrah Yalçınalp; Özgür Demirci; Alperen Meral (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
The rapid depletion of the world’s natural resources and the growing concerns about sustainability underscore the importance of environmentally friendly solutions more than ever. One such solution is green roofs, which offer numerous ecological benefits, particularly in urban areas, such as creating natural habitats, enhancing energy efficiency, and improving air quality. Recently, as access to safe food has become more challenging and economic conditions have not been that stable all over the world, the importance of green roofs has been increasing in urban areas where it is difficult to create green surfaces for many reasons, especially profit. In this context, using coffee grounds as a green roof plant growth medium and a waste product holds significant potential for waste management and sustainable agriculture. With the influence of previous researches, coffee grounds are supposed to support plant growth due to their high organic matter content and nutrient values. This study aims to support the environmental benefits and the contribution of this approach to sustainable urbanization by examining the effects of using coffee grounds on green roofs on plant development. This study assessed the growth of Fragaria ananasa and Sedum spurium in growing media comprising 20% and 50% coffee ground. In F. ananassa a reduction of 9.25–13.58% in plant height, 18.71–23.93% in the number of stolons, 1.36–40.34% in chlorophyll content, and 10.49–13.78% in plant diameter was noted in the medium containing 20% coffee ground, while an increase of 39.20-45.81% in the fruit count and 4.79–9.42% in root collar diameter was recorded in the medium devoid of coffee ground. In S. spurium , a 22.76% reduction in plant height, a 13.11% decline in chlorophyll content, a 25.26% decrease in plant diameter, and a 4.40% increase in root collar diameter were recorded in the medium containing 20% coffee ground. A medium including 50% coffee ground resulted in a 42.36% reduction in plant height, a 12.44% reduction in chlorophyll content, a 46.13% reduction in plant diameter, and a 19.10% reduction in root collar diameter. The results indicate that the impact of coffee ground on plant growth varies based on the ratio, necessitating the establishment of suitable application ratios.

Habitat surrogates for plant richness as a tool for rapid biodiversity assessment in urban areas - Richard Hrivnák; Ivana Svitková; Michal Slezák; Jana Májeková; Pavol Eliáš; Katarína Hegedüšová Vantarová; Matej Dudáš; Tomáš Čejka; Marek Čiliak (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urban ecosystems represent heterogeneous environments with mosaics of natural, semi-natural and man-made habitats, with plenty of vascular plants including native and alien species. In-depth biodiversity research in urban areas might be time- and personnel-consuming. Therefore, we selected six habitat types within 30 towns in Slovakia (Central Europe) to determine whether any urban habitats could serve as a ‘surrogate habitat’ for the total, alien and Red List vascular plant richness of the towns. We found 1054 vascular plant taxa overall; alien and Red List plants comprised 33.9% and 7.3% of all taxa, respectively. The most species-rich habitat was the cemetery (mean number of taxa = 121), while the town centre hosted the lowest mean number of plant taxa (87). The habitat type that best predicted total species richness in the study towns was the floodplain (RMSE ≈ 20 species, RRMSE = 8.5%). In the case of aliens, the number of species in railways and town centres could be used for the rapid estimation of total alien richness in towns (RMSE ≈ 8 species, RRMSE = 10.8%). For Red List species, none of the habitats (including combinations of two habitats) could be recommended for a rapid estimation, as their prediction errors were exceptionally high (RRMSE = 45–62%).

Quantifying the potential of façade climbing plants in reducing air pollution: a novel investigation into the absorption capabilities of three climbers for CO2, NO2, and O3 in urban environments - Minka Aduse-Poku; Hans G. Edelmann (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Air pollution and climate change will require the advancement of suitable green technologies and mitigation measures in the future, especially in cities. However, the possibilities for this are limited, partly due to the heavily built-up and thus restricted urban open space and sealed surfaces. Incorporating vertical surfaces, abundant in cities, as a valuable space for climbing plants is an ideal opportunity and means of improving air quality. Unfortunately, there are hardly any reliable quantitative facts on the improvement of air quality brought about by these climbing plants. In this study, we analysed and compared typical climbing plants with regard to their absorption potential of gaseous air pollutants. This revealed pronounced differences between Hedera helix , (ivy) Lonicera henryi (honeysuckle) and Clematis montana (anemone clematis) regarding their absorption/filtering capacity of CO 2 , NO 2 and O 3 , the last two of which are hazardous to health.

The birds of the archaeological sites of the Acropolis area (Athens, Greece) - Lambros Tsounis; Gregory Tsounis (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Lessons learned through participatory bird-window collision research on a university campus - Hannah C. Partridge; Rebekah Netzley; Alex Wright; Joseph Amodeo; Sophie Barnett; Ron Baron; Braden French; Dakota Arneson; Sara A. Gagné (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Bird populations face many threats worldwide, including collisions with anthropogenic structures such as buildings’ windows. Bird-window collisions are gaining attention, but research and mitigation often face barriers including collision surveying guidelines, funding availability, and retrofitting costs and approvals. Beginning in 2022, we conducted research about bird-window collisions on an urban university campus to engage students in research and inform the implementation of mitigation at the site(s) with the most collisions. To achieve these goals, we worked with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, administrators, and media personnel to monitor bird-window collisions, spread the word throughout the community, and advocate for retrofitting buildings. Research was incorporated into a course-based undergraduate research experience, several undergraduate directed studies, paid undergraduate research positions, and volunteer opportunities. By the end of 2024, bird-friendly window markers were installed on two buildings on campus. In this article, we present the collective reflections and lessons learned from university stakeholders involved in the project. We recommend that similar conservation projects on university campuses (1) maximize project flexibility and consider how to best support stakeholders; (2) build impact and momentum over time by engaging stakeholders in unique ways; and (3) leverage participants’ previous experiences and use a solution-focused approach to ensure that participation is motivating and rewarding. With our lessons learned, similar projects on other university campuses may be able to attain more success in student engagement, project outcomes, and ultimately, the implementation of bird-friendly practices.

Identifying urban hotspots of potential bird and pedestrian encounters through corridor overlap - Emma E. Verweij; João Carlos Pena; Julia C. Assis (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
One way people living in urban areas interact with wildlife is through encounters with birds. Research shows that visual and acoustic interactions with birds enhance the quality of life for city residents. However, global habitat loss and fragmentation have led to declines in most urban bird populations. As urbanization accelerates worldwide, it is essential to find ways for bird populations to thrive in cities while meeting citizens’ cultural ecosystem service needs. This study utilized least-cost path models to identify (i) potential ecological corridors between green spaces for six Dutch urban bird species experiencing population decline and (ii) locations that present a high likelihood of encounters between these birds and pedestrians in urbanized areas. Using expert knowledge, we simulated multiple least-cost corridors among nine green spaces in the Municipality of Utrecht. Additionally, we determined the best potential paths for pedestrians between the same nine green spaces based on citizen science data. Our results revealed that the multi-species nature of bird corridors varies, and there is limited overlap between these corridors and the simulated pedestrian paths. Nonetheless, most bird corridors are situated within 20 m of pedestrian paths, indicating hotspot areas with high potential for bird-pedestrian encounters, particularly near the Utrecht city center. We contend that locations where pedestrian paths intersect or are close to the simulated bird corridors are ideal for interventions aimed at increasing landscape permeability for the six bird species, ultimately enhancing the chances of encounters between birds and pedestrians. Finally, we proposed conservation measures based on our findings that benefit both the studied bird guilds’ population growth and the daily lives of citizens.

Citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay for urban beekeeping: a case study in northern Italy - Sandra Notaro; Alessandro Paletto; Alessio Mira; Gianluca Grilli (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Recently, urban beekeeping has been recognized as an important activity capable of generating many environmental, economic, and social benefits for society. Urban beekeeping is considered a valuable activity that balances the increase in honey production and urban biodiversity conservation in a sustainable way. However, there is no available literature on citizens’ perceptions and willingness to support urban beekeeping at the local level financially. This study investigated the citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay (WTP) for urban beekeeping in a case study in Italy. To this end, an online survey was administered with a sample of citizens of the Taino municipality near the Milan metropolitan area, where there is a project to realize an urban apiary. At the end of data collection, 153 citizens completed the questionnaire, corresponding to approximately 5% of inhabitants. The results highlighted that for most respondents, the main benefits provided by urban apiaries are related to the awareness and educational activities on the role of honey bees in the urban environment. Besides, the results showed that 60.1% of respondents are willing to contribute financially to the construction of the municipal apiary through a one-time donation, while the remaining 39.9% said they were not willing to contribute financially, citing reasons for protest. The average WTP was estimated at € 22.21 per person, corresponding to a total value of € 48,742.24. The findings can be considered a starting point to help decision-makers understand the importance of urban beekeeping not only from an environmental but also from a socio-economic point of view.

Understory vegetation can promote bird sounds and reduce traffic noise in urban park soundscapes - Konrad Uebel; Aletta Bonn; Melissa Marselle; Angela J. Dean; Jonathan R. Rhodes (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Natural soundscapes commonly experienced in parks are increasingly valued as an important cultural ecosystem service with the potential to promote greater mental well-being for people. Yet the quality of urban park soundscapes can differ, containing varying proportions of natural sounds, such as bird calls, and anthropogenic noise, such as vehicle traffic. These soundscapes are linked to underlying landscape features yet their role in shaping both beneficial natural sounds and unwanted anthropogenic noise remains unclear. We address this gap by analysing the influence of park and surrounding landscape characteristics on a range of urban park soundscapes in Brisbane, Australia, with respect to bird sounds and traffic noise. We recorded audio in 67 parks in Brisbane, Australia and quantified bird call volume, bird call diversity and traffic noise volume for each recording. We then used multiple linear regression analyses to determine the influence of land cover classes, vertical vegetation density and distance to a main road on each of these dimensions. We show that greater vegetation density in the understory has a positive influence on the loudness and diversity of bird calls within park soundscapes and a negative influence on traffic noise. Traffic noise was also associated with greater proximity to a main road and higher canopy height, whilst greater impervious surface appeared to increase the dominant sound type (i.e. either bird sounds or traffic noise) within the soundscape. These findings highlight the importance of managing the landscape features of urban parks to promote higher quality soundscapes. Results suggest that greater vegetation density and complexity, particularly in the understory, has potential as a nature-based solution to enhance the diversity of bird calls within park soundscapes whilst also mitigating traffic noise.

Complexities of managing invasive species in semi-urban areas: the case of free-ranging dogs in southern Iran - Alireza Mohammadi; Danial Nayeri; Daniel Pilgreen; Mohammad S. Farhadinia; Gerard Kyle (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Urban gradient resolution matters! Avian diversity patterns in a boreal green city - Michelle García-Arroyo; Miguel A. Gómez-Martínez; Meri Back; Heikki Setälä; Ian MacGregor-Fors (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanization is a prominent driver of environmental change worldwide, profoundly impacting biodiversity dynamics. While much research has originated from large urban areas in temperate regions, medium-sized boreal cities remain relatively understudied. By following a citywide survey approach, we studied the impact of urbanization intensity gradient resolution on bird diversity in Lahti, Finland, a green boreal city. While one of the urbanization intensity gradients (four-category gradient) showed no significant differences in species richness, the more detailed resolution (ten-category gradient) revealed a decline in species richness within the most urbanized categories, albeit such decline was not pronounced, probably due to the extensive green cover of the city. Species identity analyses confirmed distinct bird community compositions at 50% built cover threshold for both gradient resolutions. Our analyses identified key variables related to bird species richness on the site level, highlighting the positive correlation with tree cover and negative correlations between built cover and noise level with recorded bird species richness. These findings expose the intricate interplay of habitat variables in shaping bird diversity in urban environments. Moreover, the results of this study emphasize the importance of detailed resolutions when assessing urbanization gradients, particularly in less biodiverse regions. Finally, we show the pivotal role of citywide surveys in providing a comprehensive understanding of urban biodiversity, allowing for precise categorization and comparison of conditions within the city. This approach provides valuable insights for urban planning and conservation efforts in boreal climatic regions.

Exploring the relationship between walls and urban biodiversity: a systematic review - Qinghua Xu; Ranxu Jia; Ranyang Zhang; Yuncai Wang; Lingfeng Mao; Hui Wang (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Correction to: The diversity and nesting preferences of birds along an urban-rural gradient in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal - Dinesh Bhusal; Prashant Ghimire; Matthew Low; Zuzanna M. Rosin; Yajna Prasad Timilsina (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Constructed communities of geophyte and succulent mixes are suitable for non-irrigated extensive green roofs in Mediterranean cities - M. Fabian; S. N. Talhouk (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Feather trace element profiles in urban mountain chickadees differ from adjacent rural chickadees - Matthew W. Reudink; Ashley Toor; Jabed Tomal; Jeeva Gill; Jasmine Ehlert; Ken A. Otter; Madison Oud; Abu Harera Nadeem; Kingsley Donkor (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Health assessment and driving forces analysis of small-to-medium rivers within highly urbanized areas based on a rapid macroinvertebrate bioassessment index - Xiaoming Peng; Dantong Zhu; Dong Huang; Xiangju Cheng (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Human recreational activity does not influence open cup avian nest survival in urban green spaces - Chloe A. Cull; Mackenzie J. Guest; Barbara Frei; Carly D. Ziter (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
The breeding period of birds is a critical and sensitive portion of the annual cycle. Understanding how human use of urban green spaces affects nest survival can improve our understanding of conserving breeding bird populations in cities and support science-based management of urban green spaces that benefit both people and nature. We conducted a nest survival field study between April and August of 2023 in multiple green spaces in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the country’s second-largest city. We asked whether human presence (distance to trails and amount of human activity) influences the nest survival of four common open-cup nesting bird species: American robins ( Turdus migratorius ), gray catbirds ( Dumetella carolinensis ), Northern cardinals ( Cardinalis cardinalis ), and yellow warblers ( Setophaga petechia ). We also asked if variables traditionally associated with nest survival, such as vegetation concealment and seasonality, would influence nest survival. Our analyses surprisingly revealed no significant influence of human activity, vegetation concealment, and seasonality on nest survival for our target species. We found for nests that did fail, nests established during the earlier part of the nesting period failed faster. American robin nests were the most successful of our study’s four target species, whereas Northern cardinal nests were the least successful. Within the limitations of our study system, our findings suggest that human presence on trails is not negatively impacting the nesting success for our target bird species using urban green spaces. Our study provides integrated science advice to land managers so they can support opportunities for people to connect with nature without causing trade-offs with biodiversity conservation.

How many bees fit in the city? A spatial ecological case study to conserve urban wild bees - J. Lanner; P Unglaub; C. Rohrbach; B. Pachinger; S. Roberts; S. Kratschmer (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Pollination is crucial for biodiversity and food security, with bees playing a significant role. The growing popularity of urban beekeeping is leading to increasing honeybee densities in cities, raising concerns about competition for pollen and nectar with wild bees due to limited foraging resources in densely urbanized areas. To assess the current bee occurrences of wild and honeybees in urbanized and protected areas of a Central European city, we focused on the ecological similarities between honeybees and wild bees. We compiled an inventory of 462 wild bee species documented since 1990 in Vienna (Austria) and conducted a survey of apiary locations in cooperation with beekeepers. We calculated apiary densities and indices for species richness, rarity, and, based on flower-visiting traits, the trait similarity between honeybees and wild bees. We found that approximately four times more honeybee colonies were kept in central Vienna in 2023 than the habitat may support. In parts of Vienna’s nature conservation areas, the number of colonies also exceeded the density of 3.5 colonies per km² recommended by the literature. Results indicate a significant spatial overlap of high apiary densities and wild bee hotspots, particularly in urban nature conservation areas like Natura 2000 protected areas. In Natura 2000 areas, the trait similarity of rare wild bee species was significantly increased, indicating a potential elevated competition between wild bees and honeybees for floral resources. This study highlights the need for spatial planning to balance urban beekeeping and wild bee conservation, recommending actions to match habitat quality to apiary densities to mitigate competitive pressures.

Urbanization decreases floral display without shifting sexual biomass allocation in Turnera subulata, a common tropical urban plant - Dalton Serafim; Luziene Seixas; Julia Evily Rocha Silva; Anne Karolynne Santos Souza; Mariana Souza do Nascimento Vital; Kim Ribeiro Barão; Guilherme Ramos Demetrio (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The University of West Florida campus ecosystem study: effects of persistent canopy openings on a chronically fire-excluded longleaf pine ecosystem - Frank S. Gilliam; Katherine M. Lundgren; Leo P. Young; Alexis J. Bjornstad; Caden M. Perry (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Western Cattle Egrets’ (Bubulcus ibis) roosting colony size estimates in urban landscape mosaics of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with notes on habitat threats and features near roosts - Jennifer Z. Cele; Mfundo S. T. Maseko; Colleen T. Downs (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Western Cattle Egrets ( Bubulcus ibis ) persist through phenotypic plasticity in behaviour and undertaking various forms of migration to exploit available resources in the anthropogenic landscape mosaics. The degradation of natural habitats, with land conversion for agriculture and urbanisation means co-existing alongside humans. However, their persistence is affected by human-egret conflict, exacerbated by a growing human population. We investigated the size of Western Cattle Egrets roosting colonies within the uMgungundlovu (Pietermaritzburg) and eThekwini (Durban) Municipalities, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We observed landscape features within 30 km of roosts with notes on possible threats to urban persistence, from October 2018 to September 2019. These areas were both urban mosaic landscapes with some remaining natural green areas as well as managed green spaces with urban built. We conducted monthly roosting or nesting population estimates of Western Cattle Egrets in these municipalities and identified characteristics which allow their urban roost persistence. An increase in roosting population from under 500 individuals in 2018 to over 600 individuals in the post-breeding season in 2019 was observed; however, no significant difference in roosting population size between the breeding and the post-breeding seasons was found. All Western Cattle Egret roosting and nesting colonies were within 10 km of a landfill, wetland, major road, river, or grassland. In addition, nesting sites were more likely to be near a wastewater treatment facility than roosts without nests. Roosting and nesting sites had varying levels of disturbance, and they require protection for continued Western Cattle Egret persistence in urban mosaic landscapes.

Concentration and spatial distribution of lead in mixed use urban park ponds - Olivia J. Mastrangelo; Isaac D. Frank; Arianne A. Bazilio; Amber L. Pitt (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Understanding collaborative governance of biodiversity-inclusive urban planning: Methodological approach and benchmarking results for urban nature plans in 10 European cities - Israa Mahmoud; Grégoire Dubois; Camino Liquete; Marine Robuchon (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Emotions and political identity predict public acceptance of urban deer management - Hannah M. Desrochers; M. Nils Peterson; Lincoln R. Larson; Christopher E. Moorman; Elizabeth M. Kierepka; John C. Kilgo; Nathan J. Hostetter (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Addressing public preferences can enhance wildlife management effectiveness and reduce backlash. We conducted novel research on public acceptance of wildlife management by accounting for the role of underexplored drivers including emotion and political identity across an urban-to-rural gradient. Using data from a 2022 survey about white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Durham County, North Carolina, we analyzed drivers of acceptance for three management strategies: passive management, lethal management by hunting, and lethal management by professionals. Support for deer management varied across the urban-to-rural gradient, as rural residents favored hunting but were less supportive of passive management compared to urban and suburban residents. Emotions and general attitudes toward deer were the strongest predictors of management acceptance. Support for passive management was higher among residents with more positive emotions toward deer, whereas support for lethal strategies was higher among those with more negative emotions. Additionally, political identity emerged as a complex yet influential factor in shaping support for lethal management. Conservative respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of hunting, whereas liberal respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of professional sharpshooting. Collectively, our results demonstrate the ways in which emotions, politics, and other socio-demographic factors interact to influence public support for deer management across the urban–rural gradient. When direct experience with wildlife is lacking (e.g., in urban areas), emotions may act as heuristic guides that shape preferences. Managers aiming to increase deer management acceptability could integrate insights about emotional, political, and demographic drivers of public management support in communication efforts, potentially rendering urban deer management more effective.

Faunal homogenization in tropical cities: lessons from anuran assemblages of two small Amazonian municipalities - Joana Caroline dos Santos; Marcelo Gordo; Marcelo Menin; Rafaela Fernanda Ferreira; Izomar Barbosa Melo; Gustavo Yomar Hattori; Bruno Sampaio Sant´Anna; Wesley Valteran dos Santos; Fabiano Waldez Guimarães; Fabrício Baccaro; Sérgio Henrique Borges (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Importance of feeders in the seasonal dynamics of floral resource use by hummingbirds in Mexico City - Ubaldo Márquez-Luna; María del Coro Arizmendi (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Optimizing plant species composition of green roofs for ecological functionality and biodiversity conservation - Carl A. Frisk; Hans Martin Hanslin (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Green roofs provide vital functions within the urban ecosystem, from supporting biodiversity, to sustainable climate-positive ESS provisioning. However, how plant communities should best be designed to reach these objectives, and how specific green roof systems vary in their capacity to support these functions is not well understood. Here we compiled data on plant traits and plant–insect interaction networks of a regional calcareous grassland species pool to explore how designed plant communities could be optimised to contribute to ecological functionality for predefined green roof solutions. Five distinct systems with practical functionality and physical constraints were designed, plant communities modelled using object-based optimization algorithms and evaluated using five ecological functionality metrics (incl. phylogenetic and structural diversity). Our system plant communities supported a range of plant–insect interactions on green roofs, but not all species were equally beneficial, resulting in wide-ranging essentiality and redundancy in ecological processes. Floral traits were not predictive of pollinator preferences, but phylogeny was observed to govern the preferences. Large differences in ecological functionality can be expected between green roofs depending on system design and the extent of the plant community composition. Multifunctionality covariance diverged between systems, suggesting that ecological functionality is not inherently universal but dependent on structural limitations and species pool interactions. We conclude that informed system design has a potential to simultaneously support ecosystem services and urban biodiversity conservation by optimising green roof plant communities to provide landscape resources for pollinating insects and herbivores.

Correction to: Small parks in residential neighborhoods as habitats for ground-dwelling beetles, spiders, and ants - Shinsaku Koji; Shun Furukawa; Natsuki Ichijo; Yuki Yamaguchi; Akio Tanikawa; Kazuyuki Kudô (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Arsenic speciation in soil from urban recreational parks and human health risk assessment - Muhammad Amjad Khan; Javed Nawab; Tasneem Sarwar; Anwarzeb Khan; Iqbal Ahmad; Muhammad Waqas; Shah Nawaz Khan; Mehboob Alam; Kalsoom Kalsoom; Muhammad Ziad; Sardar Khan (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Comparison of taxonomic diversity, body size, mass and condition of small mammals in urban and rural areas of the Coastal Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana - Benjamin Yeboah Ofori; John Bosu Mensah; Benjamin Asomaning; Andy Annan; Daniel Korley Attuquayefio (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Impact of urban forest structure, native species diversity, and vegetation community on invasive plant species richness - Inyoo Kim; Hong-Duck Sou; Hyun-je Cho; Jun-soo Kim; Jeong-Hak Oh; Chan-Ryul Park (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Modeling green infrastructure as a flood mitigation strategy in an urban coastal area - Martijn Kriebel; Ting Liu; Robin Noordhoek; Leonie Staas; Jose E. Ramirez-Marquez; Valentina Prigiobbe (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Running a successful ecology and environmental justice summer program: a recipe for collaboration among high-schools, local non-profit organizations and ecologists - Roi Ankori-Karlinsky; Pallavi A. Kache; Génesis Abreu; Jared Fox; Jason Smith; Alexandra M. Huddell; Maya Dutta; Jay M. Schoen; Amanda Johnston; K. A. Carreras Pereira; Rin Krichilsky; Jada Tulloch; et al. (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Ecoacoustic methods application for urban biodiversity monitoring - Aleksandr Levik; Ivan Dobromyslov; Maria Goretskaia; Victor Matasov; Anna Filyushkina (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Between walls and wilds: Myocastor coypus Molina, 1782 abundance and occurrence in gated and open communities in Buenos Aires, Argentina - Florencia Abdenur Araos; Regino Cavia; María José Corriale (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Genotoxic analysis of Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) nestlings in an urban environment in the Central-West region of Brazil - Maria Eduarda M. Nascimento; Larissa Tinoco; Neiva M. R. Guedes; Alda I. Souza; Luiz U. Hepp; Larissa Grunitzky (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Understanding resident design preferences and priorities for floating wetlands in coastal stormwater ponds - Clare Escamilla; Amy E. Scaroni; C. Guinn Wallover; Sarah A. White (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Irrigation in Mediterranean urban areas: a good strategy to face the ongoing climate change impacts on urban cedar trees? - Jaime Madrigal-González; Antonio de Benito; Ezequiel Antorán; Isabel Catalina Cuesta-Cano; Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Relationship between soil seed bank and altitudinal gradient in the Urban Forested Mountain Landscape of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Eyob Tenkir; Tamrat Bekele; Sebsebe Demissiew; Ermias Aynekulu (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Exploring floristic patterns across urban habitats: a case study of the city of Sarajevo (Balkan Peninsula) - Nermina Sarajlić; Dragana Jenačković Gocić; Aleksandra Trajković; Nejc Jogan (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Predicted bird extinctions shifts morphological diversity in a metropolitan region in Eastern Amazon - Victória de Nazaré Gama-Silva; Alexandre Aleixo; Bianca Darski-Silva; Rony Peterson Santos Almeida; Rogério R. Silva (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Evidence-base for urban green-blue infrastructure to support insect diversity - Diana E. Bowler; Corey T. Callaghan; Jéssica F. Felappi; Brittany M. Mason; Robin Hutchinson; Prashant Kumar; Laurence Jones (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Green-blue urban infrastructures potentially offer win-win benefits for people and nature in urban areas. Given increasing evidence of widespread declines of insects, as well as their ecological importance, there is a need to better understand the potential role of green-blue urban infrastructure for insect conservation. In this review, we evaluated 201 studies about the ability of green-blue infrastructure to support insect diversity. Most studies were focused on the role of local and landscape-level characteristics of green-blue infrastructure. Fewer studies explicitly compared one type of infrastructure to another, and even fewer compared insect communities between green-blue infrastructure and traditional infrastructure. Overall, the body of research highlights the importance of plant diversity and reduced intensity of management (e.g., mowing) for most insect taxon groups. While local characteristics seem to be generally more important than landscape factors, insect communities within green-blue infrastructures can also depend on their connectivity and landscape context. Some infrastructure types are generally more beneficial than others; for instance, ground-level habitats tend to support more insects than green roofs. Few studies simultaneously studied synergies or trade-offs with other services provided by green-blue infrastructure, but environmental variables, such as tree cover and plant diversity, that affect insects are likely to also affect the provision of other services such as improving thermal comfort and the well-being of people. Our review offers some initial evidence for how green-blue infrastructure could be designed for multifunctionality with insects in mind.

From ponds to patios: evidence of frog reproduction and recruitment in residential gardens - Holly L. Butterworth; Bronte E. Van Helden; Paul G. Close (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

City lights, moonlit nights: examining bat responses to urbanization and lunar cycles - Claysson de Aguiar Silva; Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Urban foraging in the Anthropocene: socio-ecological dynamics of wild edible plant use in metropolitan landscapes - Sebastián Cordero (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The interplay between urban greenspace, cats and the occurrence of rats and mice in private gardens in the Netherlands - Sara R. Wijburg; Marieke P. de Cock; Ella F. Raaijmakers; Joep van Belkom; Fiona de Boer; Laurens R. Dijkhuis; Maurice La Haye; Monique de Jager; Miriam Maas; Roy R. Mol; Ellen van Norren; Hein Sprong; et al. (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Livelihood risks arising from urban river pollution in selected marginal communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria - Blessing Nonye Onyima; Lydia Ngozichukwuka Nwabueze; Chika Felicitas Nnadozie; Gift Ochonogor Omovoh; Thandi Mmachaka; Blessing Odafe Omovoh; Francis Ofurum Arimoro; Jude Edafe Uku; Frank Chuckwuzuoke Akamagwuna; Gospel Ogochukwu Onyima; Oghenekaro Nelson Odume (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urban river pollution has become a critical sustainability challenge worldwide. In the studies of urban river pollution, very little research focus has gone into understanding pollution effects on main river-dependent livelihoods among marginal communities in urban centres. In this study, using a context-specific risk framework, we identify and analyze (i) urban river-dependent livelihoods (ii) pathways to community exposure to urban river pollution (iii) effects and consequences on urban river-dependent livelihoods (iv) potential intervention strategies. The study uses knowledge co-production workshops, and ethnographic methods involving participant observations, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and key informant interviews as a means of generating the needed data. Our findings indicate that degraded urban rivers have had profound negative effects on river-dependent livelihoods such as food processing, poultry, livestock farming and the small-scale brick industries for construction. Further, urban river pollution has also led to livelihood-related conflicts over access to limited, good-quality water resources. Intervention strategies to improve livelihood resilience are suggested at the institutional, communal and livelihood levels. Institutional interventions include strengthening environmental laws compliance and enforcement, inter-agency collaborations and extending sanitation and urban planning to marginal communities in cities. Communal interventions are sensitization campaigns, enforced sanitation practices and calls for behavioural and attitudinal change. Livelihoods-linked interventions aim to reduce livelihood strategies’ contributions to river pollution. Such interventions include proper disposal of waste generated through livelihood strategies, and instituting practices that minimize run-off from wet industries.

Unveiling drivers of fecundity in an urban white-tailed deer population over 20 years of active management - Taylor S. Readyhough; Jonathon D. Cepek; Erik E. Shaffer; Patricia M. Dennis; Nathan W. Byer; Constance E. Hausman; Robert A. Montgomery; Remington J. Moll (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Improving citizen science through collaborative research partnerships between social scientists and environmental practitioners - Anne H. Toomey; Monica Palta; Robina Taliaferrow; Tanasia Swift; Rob Buchanan (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Impacts of urban heterogeneity in environmental and societal characteristics on coyote survival - Emily Zepeda; Andrew Sih; Christopher J. Schell; Stanley Gehrt (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Vegetation influences urban Northern short-tailed shrew site occupancy - Marianna M. Wharff; Rachel N. Larson; Heather A. Sander (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Wildlife mortality on the Slovenian highways: monthly patterns, identification of hotspots and effectiveness of acoustic deterrents - Samar Al Sayegh Petkovšek; Klemen Kotnik; Kristijan Breznik; Boštjan Pokorny (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

We are not the problem, cars are: effect of different human activities in an urban area on opossums health and population size - Yury Glebskiy; Daniela Aimee Parra-Campos; Zenon Cano-Santana (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Understanding the health of urban animals is key for preventing and controlling zoonotic diseases. To achieve this goal, it’s necessary to understand what factors could have an impact on those animals’ health. Therefore, the aim of this article is to compare some health characteristics of opossums ( Didelphis virginiana ) in urban environments with and without human presence. For this, we trapped opossums in two urbanized areas: one dominated by buildings and one by roads and parking lots (plus two control locations in natural areas). During two periods: normal activities and under lockdown due to COVID-19 conditions (when the presence of people was minimal). We found that in the building area, human presence has almost no effect on the opossums’ health (with only minor changes in erythrocyte counts and tar coverage); however, in the parking lot, the opossum population dropped drastically because of human activities (use of vehicles). This suggests that human presence is not harmful for those animals, but cars are. Therefore, the use of vehicles has a negative impact on opossums’ health and could increase the spreading of zoonotic diseases.

Complexity and spatial structuring of fish communities across urbanized watersheds and waterfronts - Sebastian Theis; Andrew T. M. Chin; Angela Wallace; Lyndsay A. Cartwright; Marie-Josée Fortin; Mark S. Poesch; Jonathan L. W. Ruppert (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The contribution of informal green space to urban biodiversity: a city-scale assessment using crowdsourced survey data - Hugh R. Stanford; Joe Hurley; Georgia E. Garrard; Holly Kirk (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Cities are crucial for supporting biodiversity and are likely to play an important role in helping respond to the global biodiversity crisis. Understanding how plants and animals utilize various urban spaces is essential for designing cities that accommodate both human and ecological needs. Informal green spaces (IGS) have been historically overlooked in green space research and planning. However, there is growing interest in the potential benefit of IGS in supporting urban biodiversity. This study builds on previous research by examining the contribution of IGS to biodiversity at the metropolitan scale. We do this by mapping IGS across the entire urban landscape of Greater Melbourne, Australia, using crowdsourced ecological survey data to assess the role of IGS in supporting native bird and plant species richness. Our findings indicate that IGS contribute to urban species richness and can do so to a similar extent as formal green spaces. We found that utility easements and brownfield sites were particularly important types of IGS for supporting species richness. While formal green spaces like parks remain vital for urban biodiversity, IGS should be considered an integral part of urban greenspace networks. These findings underscore the need to more actively consider IGS in urban green space decision making in order to achieve positive urban biodiversity outcomes.

Connection beyond borders: exploring sense of belonging across urban satellites conurbed by a medium-sized Mexican city - Richard Lemoine-Rodríguez; Antonio Vieyra; Ian MacGregor-Fors (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanization influences the social dynamics of periurban settlements, altering the sense of belonging among residents in areas conurbed by expanding cities. However, the role of the conurbing decade and settlement type in this process remains largely unexplored within the Latin American context. In this study, we analyzed the urban expansion and resulting conurbing of the urban satellites of Morelia, a medium-sized Mexican city, during the 1970–2010s. Furthermore, we conducted 120 in-person, on-site surveys in settlement types such as colonias , pueblos and fraccionamientos conurbed by the city, focusing on residents who had lived in these areas prior to their integration into the city. We employed generalized linear models to identify the relationship between the sense of belonging and the decade when the settlements were conurbed by the city, the settlement type, and repondents’ sex, age, and length of residence in the settlement. During 1990–2010s, Morelia conurbed 20 colonias , 8 fraccionamientos , and 13 pueblos . Our results show that the conurbing decade, settlement type, and length of residence were the main determinants of the sense of belonging. The inhabitants of settlements conurbed longer time ago and with a larger length of residence showed the strongest sense of belonging. This might be related to the higher number of traditions and festivities which are preserved in pueblos , which promotes local identity and social cohesion. Our findings highlight the varied levels of sense of belonging that exist within cities and emphasize how settlement type continues to shape social bonds even after having been incorporated into a larger urban conglomerate.

Patterns of a sexually selected trait are not predictable across urban and non-urban populations of a songbird, the dark-eyed junco - Eleanor S. Diamant; Martin Kang; Pamela J. Yeh (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanization can result in novel selective pressures that can cause phenotypic differences amongst urban-tolerant species across urban and non-urban habitats. Here, we compared the size of the white tail patch (“tail white”), a sexual signaling trait, in two urban populations of dark-eyed juncos in comparison to neighboring non-urban populations. Contrary to our expectations, urban phenotypes did not differ from local wildlands in San Diego and Los Angeles counties in similar directions. While the San Diego population showed lower tail white compared to its neighboring wildland population, the Los Angeles population did not. The tail white of the Los Angeles population was not statistically different from that of the San Diego population, suggesting that urban populations may share similar environmental conditions yet face different selective clines due to urbanization. There were, however, differences between wildland populations. Differences in evolutionary histories, environmental conditions, and selective pressures within and outside urban areas may affect how urbanization facilitates population differentiation, even across urban populations of the same species.

Urbanization as a driver of changes in mutualistic networks between bees and plants - Letícia Vanessa Graf; Fabrício Schmitz Meyer; Fernando Fortunato Jeronimo; Rodrigo Barbosa Gonçalves (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Unraveling the interplay between seasonal variations in macroinvertebrates and microplastics in urban stream sediments - Dunja Jurina; Laura Posarić; Hana Fajković; Vesna Gulin Beljak; Mirela Sertić Perić (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Drivers of plant biodiversity on cemeteries in the Ruhr Metropolitan Region (W Germany) - Corinne Buch; Daniel Hering; Peter Keil (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Cemeteries are biodiversity hotspots in urban areas, while the drivers of their floristic diversity are poorly understood. We investigated 153 cemeteries in the western Ruhr Metropolitan Region and generated comprehensive species lists of wild plants. Altogether, we found 964 species, equivalent to 53.6% of the flora known from the region. Cluster analysis revealed five distinct cemetery types based on their species composition and prevalence. Subsequently, we used ANOVAs to relate the most effective environmental descriptors identified with a CCA to the five clusters, thus revealing the drivers of species composition. Two of the main clusters had clear regional foci, which could be explained by soil types, while the third main cluster included most of the large cemeteries with many different habitat types, and encompassed sites from the entire study region. Here, the number of species is highest. Two smaller clusters included old historic and Jewish cemeteries, respectively, which were characterized by a smaller number of neophytes and heat indicators. Through the various functional types, the cemeteries contribute to the biodiversity of urban areas like the Ruhr Metropolitan Region and thus counteract the floristic homogenization of cities.

Bird-watching and eco-crafting bird feeders as nature-based experiential learning activities for students in urban areas - Subhasree Sarkar; Pranab Kumar Ghose; Kiran Choudaj (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Grass fields play a greater role in maintaining avian biodiversity in urban landscapes than roadsides - H. M. Bichi; Badrul Azhar; Muhammad Syafiq Yahya; Muhamad Amir Hadi; A. A. Ogunjinmi; Norizah Kamarudin; Ahmad R. Norhisham (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Whiskers in the city: domestic cat predation in Ecuadorian coastal cities and associated factors - Kevin Panchana; Ileana Herrera; Anahí Vargas; Isac Mella-Méndez; Rafael Flores-Peredo (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Scale-dependent effects of urbanization on avian diversity in a Neotropical region - Raiane V. Paz; Carlos Salustio-Gomes; Victor R. Cavalcanti; Lorena Pinheiro-Silva; Amanda B. B. Fernandes; Mauro Pichorim; Andros T. Gianuca (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Is it only the hood, or also the neighbour? Bat occupancy and community drivers in heterogeneous urban landscapes - Jorge Sereno-Cadierno; Xosé Pardavila; Antonio J. Carpio; Adrián Suárez-Rozada; Miguel Lizana (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

The diversity and nesting preferences of birds along an urban-rural gradient in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal - Dinesh Bhusal; Prashant Ghimire; Matthew Low; Zuzanna M. Rosin; Yajna Prasad Timilsina (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Intraspecific diversity of multiple plant species shows no change across an urbanization gradient - Jenis S. Kim; Akana E. Noto (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

New native species for extensive green roofs to enrich urban ecosystem services in semiarid regions - Agustina Gutierrez; Andrea Soledad Brendel; Pablo Marinangeli (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Carbon sequestration and CO2 flux in six plant species in vertical greenery systems - Lan Pan; Shuang Luo; Wentao Hu; Po Ying Lai; Hongmei Wang; Mengyao Liu; Leeman Chu (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Mapping the marginals: predicting unplanned human settlements in urban protected areas of Bogotá, Colombia - Angela P. Hurtado-Moreno; Natalia M. Ramírez Martínez; Diego F. Rubio Goyes; José F. González-Maya (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Protected areas are essential for safeguarding ecosystems and their associated environmental services. In urban environments, they serve as crucial conservation zones, protecting against human encroachment. However, even with robust territorial planning, protected areas remain vulnerable to informal settlements. This study employs a landscape ecology approach to identify hotspots within Parque Entrenubes, an urban protected area in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia, that are susceptible to future informal settlements. We utilized a logistic regression model to predict potential invasions by assessing the likelihood of settlements occurring in cells with different characteristics compared to unoccupied areas. Variables considered included distance to creeks, secondary roads, main roads, legalized neighborhoods, elevation, and slope. The results indicate a clustered pattern of settlements influenced by various spatial factors, suggesting that informal settlements are not randomly distributed. Steeper slopes, higher elevations, and greater distances from main roads have higher probabilities of occupation, while areas closer to water, roads, and existing neighborhoods are more likely to suffer illegal settlements. Our study represents the first spatially explicit prediction approach for unplanned settlements in Bogotá. This spatial analysis can inform strategic actions to prevent, contain, and control new informal settlements. Furthermore, the findings can be integrated into urban planning initiatives to mitigate the negative impacts of such settlements on protected areas and the environment.

Urban refuges in winter: the role of habitat characteristics and supplementary feeding in shaping bird occupancy and abundance - Martin Šálek; Miroslav Bažant; Jakub Vrána; Stanislav Grill; Radovan Václav (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Attributes of private yards along a rural-urban gradient in China highlight opportunities and limits to increase trees to benefit biodiversity and climate - Ang Zhang; Margaret J. Grose; Peter A. Vesk (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Impact of urban disturbance on soil insect communities in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest biological station - Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo Moreira; Juliana Mourão dos Santos Rodrigues; Marcos Krull; Raquel G. Boullosa; Rosana Gentile; Karina Cunha Sant’ana; Marianna V. P. Simões (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urbanization constitutes a major threat to biodiversity. Understanding its effects on insect communities is relevant because they are key elements of trophic interactions, and indicators and targets of conservation. Herein, we investigated the influence of meteorological and habitat factors on the soil entomofauna in three areas with distinct levels of urbanization at the Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, Brazil. We investigated whether community structure differs among areas with different levels of urbanization, and how changes in the environment affect soil insect community composition and distribution. We systematically monitored communities for 12 months in three areas along a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance, representing preserved secondary forest, disturbed forest and peridomicile areas. The results revealed that the degree of urbanization affects insect communities, with a strong effect of habitat factors, such as canopy cover, presence of flooded areas, quantity of fallen trunks and mean temperature. Insect abundance did not show significant differences among areas, while biomass was higher in disturbed forest than in preserved forest and peridomicile areas. Additionally, insect richness and diversity were higher in preserved and disturbed forests than in peridomicile areas, with no significant difference between preserved and disturbed forests. Our results can be used to enhance the understanding of the effects of urbanization on taxonomically and functionally diverse groups of insects, and to advise residents and urban planners about the consequences of urbanization on biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban-sylvatic interface areas.

Urban green spaces with high connectivity and complex vegetation promote occupancy and richness of birds in a tropical megacity - Marco T. Oropeza-Sánchez; Israel Solano-Zavaleta; Wendy Lizett Cuandón-Hernández; Jorge Arturo Martínez-Villegas; Vianey Palomera-Hernández; J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
Urban growth often leads to land-use changes that result in biodiversity loss and reduced human benefits. In urban zones, green areas facilitate physicochemical processes (such as carbon capture, reducing environmental temperature and noise pollution), offer multiple benefits to human beings (e.g., water filtration and purification), and support numerous vertebrate populations, including birds. In the tropics, the capacity of green spaces to maintain bird populations is regulated by characteristics of these areas (e.g., vegetation structure) and environmental seasonality. In order to generate ecological knowledge to help conserve bird diversity in large urban settlements, this study aimed to (1) identify the most influential variables on the distribution of bird species in green areas of a tropical megacity, and (2) assess how bird richness varies between the dry and rainy seasons. Across two dry and rainy seasons between 2021 and 2022, detection records of 108 bird species were obtained from 101 green areas. Air temperature and sampling time were the primary factors influencing bird detection. Bird occupancy and richness were higher in parks near other green areas in first dry and increased with tree richness during the rainy seasons. Floral abundance explained the occupancy and richness in the second dry season. In 2021, the highest richness was observed during the dry season, while in 2022, the highest richness was estimated during the rainy season. These findings highlight the importance of resource availability and spatial arrangement in urban green areas for bird diversity, offering insights for conservation and maintaining ecosystem benefits in urban environments.

Exploring the relationship between frugivorous birds and fruit trees in urban parks using citizen science data - Xinyi Liu; Xudong Yang; Xinyu Li; Jun Yang (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Evaluation of thermal performance in green roofs using recycled construction waste sand as substrate - Matheus Schmidt; Samuel Nelson Melegari de Souza; Deonir Secco; Aline Snak; Doglas Bassegio (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Limited contamination by trace metals in city colonies of the ant Temnothorax nylanderi (Foerster, 1850) - Marie Gressler; Angélique Bultelle; Claudie Doums; Mathieu Molet (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

From lawns to meadows: spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) as indicators to measure urban grassland restoration success - Alexander Bach; Jana Jedamski; Benjamin Daniels; Martina Roß-Nickoll (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)
In the present study, we investigate how spiders can be used to assess the effectiveness of restoring mesic grasslands on former urban lawns. We compile and analyze a comprehensive dataset, including both past and current data, focusing on the Aachen region. By systematically examining this data, we identify various indicators using different analytical methods. This approach allows us to distinguish distinct species communities, making them useful as diagnostic tools at various stages of habitat development. Additionally, we identify further parameters that are essential for evaluating meadow restoration in urban settings. We highlight the crucial importance of understanding the local species repertoire, as this knowledge is vital for setting realistic benchmarks for restoration projects.

Nectar plants visited by hummingbirds in an urban area of southern Brazil - Ruara Soares Mendes; Francielle Paulina de Araújo-Hoffmann (Urban Ecosystems, 2025)

Towards a conceptual design framework for bee botanic gardens: integrating perceptions on urban biodiversity into landscape design processes - Yuqi Yang; Maria Ignatieva; Andrea Gaynor; Yuandong Hu (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Botanic gardens, valued for their live plant collections, have evolved into scientific institutions with roles in conservation, education, research, and public recreation. This study repositions botanic gardens as essential urban habitats enhancing biodiversity, focusing particularly on their support for both European honeybees and Western Australian native bees. This research addresses the intersection of urbanisation and bee conservation by developing a conceptual design for a bee-friendly botanic garden in Yanchep, Western Australia. It employs semi-structured interviews and research through design (RtD) methods to collaborate with local beekeepers, landscape architects, and ecologists. A systematic design framework for a bee-friendly botanic garden in Yanchep, Western Australia was proposed, encompassing the entire design process, from scope to detailed considerations, and aiming to be applicable across other parts of Western Australia and Australia. The research highlights three key findings: the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration, the importance of defining the garden type and functions early in the design process, and the need for diverse plant selection and nesting options to support native bees.

Plant native: comparing biodiversity benefits, ecosystem services provisioning, and plant performance of native and non-native plants in urban horticulture - Elena S. Tartaglia; Myla F.J. Aronson (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Plant species used in urban horticulture are frequently non-native despite evidence that urban areas are regular points of introduction, often leading to invasions and negative impacts on biodiversity. Many horticulturalists assert that non-native plants are more successful and provide equal or greater habitat and ecosystem services than native plants. However, little research has compared native and non-native plants in urban systems. We present here a systematic literature review, using the PRISMA methodology, to assess three questions: (1) Is there a difference between native and non-native plants in their ability to support faunal biodiversity in urban green spaces? (2) Is there a difference between native and non-native plants in their provisioning of urban ecosystem services? 3)Do non-native species outperform natives in urban environments in terms of survival, growth, and fitness? We extracted data from 165 total papers. One hundred and twenty studies found that native plants outperform non-native plants on the response metric evaluated in the study, 57 demonstrated mixed impacts, 56 demonstrated no differences among plant origin, and 26 found non-native plants outperformed native plants. We found overwhelming evidence that native plants support higher faunal abundance and diversity than non-native plants in urban landscapes. Relatively few studies examined ecosystem services and plant performance, but we found that native plants support higher levels and diversity of ecosystem services and that many native plants can be used for horticulture, that is, they will survive and thrive in urban conditions. Native plants provide multiple ecosystem functions in urban greenspaces, supporting urban biodiversity and provisioning ecosystem services than non-native plant species and should be prioritized in urban horticulture activities.

Urban scavenging: vertebrates display greater sensitivity to land-cover and garden vegetation cover than invertebrates - Jack R. Walker; Karl L. Evans; Rachel M. Jeffreys; Mani Pahlevani; Catherine L. Parr (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Scavenging removes carrion or littered food waste from the environment, promoting nutrient cycling, and reducing waste management costs. These ecosystem services are important in urban environments, where high human population densities result in increased littered food waste. It is unclear how the magnitude of scavenging across urban-rural gradients is influenced by agent, land-cover type, and patch size. We investigated scavenging provision by vertebrates and invertebrates across a gradient of urbanisation, based on impervious surface cover, in woodlands and gardens in Liverpool, UK. The percentage dry weight loss of bait after 48 h, deployed within vertebrate exclusion cages or exposed to vertebrates and invertebrates, was used to quantify scavenging provision. General linear mixed effects models were used to assess the relative contributions of vertebrates and invertebrates across an urban-rural gradient, variation in scavenging between woodlands and gardens, and the effects of semi-natural vegetation cover on scavenging in gardens. We consider patch size as a preliminary assessment of how fragmentation influences scavenging. Vertebrates contributed substantially more to scavenging than invertebrates across the urbanisation gradient. Vertebrate scavenging was greater in woodlands than gardens, while invertebrate scavenging remained consistent. Scavenging increased with patch size in gardens, but not woodlands. Vertebrate scavenging increased with patch size and garden semi-natural vegetation cover. Urban woodlands and gardens make important contributions to scavenging-mediated ecosystem services. There is a need to increase the cover of semi-natural vegetation in gardens to increase their contributions, and protect and expand woodlands, especially in areas with a high demand for scavenging-mediated ecosystem services.

Bee community response to multiple stressors along a tropical urban-peri urban gradient - Aditi Dutta; Indranil Samajpati; Parthiba Basu (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Soil unsealing in Mediterranean schoolyards: what factors drive ant communities? - Louise Eydoux; Pierre Jay Robert; Bernard Kaufmann; Mickael Hedde; Alan Vergnes (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

The urban in ecology: a quantitative textual analysis of the scientific literature over a century - Silvia Flaminio; Joëlle Salomon Cavin; Guillaume Guex; Marco Moretti (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Many authors have described ‘urban ecology’ as a subfield of ecology that emerged in the 1990s and has expanded exponentially. We propose to take a step further and analyse the expansion of the ‘urban’ in ecology with a novel quantitative approach, with the aim to better understand the relationship between ecology and the urban. Previous quantitative assessments of the urban in ecology have focused on short to medium time spans (5 to 40 years) and on research coined as ‘urban ecology’, and have rarely considered the content of publications (e.g., vocabulary and topics) using quantitative methods. In this paper, we conduct a bibliometric assessment and an in-depth quantitative textual data analysis of a corpus of 960 articles published from 1922 to 2018 in 10 leading English-language journals in ecology and conservation biology. We address the following questions: (1) When and how have urban environments been integrated into ecological research during the past century? (2) What urban research topics have been investigated in ecology during the same period? (3) How have these research topics changed through time? Our results show that the urban was never entirely absent from publications in ecology. The quantitative analyses highlight three turning points (1970s, 1990s and 2000s) in the relationship between ecology and the urban. Moreover, they help visualize the shift from particularly scattered publications at the beginning of the period to publications characterized by a more homogeneous vocabulary, reflecting the stabilization of a research field focused on the urban in ecology.

Wildlife resilience in an urban landscape: understanding land-use impacts in Cape Town - Akinwale Oladimeji; Zoë Woodgate; M. Justin O’Riain (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urbanisation is rapidly transforming and fragmenting natural habitats, disrupting ecosystems and negatively impacting biodiversity. The City of Cape Town (CoCT) is situated in a global biodiversity hotspot, but sustained anthropogenic activities have resulted in the local extirpation of most medium and large mammals. A recent survey of mammals within urban protected areas of CoCT revealed that a few, mostly medium-sized generalist species, persist. It is uncertain which native mammal species, if any, inhabit the unprotected green belts and parks in suburban and urban areas of the city. A total of 37 camera trap sites were established along four transects for a period of four months between 31 January and 31 May 2022. A total of 12 terrestrial mammal species were detected, nine of which were wild native mammals and three domestic species. Most detections were in natural habitat followed by suburban, with urban areas having the lowest detection rate of wildlife. Single season hierarchical multi-species occupancy models revealed that tree cover had a significant positive effect on both community and individual species occupancy. Contrary to our predictions, neither human population density nor the extent of the impervious surface at sites significantly affected occupancy. Cape grysbok ( Raphicerus melanotis ) were significantly more likely to occur at sites with a higher proportion of impervious surfaces supporting other recent research, which showed this species together with water mongoose ( Atilax paludinosus ) and Cape porcupine ( Hystrix africaeaustralis ) are one of only a few native mammals that appear to persist and may even thrive in human-modified landscapes. Our findings underscore the complexity of urban biodiversity conservation and the species-specific responses to environmental factors, emphasising the importance of tree cover in urban wildlife management.

When scale matters to disentangle the effect of habitat and temperature on ground-dwelling spider communities in urban environments - Valentin Cabon; Dylan Amiar; Romain Georges; Vincent Dubreuil; Julien Pétillon; Hervé Quénol; Benjamin Bergerot (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Pollen diversity in urban honey: implications for bee foraging behaviour and urban green space planning - D. Shishira; A. R. Uthappa; S. B. Chavan; G. C. Kuberappa; Dinesh Jinger; A. N. Sringeswara (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

How the landscape pattern and landscape elements affect the source-based soundscape diversity - Weicong Fu; Jingkai Huang; Chengyu Ran; Wenqiang Fang; Shiyuan Fan; Yujie Zhao; Peilin Huang; Ziluo Huang; Jiaying Dong; Yuqing Huang; Ziru Chen (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Urban pavements as a novel habitat for wild bees and other ground-nesting insects - Claudia Weber; Grégoire Noël; Wiebke Sickel; Michael T. Monaghan; Aletta Bonn; Sophie Lokatis (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Municipal authorities around the world have come to recognize the importance of making conservation and restoration a priority. Multiple urban restoration programs now foster insects and other pollinators through planting and sowing flowering plants, many of them within residential areas. But residents are not only walking next to pollinators visiting flowering sidewalk grass verges, they are also walking on top of them, nesting in the cracks and interstices of urban pavements. Combining morphological and molecular monitoring schemes, we conducted a survey of urban pavements at twelve locations across Berlin and found that pavements can foster a surprising number and quantity of soil dwelling insects—in particular wild bees and wasps. Pavements located within 200 m to an insect-friendly flower garden were covered with significantly more nests of wild bees and solitary wasps, and showed higher species richness of these groups, while the degree of sealed surfaces in the surrounding had no effect per se. This underlines the positive impact that insect-friendly gardens can have for pollinators and other insects, even in highly sealed areas. Also, it shows the potential of cobbled pavements as valuable nesting sites in highly sealed urban areas. We provide a list of 55 species of ground-nesting Hymenoptera found in Berlin pavements, including 28 species of wild bees and 22 apoid wasps. In our study, the molecular approach only detected three Hymenoptera species and did not yield comparable results to classical monitoring. Nonetheless, using eDNA methods might be a promising tool for further studying soil nesting insects in the future, and to gain insights into the web of life in urban pavements.

Small parks in residential neighborhoods as habitats for ground-dwelling beetles, spiders, and ants - Shinsaku Koji; Shun Furukawa; Natsuki Ichijo; Yuki Yamaguchi; Akio Tanikawa; Kazuyuki Kudô (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
In residential landscapes, small neighborhood parks account for a considerable share of urban greenspaces. However, information on their significance for biodiversity conservation is limited. To determine the role of small neighborhood parks as habitat for ground-dwelling arthropods, we evaluated the effects of local and landscape factors on the diversity and traits of carabid beetles, spiders, and ants in small neighborhood parks in Niigata, Japan. Urbanization decreased carabid species richness and abundance, and it altered the species composition of carabids and spiders. The arthropods in urbanized sites were characterized by small-bodied, web-building, highly dispersive spiders, and possibly non-predatory carabids. In contrast, urbanization did not influence any diversity metrics of ants. At the local scale, ground cover, soil moisture, and park border permeability were the major drivers of arthropod diversity. Ground coverage with leaf litter was positively associated with ant occurrence. Soil moisture negatively affected carabid species richness and abundance, whereas it positively affected spider richness. Parks with humid soil conditions favored hunting, low-dispersive spiders. The low permeability of park borders decreased spider richness and altered community structure, which was characterized by highly dispersive, ballooning species. We conclude that small neighborhood parks support numerous species of habitat-generalist arthropods that are adapted to dry and open environments. These parks thus represent an important component of habitat networks in residential landscapes. Managing open environments, protecting litter layers, reducing artificial borders, and retaining other open greenspaces in the surrounding matrix can promote diverse arthropod communities. Such strategies are worth considering during urban planning.

Comparing perceived risk of predation in urban birds - Jesús Zuñiga-Palacios; Iriana Zuria (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Legacy effects of housing segregation on urban mammal communities in Washington, D.C., USA - Merri K. Collins; Travis Gallo (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Socio-environmental drivers of human-nature interactions in urban green spaces - Hogyeum Evan Joo; Jeffrey A. G. Clark; Peleg Kremer; Myla F. J. Aronson (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Online platforms have broadened the opportunities of people to interact with nature through community/citizen science, especially in urban areas. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the social and environmental factors that influence nature interactions in cities. Here, we aim to identify the social and environmental predictors that impact nature interactions, by combining citizen science data with environmental and demographic data in New York City. We applied generalized linear models to identify which of 12 social and environmental factors influence nature interactions in public parks ( n = 355) in the Borough of Queens, New York, New York (USA) in two scenarios, small-medium sized parks only ( n = 355) and all parks ( n = 359). We used iNaturalist records, including the number of users (Observers), Observations, Observed Biodiversity, and a calculated interaction effect (number of users × observations, Interaction), as metrics of nature interactions. For small-medium parks, all nature interactions were significantly influenced by park area, canopy cover, percent population with blood pressure and asthma conditions, noise, and summer mean temperature. Observers and Interaction were positively associated with median income. Observers, Observations, and Interaction were predicted by percent water cover, impervious cover, distance to public transportation, and ethnic diversity. In the analysis that included all parks, the results were similar with minor differences. This study demonstrates a holistic approach to a very specific type of human-nature interaction newly made available with technological advances, seen through an interdisciplinary lens and will help inform planners, residents, and city government on creating more interactive and socio-environmentally beneficial urban green spaces.

Species composition, distribution patterns, and conservation needs of large old trees in Baisha, southern China - Chunping Xie; Shanshan Wu; Dawei Liu; Wen Luo; C. Y. Jim (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

The way “urbanization” is defined has strong implications for its effects on mammal abundance - Mairi K.P. Poisson; Fikirte Gebresenbet; Andrew R. Butler; Patrick Tate; Daniel H. Bergeron; Remington J. Moll (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Environmental equity and urban afforestation in the extreme northeastern Brazilian Amazon - L. A. Jimenez; S. M. Silvestre; J. A. Aquino; L. M. Freire; J. J. Toledo (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Correction to: A review on the work of German urban biodiversity networks – from national to international activities - Norbert Müller; Peter Werner (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Exploring urban forests in Minas Gerais, Brazil: floristic diversity and biome-driven insights to green infrastructure planning - Wesley da Silva Fonseca; Angeline Martini; Sebastião Venâncio Martins; Mateus Enrique Amorim Oliveira; Laily Katerin Sanchez Dueñez; William Victor Lisboa Alves (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

The structure of plant-herbivore interactions in urban savanna fragments reveals an unexpected high specialization and dependency on plant and insect attributes - Walter Santos de Araújo; Érica Vanessa Durães de Freitas (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Synanthropic rodents and urbanization processes: understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of rodent activity during urbanization works in a low-income neighborhood - Mariel A. Tripodi; Emiliano Muschetto; Carolina Massa; Gerardo R. Cueto; Diego Hancke; Olga V. Suárez (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Aquatic Condition Index: optimization of a rapid wetland assessment tool for evaluating urban wetland health - Kevin J. Erratt; Felix Nwaishi; Tracy S. Lee; Abisola Allison; Vanessa A. Carney; Kaitlynn Bartlett; Irena F. Creed (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Landscape and habitat characteristics jointly drive the urban distribution of a nuisance species - Caitlin S. Willis; Dominique A. Potvin; Darian Cadwaladr; Erin K. Wills; Ben L. Gilby (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Identifying environmental variables that affect the distribution of pest and/or nuisance species promotes effective management strategies by improving urban planning and the targeted application of direct interventions like population control. Australian white ibis Threskiornis moluccus are considered a nuisance species throughout Australia, having increased significantly in abundance in coastal urban landscapes following declines in their native inland habitats over the past three decades. Few management interventions thus far have successfully reduced conflicts between ibis and humans, necessitating a better understanding of conditions driving ibis distribution and abundance. We surveyed 26 ibis colonies throughout the Moreton Bay region in central eastern Australia and quantified the effects of a range of spatial (e.g. connectivity with waste management facilities, urban land and wetlands) and habitat (e.g. nesting tree species, density and size) variables on ibis and nest abundance. Ibis and their nests were most abundant at sites within 10 km of waste management facilities, and < 60 m from residential or industrial estates. Ibis were also more abundant at sites with tree canopy height < 10 m and lower tree species richness. Nests were most abundant on water bound islands with tree density > 0.5 trees/m 2 . Urbanisation had contrasting effects, with nest numbers increasing with higher connectivity (i.e. closer proximity) to urban land, while ibis numbers decreased (relative to waste management facilities). Multifaceted approaches are required for controlling ibis populations, including restricting access to anthropogenic food resources, managing the condition of remnant habitats, and considering population control at sites with high connectivity to foraging grounds.

Effect of urbanisation on feces deposited across natural urban forest fragments - Harsh Yadav; Yuki Iwachido; Takehiro Sasaki (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

An urban rivers renaissance? Stream restoration and green–blue infrastructure in Latin America – Insights from urban planning in Colombia - Gonzalo Pradilla; Jochen Hack (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
While urban river restoration has become mainstream in the Global North, it remains scarce in Latin America, where most literature focuses on water quality, stream habitats, and watershed assessment, but planning and implementation lag behind. Colombia is undergoing a paradigm shift after pioneering the integration of green and blue infrastructure (GBI) into urban planning in the early 2000s (namely Estructura Ecológica Principal ). A surge in river renaturalization initiatives is underway, with large and intermediate cities planning and executing projects. We systematically assessed the integration of rivers and GBI into local policies ( Planes de Ordenamiento Territorial ) and found widespread and strong recognition of streams, wetlands, and ecosystem services in urban planning, higher than previously reported. Most cities emphasize river multifunctionality, ecological connectivity, public space, and recreation, as well as disaster risk reduction, advancing toward sustainable urban water and drainage systems. However, significant gaps persist regarding climate change resilience, participation, and social justice. In a region marked by high inequality, pre-existing spatial exclusion could be amplified by urban renewal, greening, and tourism due to unfair resettlement conditions and gentrification. Such trade-offs can undermine the ecological and social benefits of restoration. We highlight the crucial role of civil society and grassroots activism in protecting and defending urban commons and conclude by recommending a critical examination of GBI and river restoration efforts in Latin America. Colombia’s case can serve as both a reference and a cautionary tale for other cities in the region to achieve outcomes that promote equity and justice amid pressing social and environmental challenges.

Predation risk of caterpillar prey is shaped by arthropods and urbanisation in an urban-agricultural landscape: a common garden experiment - Jirriza O. Roquero; Asraf K. Lidasan; Navel Kyla B. Balasa; Angelo R. Agduma; Lothy F. Casim; Renee Jane A. Ele; Krizler C. Tanalgo (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Urban equilibrium: legal imperatives for sustainable development and habitat preservation in Shenzhen, China - Que Zhanwen; Md. Ziaul Islam (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Shenzhen, a bustling metropolis in China, is currently grappling with the delicate balance between urban expansion and environmental preservation. This study finds that the disintegration of habitats due to urban development in Shenzhen city significantly impacts the ecosystem of animals and plants, detrimentally altering their living conditions. The study results reveal that the expansion of construction land in China has surged by an impressive 84.39% between 2000 and 2020, which has come at the cost of diminishing wetlands, farmland, and woodlands by 57.24%, 16.58%, and 1.86%, respectively. Between 1980–2020, the urban expanse of Shenzhen expanded dramatically, growing from 16.0 square kilometres to 850.2 square kilometres. This transformation was primarily driven by the rapid conversion of forested areas, which saw a staggering decrease of approximately 300% to 780 km 2 by 2020. Additionally, half of Shenzhen’s expansion can be attributed to the transformation of agricultural land, with an additional 40% stemming from the clearing of forests and approximately 9% resulting from the decrease in water resources. Furthermore, non-urban green spaces, particularly built-up areas, have significantly expanded, now encompassing approximately 60% of the city in 2018. Therefore, based on the existing literature and authoritative legal texts, this study aims to examine the legal frameworks of the Shenzhen government and, along with China’s national legislation, to make room for wildlife and biodiversity conservation in a metropolis like Shenzhen.

No Mow May: Generating buzz and community science action to manage yards for bees and other pollinators - Relena Ribbons; Israel Del Toro (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

City dwellers: habitat connectivity and demographic responses of a semi-aquatic turtle in Australia - Bruno de Oliveira Ferronato; Anke Maria Hoefer; Isobel Booksmythe; Rod Ubrihien; Arthur Georges (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Insect herbivory on Acer rubrum varies across income and urbanization gradients in the D.C. metropolitan area - Elizabeth Blake; Shelley Bennett; Amy Hruska; Kimberly J Komatsu (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urbanization has increased wealth disparity within the United States, impacting the urban landscape and species interactions. In particular, the interactions between street trees and the arthropod communities that live among them may be modified by both human population densities across urban to suburban locations, as well as income levels within these areas. We examined the effect of land use type (urban vs. suburban) and median household income on variation in leaf damage and arthropod abundance of red maples ( Acer rubrum ) in the District of Columbia metropolitan region. We compared these levels of leaf damage to rates observed in a nearby temperate deciduous forest. We predicted leaf damage would be positively correlated with urbanization (forested < suburban < urban) and negatively correlated with neighborhood income level (low > medium > high). Instead, we observed higher levels of leaf damage on trees in the forest environment compared to the urban and suburban areas. Leaves from urban medium and high-income areas were less likely to exhibit herbivore damage than those from suburban areas. Of the leaves with damage, those in urban high-income and suburban low-income areas exhibited the most leaf area missing. These trends may be related to specific factors associated with urbanization and income level, such as impervious surface coverage and tree coverage. This study highlights differences in biotic interactions across individual neighborhoods and the importance of including socio-economic variables when examining species interactions in urban environments.

Wild sulphur-crested cockatoos match human activity rhythms to access food in the urban environment - G. Fehlmann; J. M. Martin; K. Safi; L. M. Aplin (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban areas are growing rapidly across the globe. Such environments present specific challenges to wildlife. Resources can be highly fragmented in space and time, accompanied by specific risks and opportunities that can emerge from proximity with humans. Overall, these have been shown to lead to specific activity patterns in wildlife, which tend to restrict their space use accordingly to avoid encounters with humans. Yet, some foraging opportunities supplied by humans can also attract wildlife. Urban-dwelling species would therefore benefit from learning when and where to exploit human derived food. Here, we investigate how birds exploit areas of different degrees of urbanization and if they do so with specific time patterns. We used the example of feeding sulphur-crested cockatoos ( Cacatua galerita ) in Sydney, Australia. We combined tracking birds to identify key resources, and a citizen science approach to investigate human-wildlife interactions in the urban landscape. Our data suggest that SCC do not use all parts of their home range equally, but use green spaces as roosting and foraging areas, while facultatively using more urbanized areas at specific times when they are the most rewarding. This implies a role for sophisticated time and place learning, with birds matching activity to human patterns. This study builds on the literature investigating human-animal interactions, expanding our understanding of animals’ exploitation of human behavior. Our results highlight the unique opportunity that studies on urban wildlife have for understanding urban biodiversity establishment, maintenance, and cognitive ecology.

Estimating changes in distribution trend of alien birds in urban areas using citizen science data - Rui Lourenço; Carlos Godinho; Pedro A. Salgueiro; Rui R. Silva; Pedro F. Pereira (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban ecosystems are suitable for the introduction and spread of alien bird species, and early detection of their establishment and expansion is crucial to reduce potential negative impacts. In this context, the use of opportunistic citizen science data can have considerable advantages in relation to conventional scientific approaches. We gathered records of parakeets and parrots (Psittaciformes) and mynas and starlings (Sturnidae) for the urban area of Lisbon (Portugal) from the eBird database. We used this opportunistic citizen science data to document the establishment and expansion and to estimate distribution trends of alien bird species in urban ecosystems. In the last decade there has been a considerable increase in the amount of opportunistic citizen science data available in eBird for our study area. The probability of presence of the Senegal parrot, rose-ringed parakeet, blue-crowned parakeet, and crested myna was positively influenced by the number of lists. For the rose-ringed parakeet, blue-crowned parakeet, and crested myna, the year positively influenced the probability of presence, suggesting an increase in distribution range. We observed that spatio-temporal variations in effort associated to opportunistic citizen science data sources may generate bias in trend estimates, and therefore we recommend the effort should always be accounted for. Our approach agreed with the documented expansion of alien bird species in the study area, supporting the potential usefulness of opportunistic citizen science in providing early detection on biological invasions in urban ecosystems, particularly where this is the best or the only source of information available.

Beyond the front yard: investigating environmental drivers of residential snake removals across two spatial scales in a desert city - A. Enloe; J. A. G. Clark; J. S. Lewis; F. S. Albuquerque; B. Hughes; H. L. Bateman (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Evaluating ecological restoration in urban ecosystems with acoustic telemetry: marine and freshwater case studies - Morgan L. Piczak; Saron Berhe; Anne C. Knag; Robert J. Lennox; Knut Wiik Vollset; Rick Portiss; Jonathan D. Midwood; Steven J. Cooke (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Patterns in tree squirrel co-occurrence vary with responses to local land cover in US cities - Rachel N. Larson; Heather A. Sander; Mason Fidino; Julia L. Angstmann; Sheryl Hayes Hursh; Seth B. Magle; Katrina Moore; Carmen M. Salsbury; Theodore Stankowich; Katherine Tombs; Lauren Barczak; Alyssa M. Davidge; et al. (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Global review of services and conflicts provided by raptors in urbanized habitats - Eugenia A. Bonetti; Juan P. Isacch; Carla A. Paterlini; María S. Bó; Laura M. Biondi (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

A deep dive into the waterbird community of an urban oasis: implications for park management - August Wise; Anya Rosener; Arina Martin; Melissa Cote; Christopher D. Hopwood; Elizabeth Schwartz; Riley Tharp; Stephen Blake (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Correction to: Dynamic occupancy analyses of native birds in an urban ecological reserve reveal seasonal changes in site occupancy and preference for adjacent urbanized areas - J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega; Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez; Gonzalo A. Ramírez-Cruz; Israel Solano-Zavaleta (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Diversity of raptors and nest sites characteristics in an urban area in Southern Chile - Andrés Muñoz-Pedreros; Heraldo V. Norambuena (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

High amphibian diversity throughout urban environmental heterogeneity - Rocio Pamela Demartín; Romina Ghirardi; Javier Alejandro López (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Greenspaces as shelters for the conservation of bird diversity in a big city - Jorge E. Ramírez-Albores; Luis A. Sánchez-González; Marlín Pérez-Suárez; Adolfo G. Navarro-Sigüenza; Sergio Franco-Maass (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Unleashed: walking dogs off the lead greatly increases habitat disturbance in UK lowland heathlands - Rebecca L. Thomas; Sarah K. Papworth; Mark D.E. Fellowes (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Human population growth is associated with increased disturbance to wildlife. This effect is particularly acute in urban and periurban areas, where the area of effective disturbance extends beyond that of human presence by the roaming behaviour of pet dogs. Dogs are globally the dominant companion animal, with a population of ~ 12 million in the UK. As urban areas extend, dogs are exercised in green space close to housing. In southeast and southern England these areas include lowland heath, a habitat of high conservation value. To quantify disturbance caused by dog walkers and their dogs, we used GPS units to track the movement of people and their dogs across four lowland heath sites, used a questionnaire to ask about dog walking habits, and mapped potential areas of disturbance caused by dog walkers. Questionnaires were completed by 798 dog walkers and the walks of 162 owners and their 185 dogs were recorded. Mean (± SE) walk time was 56 ± 23 min, walk distance 3.75 ± 1.68 km and dogs were a median distance of 20 m from the owner during walks. Dogs were walked once (44%) or twice (56%) a day. Most (always: 85%; always or occasionally: 95%) dogs were walked off the lead even when signs were present requesting that dogs were kept on a lead. This resulted in up to a 21% increase in reserve area disturbed. In one reserve (Snelsmore Common), > 90% of the area was disturbed by dogs, greatly eroding its conservation value. This work highlights the importance of considering how dog ownership can exacerbate levels of disturbance in sensitive periurban habitats when housing developments are planned.

A review on the work of German urban biodiversity networks – from national to international activities - Norbert Müller; Peter Werner (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
This review analyses the development of three urban biodiversity networks in Germany since 1970. The first network “Biotope Mapping in Populated Areas” (BMPA) was founded by Herbert Sukopp (Berlin) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation in connection with the development of the first comprehensive urban ecology studies in Berlin. The aim was to establish standardized methods for the investigation of urban biodiversity, obtain comparable results on the national level, and exchange information for sustainable development and management in urban areas. From 1979 to 2005 this network held 21 meetings in different German cities and one meeting in Vienna. In 2005, the network merged with the “Competence Network Urban Ecology” (CONTUREC) aiming to link local research and activities both on urban biodiversity and urban ecology. From 2006 to 2011 CONTUREC organized several national conferences, published their results in its own book series, and sent out a newsletter with information to local projects and current international research. With financial support by the German Ministry of the Environment CONTUREC organized in 2008 in Erfurt the first international conference “Urban Biodiversity and Design”. The results were brought to the following up 9th Conference of the Parties (COP) within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which was held in Bonn (Germany) and underlined the urgent need to create an own Major Group for “Cities and Biodiversity”. On this occasion, the “International Network Urban Biodiversity and Design” (URBIO) was founded to promote urban biodiversity and design through a continuing dialogue with the CBD and their partners. This network was following CONTUREC and is organizing international conferences prior to the COP meetings and is exchanging over a newsletter and the website the state on urban biodiversity research and its application. To date, eight URBIO conferences and three URBIO workshops were held, and the results were published in a book and in special issues in international journals. This article describes the development and challenges to run the three different urban biodiversity networks. It gives suggestions for the future based on the experiences done so far.

Urban eastern gray squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) show little seasonal variation in biochemical and hematological parameters - Rebecca Rimbach; Olivia A. Petritz; Julie A. Balko; Herman Pontzer (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban wildlife faces unique physiological and behavioral challenges compared to conspecifics which live in less altered natural habitats. Animals in urban habitats are also exposed to urban stressors and commonly make use of inappropriate food sources from trash bins and dumpsters, which may affect their heath status. The goals of this study were to evaluate overall health of an urban population of eastern gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) and to assess seasonal changes in several health parameters. Squirrels ( N = 45) were trapped in Durham, North Carolina, USA and briefly anesthetized with inhalant anesthetic for physical examination, body mass collection, and venipuncture via the femoral vein. Collected blood was analyzed for several health parameters via hematology and biochemistry analyses including assessment of lipids and kidney and liver values. Physical examinations were clinically unremarkable and similar across seasons. Females had higher cholesterol values and lower creatinine values compared to males. Seasonal differences occurred in few parameters and were detected only between summer and either fall or spring. Potassium and monocytes were higher in summer compared to spring, and creatinine, BUN and monocytes were higher in summer compared to fall. Overall, health parameters of urban eastern gray squirrels fell within published reference ranges for the species. Together, these results suggest that urban squirrels in this study population can maintain good health in an anthropogenic habitat.

Urban ecology of Drosophila suzukii - Romain Ulmer; Aude Couty; Patrice Eslin; Françoise Dubois; Emilie Gallet‐Moron; Nicolas Lamotte; Justine Pavis; Alice Samama; Fabien Spicher; Olivier Chabrerie (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Are acoustic indices useful for monitoring urban biodiversity? - Eduardo Guimarães Santos; Helga Correa Wiederhecker; Vinicius Tirelli Pompermaier; Sofia Coradini Schirmer; Alison M. Gainsbury; Miguel Ângelo Marini (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Pollinator abundance, not the richness, benefits from urban green spaces in intensive agricultural land - Leonardo Lorenzato; Edy Fantinato; Daniele Sommaggio; Sebastiano Favarin; Gabriella Buffa (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Using social networks to explore the social flexibility of urban vervet monkeys - Harriet R. Thatcher; Colleen T. Downs; Nicola F. Koyama (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Increasing urbanisation reduces available habitat and increases human-wildlife interactions, presenting social and ecological challenges for many species; however, flexible generalist species, such as the vervet monkey, Chlorocebus pygerythrus , thrive under these pressures. In the urban mosaic, human-food sources represent clumped, monopolisable food that can increase contest competition. Social network analysis (SNA) is a powerful tool to monitor changes in social structure, yet it has rarely been used to study urban wildlife. Using SNA, we investigated the effect of anthropogenic food and human-wildlife interactions on social cohesion in five vervet monkey groups in urban KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Over six months, we conducted group scan samples every 30-min on each group and recorded all humans-vervet monkey interactions during dawn to dusk follows. We analysed the effect of foraging on natural and human-related food sources and human-vervet monkey interactions on social network metrics for grooming and aggression at group (density, clustering coefficient and distance) and individual (eigenvector centrality and degree) levels, using linear mixed models. Anthropogenic food influenced almost all social metrics. At the group level, foraging on anthropogenic food was related to increased density and cohesion in both grooming and aggression networks. At the individual level, increasing anthropogenic food affected high-ranking monkeys most: eigenvector centrality and outdegree in aggression networks increased with rank. Social network analysis can be a useful tool to document urban effects on wildlife groups, and aids our understanding of wildlife behavioural flexibility, a key tool in developing educated and effective management strategies.

Water availability and proximity to natural areas influence plant and terrestrial invertebrate communities in urban stormwater basins and ponds - Matisse Petit-Prost; Monique Poulin; André Desrochers; Isabelle Lavoie (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Patterns and correlates in the distribution, design and management of garden ponds along an urban–rural gradient - Andrew J. Hamer; Barbara Barta; Zsuzsanna Márton; Csaba F. Vad; Beáta Szabó; Irene Tornero; Zsófia Horváth (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urbanisation results in the loss and alteration of natural wetlands and ponds. However, garden ponds in cities and towns can potentially act as rich reservoirs of aquatic biodiversity and stepping stones for dispersal. Homeowners with a range of different motivations, including biodiversity values, install garden ponds. Here, our main aim was to study whether the design and management choices of garden pond owners depended on the location of ponds (capital city vs. countryside), when ponds were installed (pond age), or whether fish were introduced. We surveyed 834 garden pond owners across Hungary using a citizen science questionnaire, asking questions on pond size, location, construction date and materials, vegetation structure, introduction of fish and management practices. From 753 validated responses, we found that the introduction of fish into ponds and high urbanisation were strongly associated with local features and management practices, especially large ponds with a water circulation feature, irrespective of pond age. A typical garden pond in Hungary is ~ 20 m 2 , < 10 years old, made of rubber lining, contains fish, aquatic vegetation and circulating water, and is actively managed. There was a spatial separation of ponds based on local features between ponds in the capital city (Budapest) and elsewhere. These findings suggest that garden pond owners in the city were more likely to make different choices in pond design and management compared to owners in regional areas. Our results also suggest that pond owners may primarily select management practices to improve habitat quality for ornamental fish. Our findings have important implications for maintaining aquatic biodiversity in urban areas, where garden ponds may be the only aquatic habitat available.

Perceptions and knowledge of ecosystem services in urban river systems, Eastern Cape, South Africa - Elizabeth A. Mack; Frank C. Akamagwuna; Chenai Murata; Fenji Materechera-Mitochi; Chika Felicitas Nnadozie; Oghenekaro Nelson Odume (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
The ecosystem services concept has been studied in rural contexts but not as much in urban landscapes, particularly for aquatic ecosystems in Africa. There is little knowledge of how people perceive ecosystem services (ES) supplied by rivers in urban centres and the factors influencing their perceptions. To fill this gap, the research presented here addresses two objectives: 1) to assess local communities’ perception and knowledge of different types of ecosystem services of an urban river in South Africa, 2) to assess the influence of particular demographic characteristics (age and gender), socio-economic characteristics (education, housing type, income, and years of residence), and prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept on people’s perception of the ecosystem services provided by the Swartkops River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. To address these objectives, a team of ten trained field staff collected 181 surveys between May–June 2021 in communities within the river catchment. We used multinomial logit models to analyse the relationships between demographic and socio-economic variables, and people’s perception of ecosystem services. For the majority of the ecosystem services, there was almost an equal split between the perception “sometimes” and “never” that the river provides a particular ecosystem service, and people were less likely to say that the river always provide a particular service. Prior knowledge of the ecosystem services concept, years of residence, age, income and housing type significantly influence people’s perception of ecosystem services. Prior knowledge, was important for the intangible services, whereas years of residence was more important for tangible services with direct use value. Level of formal education was not a significant variable. An important implication of this study is that ecological interventions can be designed through an understanding of factors influencing people’s perceptions of ecosystem services.

Monitoring of mammal and bird species in an urban ecological park using environmental DNA metabarcoding - Heejung Sohn; Youngkeun Song (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Monitoring species distribution and abundance accurately and efficiently are vital for conservation efforts. Next-generation sequencing and DNA metabarcoding using environmental DNA (eDNA) allow for the simultaneous identification of multiple species in one sample, enabling swift biodiversity assessment in complex ecosystems. However, most eDNA studies focus on aquatic organisms and ecosystems.This study’s main objective was to use eDNA metabarcoding to monitor mammal and bird species in an urban ecological park. The chosen study site was Gildong Ecological Park, Seoul, South Korea, with a total area of 80,000 m² divided into three marsh area, a forested mountain area, and a rural experience learning center. Water sampling occurred five times from August to September, yielding 65 samples from three park sections. We employed MiMammal and MiBird primers targeting mitochondrial 12 S to investigate mammals and birds, serving as pivotal biological indicators within urban ecosystems.Metabarcoding revealed the presence of 73% (11/15) and 67% (represented 67% of the total 6268 individual) of the dominant mammalian and avian species, respectively, known to inhabit the park, compared to the results of traditional surveys. The mountain samples (1.51) and marsh samples (2.32) had significantly different median read counts when including all species; however, the same comparison within each taxonomic group yielded no statistically significant differences. Though we detected species differences using eDNA across summer, autumn, and winter monitoring, no statistically significant differences were found among seasons within the park. However, the park’s area is relatively small for detecting variations in eDNA. This might be because there is a lot of animal activity throughout the study site and/or a limited influence of microhabitats. These results could provide valuable insights for using eDNA to monitor animals in urban ecological parks.

The distribution and abundance of woody invasive alien plants in small towns in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa - Tshepiso Collen Seboko; Sheunesu Ruwanza; Charlie Shackleton (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are rapidly increasing around the world, mainly due to land transformation, climate change, and urbanisation. Whilst urban areas are highly susceptible to invasion by IAPs, crucial information on the distribution and abundance of woody invaders in small towns is limited. Here, we determined the distribution and abundance of woody IAPs across different suburbs and land use types in 12 small towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. We enumerated 38 427 individual woody IAPs, and their abundance and distribution varied across surveyed towns. Although species such as Melia azedarach , Pinus elliotti , Jacaranda mimosifolia , Eucalyptus camaldulensis , and Ligustrum lucidum were the most distributed, species density varied across towns. More than half of the woody IAPs were identified in affluent (56%) suburbs compared to the townships (23%), Central business district (CBD) (16%), and low-income housing neighbourhoods (5%). There were significant differences in woody IAPs distribution across different land use types, with more than half (54%) found in the residential areas compared to road verges (32%) and public urban green spaces (14%). Some socio-economic and environmental predictors such as town population, mean temperature, unemployment rate, and Gross domestic product (GDP) showed significant and positive correlations with woody IAPs species richness and density. Our findings suggest an uneven spatial distribution and diversity of woody IAPs across the different small towns, suburbs, and land use types in the region. It is recommended that small towns in South Africa need financial and human resources support to effectively manage IAPs.

The impact of impervious surface and neighborhood wealth on arthropod biodiversity and ecosystem services in community gardens - Asia Kaiser; Julian Resasco (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Use of compost to improve Technosol properties and spontaneous plant-soil relationships of Mediterranean species potentially suitable for urban greening - Ermenegilda Vitale; Pasquale Napoletano; Claudio Colombo; Carmen Arena; Anna De Marco (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Organic-based amendments are promising, eco-friendly solutions among soil requalification strategies. In this context, the current study explored the application of compost to Technosols (2 kg m -2 ) to improve soil quality, making the substrate suitable for plant growth. Changes in soil quality have been assessed before compost addition (time zero, T0) and plant transplanting and at 2, 4 and 11 months (T2, T4, and T11) after plant establishment. To test the soil suitability for plant growth, we monitored (at T2, T4, and T11) structural and functional ecological traits in the herbaceous spontaneous species Malva sylvestris L. and in transplanted Mediterranean sclerophyllous Phillyrea angustifolia L., and Quercus ilex L., often used in the urban greening, also considering plant and soil relationships. Our study demonstrated that compost increased soil nutrients availability over time, favoring M. sylvestris physiological performance in long-lasting, compared to sclerophyllous, since the beginning of the application. M. sylvestris exhibited high photosynthetic efficiency and carbon investment in photosynthetic tissues (higher leaf area and lower leaf mass per area) on compost-enriched soil. On the other hand, P. angustifolia and Q. ilex , even if they did not benefit from compost addition for photosynthetic efficiency, after 11 months, maintained higher leaf water content despite limited soil water availability. These results encourage the use of compost in ameliorating the quality of Technosols for urban greening, also evidencing that the species’choice is pivotal in obtaining benefits from plants and a period longer than one year is needed for sclerophyllous to see beneficial effects.

Embracing ambivalence as the key to promoting tree diversities as nature-based solutions in European cities - Dagmar Haase; Diana Dushkova (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban trees are recognised worldwide as one of the most sustainable and effective nature-based solutions to combat the effects of climate change and improve the quality of life for city dwellers by cooling the air, absorbing pollutants and damping noise. Along with protection from flooding and soil retention/restoration, trees also symbolise beauty, aesthetic quality, and orientation in urban spaces. Nevertheless, the relationship between street/park trees and urban society is highly ambivalent when it comes to pollen emissions and allergies, but also due to clearing space for new housing, road extensions, or parking places, which is accepted by large sections of urban society. In addition, climate change in itself is a major challenge to urban trees, as they suffer from drought and are increasingly attacked by pests. Urban planners and community partnerships have already developed a range of strategies (from more expert-led approaches to participatory co-design and actions) to maintain, increase, and diversify tree cover. They have also created new habitats and at the same time caused competition for space in the city, where every square centimetre is fought over. Using the case studies from Central and Eastern Europe and also considering the examples from Northern America and Asia, this commentary highlights the ambivalent relationship between humans and nature in regard to urban trees. It also demonstrates that the acceptance of this ambivalence can be a key to the conservation and maintenance of urban biodiversity through the involvement of different stakeholders including citizens.

Urban resilience through ecosystem services in Edmonton, Canada: an assessment of gaps and recommendations - Nickolas Zazula; S. Jeff Birchall (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Ant-plant networks exhibit distinct species diversity but similar organization in urban and wild areas of neotropical savannas - Samira Rosa de Oliveira Lima; Edvânia Costa de Oliveira Sá; Poliane Neres Morais; Tatianne Gizelle Marques Silva; Wesley Dáttilo; Walter Santos de Araújo (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Urban nature-based solutions planning for biodiversity outcomes: human, ecological, and artificial intelligence perspectives - Veljko Prodanovic; Peter M. Bach; Milan Stojkovic (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Nature-based solutions (NBS) harness ecosystem services for urban enhancement, promoting biodiversity, habitat creation, and water management while improving human well-being. However, decision-making often favours specific NBS designs, leading to uneven benefits distribution. Whereas human-centric NBS design relies on convenience, financial sustainability, historical aspects, and amenity increase through NBS technical solutions, flora- and fauna-centric (or eco-centric) design targets spatial connectedness of blue-green spaces, increase in species richness, and habitat within urban centres. Both approaches can shape the urban biodiversity landscape, yet; they often clash around planning priorities. Recent advances in AI offer potential for AI-centric urban planning, though its role remains unclear. This study examines the interplay between biodiversity and NBS planning across human-, eco-, and AI-centric domains, aiming for balanced urban outcomes. We blended narrative, integrative, and systematic literature review and propose future steps for more balanced NBS development. The findings of this work suggest that AI presents an opportunity for a more balanced NBS design through its applications in climate change prediction, water management, and project visualisation. Incorporating AI into urban planning tools can expedite modelling process, improve stakeholder communication, and enhance project outcomes visualisation. By integrating human, eco, and AI-centric approaches, urban planners can foster resilience and sustainability in NBS implementation, ensuring equitable distribution of benefits across urban landscapes.

Species richness and ecological connectivity of the mammal communities in urban and peri-urban areas at Mexico City - Pablo César Hernández Romero; Juan J. Von Thaden Ugalde; Carlos E. Muench; Diego Magaña Rodríguez; María del Coro Arizmendi; Francisco Botello; David A. Prieto-Torres (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban expansion has emerged as a pervasive driver of biodiversity loss in Mexican cities due to shifts in landscape composition and configuration. Hence, the preservation of forest cover, green spaces and isolated trees assume a critical role in conserving the biodiversity within urban areas. We compared mammal assemblages across 520 sites in Mexico City examining the impact of local vegetation and site characteristics (e.g., patch size, isolation distance) on diversity patterns. Then, we used a generalized linear model to evaluate the relationship between mammal assemblages (including both alpha and beta diversities) and the level of structural and functional connectivity across the landscape. We collected 5,063 records of 38 species from the sampled sites. Mammalian richness ranged from 1 to 9 spp./site, and the mean of taxonomic and functional (Functional Distance [MFD]) alpha diversities were 1.9 ± 1.3 spp./site and 0.41 ± 0.60 MFD/site, respectively. The average size of habitat fragments was 0.41 hectares, and the percent forest cover per site ranged from 0.5 to 100%. Both species and functional alpha diversities were different among the land-use and vegetation types (including protected vs . non-protected areas). There was a clear distinction (β value > 0.40) in species composition across the landscape, which was positively related to geographical distance and negatively related to connectivity between sites. We identified four main patches especially important to connectivity across the city and argue that conserving them is critical for restoring key components of biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban areas of Mexico City.

Urban biodiversity and design in time of (post)pandemics: research perspectives from URBIO international network - Diana Dushkova; Maria Ignatieva; Anastasia Konstantinova; Charles Nilon; Norbert Müller (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Reflecting on the insights from research development within Urban Biodiversity and Design Network (URBIO), this paper attempts to link the consequences of current global changes (ongoing urbanization, biodiversity loss, land-use changes, globalization, etc.) to the emergence and outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyses the main outcomes of the URBIO webinar (December 2021) and the URBIO conference (November 2022) and the results of the questionnaire survey among the URBIO experts on the impact of COVID-19 on the biodiversity, design and society in their local contexts as well as on the ongoing and future URBIO research directions. The survey also enabled to explore and assess a wide diversity of human-nature interactions as well as the novel actions and adaptation strategies established to have positive outcomes for both humans and nature. The results revealed the following aspects associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: silence, social distancing, isolation, conflict ideologies, and declined recreational and other human activities. Experts noticed the increase of urban green space visitation and interest in nature. The majority of the experts confirmed the impact (both positive and negative) of the COVID-19 on biodiversity and environment. General positive aspects refer to the value/significance of nature and biodiversity/wildlife and especially the contact with nature (“time outdoor”, “time spent with family”, “inspiration from nature” and “enjoying nature”). The positive consequence of the COVID-19 measures was also the improvement of wildlife habitats and the increase of spontaneous flora as well as fauna species. Experts confirmed the lower/decreased level of pollution, noise, traffic, light, anthropogenic pressure/impact, number of tourists, vehicles as well as less garbage. The analysis of leading research themes among the URBIO conference participants confirmed that the biggest number of presenters and participants were on the topic of biodiversity integration in urban planning, green infrastructure, and landscape design projects. Another popular theme was ecological restoration and urban wildlife and plant biodiversity. One particular research direction that emerged recently and clearly pronounced at URBIO 2022 was urban biodiversity in times of climate change and post-pandemics.

The overlooked margins: how cities impact diversity of plants and terrestrial invertebrates along urban streams - Carolina Oliveira Campos; Salomé F. P. Almeida; Sónia R. Q. Serra; Ana Raquel Calapez; Paulo Silveira; Maria João Feio (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
The effect of different urbanization levels on terrestrial biodiversity associated with riparian zones remains poorly studied, despite the important ecosystem services it provides in cities. Studies focused on aquatic ecosystems in urban streams reported decreases in ecological quality and species richness, and lack of sensitive taxa. Thus, we investigated the impact of urbanization on riparian zone flora and terrestrial invertebrates using as case studies nine urban streams spanning an urbanization gradient in the Portuguese city of Coimbra. An unexpectedly high number of taxa were identified (163 plants, 80 terrestrial invertebrates), 80% new registrations for the region and one endemic-rare plant. Yet, diversity varied across streams, β-diversity reaching 39% Bray-Curtis similarity and averaging 25%, due to many underrepresented terrestrial taxa ( N = 62 observed only in one site). Variation across the urbanization gradient reached 59% in plants and 82% in terrestrial invertebrates. High numbers of non-native taxa (13%; N = 32), mostly plants, suggested urbanization factors, e.g. human interference and discharge variation, may have favored invasions. Indeed, constructed natural spaces along streams, like parks, supported less biodiversity. Moreover, plant richness, especially of riparian plants, was correlated negatively with percentages of surrounding impervious areas and positively with water quality. This shows urbanization has negative effects on riparian vegetation, and water quality impacts both aquatic and terrestrial communities. Our results stress urban streams as novel ecosystems constituted by high numbers of non-native taxa, and the significance of riparian zones for biodiversity preservation. Less intense intervention on riparian vegetation is recommended to increase biodiversity.

Effects of urbanization-related disturbances on macroinvertebrate communities in a Patagonian river system: insights from a functional approach - Emilio A. Williams-Subiza; Cecilia Brand; Yanina A. Assef; Marta G. Grech; M. Laura Miserendino (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

The luxury effect in urban aquatic ecosystems: exploring drivers of change - Piatã Marques; Andrew T.M. Chin; Jonathan L.W. Ruppert; Nicholas E. Mandrak (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Policy-making for peri-urban landscapes as arenas of human-wildlife interactions - Annemarie Tabea Roth; Janina Kleemann; Marcin Spyra (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Peri-urban landscapes are transitional areas between urban and rural areas that are constantly changing. They are characterised by land use mixes and land cover changes, leading to significant changes in wildlife habitats. These changes, combined with an increasing anthropogenic presence, turn peri-urban landscapes into arenas of intensified human-wildlife interactions. In many scientifically documented cases, scientists are focusing on negative interactions. Furthermore, research about appropriate policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions is rare. This study focused on case studies and their characteristics from around the world on positive, neutral, or negative interactions between humans and wildlife at local level. In addition, influencing factors of human-wildlife interactions and policy instruments for managing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes were addressed. A survey was conducted with an international group of scientists and practitioners working in this field. The results showed that various species were involved in human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes worldwide, with mammals as being the most common taxon. Contemporary changes in land use and land cover could be identified as a significant factor for increasing human-wildlife interactions in peri-urban landscapes. It can be highlighted that a policy mix consisting mainly of social and cultural instruments in combination with legal and regulatory instruments could be most suitable to address this situation.

Integrating biocultural diversity into urban school grounds through transdisciplinary curriculum design - Shari L. Wilson (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

You are what you eat: urban soil lead predicts American robin (Turdus migratorius) blood lead in Flint, MI - Dorothy L. Zahor; Kenneth J. Glynn; Brian Majestic; Jamie M. Cornelius (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Spatiotemporal use of urban rivers by local bat populations in a large city (Cracow, Southern Poland) - Joanna Kohyt; Justyna Karczmarz; Andrea Pereswiet-Soltan; Ewa Pierzchała (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban watercourses are an essential part of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) that can mitigate the negative impact of habitat loss resulting from urbanization. Many studies on temperate urban bats activity did not concern its seasonal variations. Our work evaluated the bats’ activity and occurrence in different urban riverside environments throughout the vegetation period. Our results showed that long-range echolocators were represented mainly by Nyctalus noctula . Their activity peak occurred in late summer in open habitats of high anthropogenic pressure levels, and at least part of the population was present year-round in the city. Recently reported from Cracow: Hypsugo savii and Pipistrellus kuhlii were confirmed in the medium-range echolocators. The high occurrence of P. pygmeus with a relatively low P. pipistrellus was noteworthy and is probably a result of the low competitiveness of the latter in the presence of P. kuhlii . Two spring and late summer activity peaks on different rivers suggest different migration corridors from and to hibernacula. However, the autumn activity in the city center may also indicate partial hibernation in the old town. The activity peak of short-range echolocators occurred in spring, as expected - mainly in a narrow riverbed and low anthropogenic pressure environments. However, ambiguous spring and late summer activity in the open with the highest anthropogenic pressure environment may result from the rapidly progressing synurbization of M. daubentonii. Our results indicate the need to monitor the bat adaptation process to the cities in the context of dynamic climatic and environmental changes.

Rapid urbanization declined mammals and mammal-mediated seed dispersal in a megacity, central China - Hengyue Zhao; Zhiwen Chen; Min Zhang; Hongyu Niu; Hongmao Zhang (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Common camas (Camassia quamash) response across an urban–rural gradient in coastal oak meadows in Greater Victoria, Canada - Erin Rolleman; Trevor Lantz; Darcy Mathews; Nancy Shackelford (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Urban trawling bats depend on green and blue space in a subtropical city: implications for urban planning and climate change resilience - Vanessa Gorecki; Monika Rhodes; Stuart Parsons (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

A matter of connection: the importance of habitat networks for endangered butterflies in anthropogenic landscapes - Leonardo Ancillotto; Fabio Mosconi; Rocco Labadessa (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Cities are expanding at fast rates across the world, representing one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss due to habitat replacement. Nonetheless, urban and peri-urban areas often feature green spaces that may offer opportunities to wildlife and even represent safe havens for endangered species. Nonetheless, the key drivers that shape wildlife responses to urban landscapes, and in turn their ability to persist within cities, are far from being fully understood. Here we focus on an ecologically specialized butterfly, the endemic Italian festoon Zerynthia cassandra , as a model to assess how endangered species may survive in highly modified urban landscapes. The relatively low mobility and high host plant specialization make Z. cassandra an excellent target for studies in urban ecology, as they make the species able to exploit small suitable patches while at the same time potentially sensitive to habitat fragmentation and loss due to urbanization and land reclamation. We thus first document the relatively widespread occurrence of potentially suitable sites within two highly modified landscapes of central and southern Italy, with 25 and 35% of sites actually occupied by Z. cassandra . By modeling the probability of butterfly occurrence as a function of environmental characteristics, we found that Z. cassandra is strongly influenced by functional connectivity among suitable sites in urban landscapes, as well as by the abundance of Aristolochia host plants, and by the availability of profitable land cover classes in the immediate surroundings of potential oviposition sites. Our results indicate not only that networks of urban and peri-urban green spaces may host populations of protected and endangered species, but that management should also focus on the urban matrix in order to provide connecting corridors, as key assets to guarantee species persistence in cities.

Discovering urban nature: citizen science and biodiversity on a university campus - P. Tiago; A. I. Leal; I. T. Rosário; S. Chozas (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Preserving biodiversity is a paramount global concern and, in this regard, monitoring urban biodiversity has increasingly taken on a significant role. Citizen science has emerged as a resource for addressing this challenge, offering a cost-effective approach capable of producing extensive data while promoting public engagement. In this work, a Lisbon university campus was used to determine the effectiveness of a citizen science project launched on the BioDiversity4All/iNaturalist platform to monitor urban biodiversity and analyse the influence of different engagement actions on biodiversity observations. The data analysis was based on biodiversity observations, including the temporal evolution of observations, the most frequently observed taxonomic groups, and the impact of promotional actions on project data. Additionally, the profiles of the observers were analyzed to assess their level of engagement and continued involvement in citizen science. The project had an effect on the increase in the number of observers and observations, and it was also possible to see a positive effect of the organized activities. The two indices used showed that Researchers and Students were the observer categories responding the most to the project, followed by Naturalists and Others. The results highlighted the capacity of citizen science to increase interest in biodiversity among both the university community and the general public. Furthermore, this work underlines the role of different strategies such as BioBlitzes, social media campaigns, and formal education activities to reduce the impact of relevant limitations associated with citizen science, namely taxonomic, aesthetic, and temporal biases.

Creative management: a framework for designing multifunctional play biotopes - lessons from a Scandinavian landscape laboratory - Björn Wiström; Fredrika Mårtensson; Åsa Ode Sang; Anna Litsmark; Marcus Hedblom (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Most children grow up in urbanised settings with a low possibility to experience biodiversity and nature. However, experiencing nature and other species increases children’s wellbeing, health, learning abilities and their understanding of nature values. Play biotopes is one solution for supporting a co-existence between children and different species in nature-based play settings. Play biotopes are based on ecological theories, where structures in the morphology of landscapes at different scales and the content of flora and fauna can support children’s interplay with a part of the landscape. However, traditional landscape management is not adapted to support the dynamic nature of play biotopes, especially when considering multiple scales. This makes it interesting to explore more dynamic management concepts arching over multiple scales. Accordingly, we here explore creative management as a scale-based framework for design by management to further develop the concept of play biotopes. Using examples from a landscape laboratory in southern Sweden, we propose that a creative management framework combining the scales of landscape, biotope, place, and object together with play connectivity can support the creation and management of multifunctional play biotopes.

Nitrogen availability and denitrification in urban agriculture and regreened vacant lots - Philip E. Conrad; Richard E. Marinos (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Dynamic occupancy analyses of native birds in an urban ecological reserve reveal seasonal changes in site occupancy and preference for adjacent urbanized areas - J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega; Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez; Gonzalo A. Ramírez-Cruz; Israel Solano-Zavaleta (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban ecological reserves are large green areas immersed within cities where native and exotic species of plants and animals coexist. Here, we examined the environmental features that facilitate the occurrence of nine species of native birds in an urban ecological reserve located within one of the largest cities in the world, Mexico City. We also searched for changes in occupancy rates among the three distinct climatic seasons that occur in central Mexico: warm-dry, rainy, and cold-dry. Using data collected during four years and multi-season occupancy models, we found that most of our study species prefer the urbanized sites that surround the reserve over the core conservation areas. This urban affinity can be explained by the diverse vegetation that prevails in such urban sites, which offers a high habitat heterogeneity that facilitates the presence of bird species with distinct ecological needs. In contrast, the reserve consists of a relatively homogeneous xerophytic scrubland where a few species of shrubs and small trees are dominant. We also detected seasonal changes in five species, with highest occupancy during the warm-dry season of each year, which coincides with both their breeding season and the driest period of the year. This finding indicates that these birds find in the reserve and surrounding urban areas enough food and water during this limiting season as well as safe nesting sites. Our study provides evidence that some native birds can become urban exploiters and that the benefits that they obtain from urban settings are greatest during their breeding season.

Where the risk is more intense: riparian forests keep the euglossine bees community most affected by anthropic disturbance in the Caatinga dry forest - Aline Mariza Costa Mariano; Arthur Domingos-Melo; Eduardo Gonçalves da Silva; Antonio Marcos dos Santos; Márcia de Fátima Ribeiro; Paulo Milet-Pinheiro (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Effect of exotic species management on the recovery of relict forests through citizen participation - Nihaib Flores-Galicia; Erick Gutiérrez; Irma Trejo (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
In the cities, remnants of the vegetation that originally occupied these areas can be found. Exotic species have established in these relicts, and therefore these spaces require management aimed at recovering native vegetation. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the removing exotic species on the floristic composition of the remnants of an oak forest. We compared the abundance/cover and composition of exotic plants in a forest that has been managed through citizen participation with that of reference forests (both with remnants, but the former without protection and the latter with protection). We established 48 sampling sites to characterize the vegetation in three strata (upper, middle, and low) and monitored changes in composition in managed forest sites for a period of 3 years. The results indicate that the managed forest hosts different species than those found in the reference forests, with lower abundance and cover of exotic plants in the upper and lower strata. Regarding temporal changes, we observed shifts in floristic composition before and after management activities, and a reduction in the cover of exotic species before and after management, with consistently low cover three years later. This underscores the effectiveness of citizen-led management activities, offering a viable alternative for restoring native vegetation in urban environments.

The invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides modifies the sediment microbiome in urban and periurban river wetlands - Tong Wang; Jinming Yang; Yongfeng Zhu; Zeyu Zhang; Xiaolong Chi; Zhen Sun; Chunlin Wang; Lizheng Fang; Hongrui Dou; Zhenghao Fan; Shimei Li; Chunhua Liu (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Insects as potential vectors of phytoplasmas in urban trees in a mega-city: a case study in Bogotá, Colombia - Andres Felipe Silva-Castaño; Helena Brochero; Liliana Franco-Lara (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban trees offer many ecosystem services which can be affected by pathogens, including phytoplasmas. Phytoplasmas cause regulator growth imbalances in infected plants, which produce deviations from the normal plant architecture, among other symptoms. In Bogotá, Colombia, ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ and ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma fraxini’ infect at least 11 species of urban trees, including Andean oak. This tree species is endemic to Colombia and Panama, and it plays an important ecologic role in the Colombian Andes wild forests. In Bogotá, knowledge about the insect vectors associated with the transmission of phytoplasmas to Andean oak is scarce. In this work we sampled the entomofauna of Andean oaks and evaluated the role of Cicadellidae and Psylloidea taxa as potential vectors of phytoplasmas in Bogotá. Insects were captured using direct and indirect sampling methods from Andean oaks at three contrasting sites in Bogotá, and also from neighbouring trees. The insects were identified by morphological and molecular methods and tested for phytoplasmas. In total, 510 Cicadellidae members of 13 taxa and 129 Psylloidea of 8 taxa were captured; richness and abundance depended on the type and sampling site. The most abundant species were Scaphytopius ( Convelinus ) sp. (Cicadellidae) and Acizzia uncatoides (Psylloidea). Leafhoppers positive for phytoplasmas were Chiasmodolini, Dikrella ( Readionia ) sp., Empoasca sp. and Scaphytopius sp. taxa. Our results suggest that several potential species of phytoplasmas may be dispersing phytoplasmas to Andean oaks and other urban tree species. It is necessary to conduct transmission tests to evaluate the transmission capacity of the potential vectors.

Use of wildlife-friendly structures in residential gardens by animal wildlife: evidence from citizen scientists in a global biodiversity hotspot - Bronte E Van Helden; Laura M Skates; Paul G Close (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Private gardens comprise a large component of greenspace in cities and can offer substantial conservation opportunities. There has been strong advocacy from researchers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners to engage householders in wildlife-friendly gardening practices to increase the quantity, quality and connection of habitat resources for urban wildlife. Despite this call to action, there remains limited knowledge on the use and benefit of some wildlife-friendly structures within gardens, such as artificial refuges and water sources. In collaboration with 131 citizen scientists in southwestern Australia, we examined the use of seven wildlife-friendly structure types by four vertebrate taxa groups. Following 2841 wildlife surveys undertaken between 31 July 2022 and 22 February 2023, we found that all structures were used primarily by target taxa, water sources were often used by relatively common species, certain structures such as possum shelters were used by rare and threatened species (e.g. western ringtail possum), and that there was evidence of animals making use of the wildlife-friendly structures for reproduction (e.g. bird eggs in nest boxes and tadpoles in water sources). Water sources were used more frequently and by a greater diversity of wildlife than artificial refuges. In particular, bird baths were used by the highest number of species (mainly birds) while ponds were used by the greatest variety of taxa (birds, reptiles, frogs, mammals). Our findings provide evidence-based support for the advocacy of wildlife-friendly gardening practices and further highlight the role of residential gardens for biodiversity conservation.

Urban beaver ponds show limited impact on stream carbon quantity in contrast to stormwater ponds - Julian Sheppy; Elizabeth B. Sudduth; Sandra Clinton; Diego Riveros-Iregui; Sarah H. Ledford (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

China’s urban green growth from 2000 to 2020 is influenced by legacy effects - Hai-Li Zhang; Hao Xiu; Mir Muhammad Nizamani; Qing Zhou; Kaijun Long; Yunfan Quan; Tingting Fu; Qinghui Sun (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

What factors are influencing peri-urban forest carbon storage in different land use types based on permanent plots from 2009–2018 - Yanyan Wei; Min Zhao; Jun Gao (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Water snakes have a high diversity of parasites in anthropized environments - Monique C. Oliveira; Cristiana Ferreira-Silva; Reinaldo J. Silva; Frederico G. R. França; Ricardo Lorenço-de-Moraes (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Assessing the contribution of lawns and semi-natural meadows to bee, wasp, and flower fly communities across different landscapes - Sabrina Cloutier; Poliana Mendes; Jérôme Cimon-Morin; Stéphanie Pellerin; Valérie Fournier; Monique Poulin (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Citizen-science data identifies the daily movement patterns and habitat associations of a nocturnal urban-invading bird species (Corvus frugilegus) - Jiweon Yun; Wonhyeop Shin; Jihwan Kim; James H. Thorne; Youngkeun Song (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Rooks ( Corvus frugilegus ) are an invasive bird species in South Korea that are deemed harmful due to nocturnal urban invasions and agricultural damage. Employing citizen science data, we document the daily movement patterns and habitat associations of nocturnal urban-invading rooks in Suwon, South Korea. We collected 4,522 geolocated observations from December 2021 to March 2022, categorized by the timings of sunrise and sunset and segmented into 3-h intervals. Using the MaxENT (Maximum Entropy Model) and k-fold cross-validation (k = 10) with a 25% random test sample, we analyzed daily movement patterns and habitat preferences. Our results show that rooks forage in agricultural areas shortly after sunrise and roost in urban environments after sunset. Urban roosts tend to occur in areas near buildings of medium height (6–20 stories) that are illuminated by artificial light and contain utility poles. The variables with the highest percent contribution to rooks’ presence after sunset were buildings of medium height (20.7%), land use type (19.4%), elevation (29%), and utility pole (14.5%). Our findings emphasize the potential of citizen science initiatives to generate insights into the ecology of invasive bird species within large urban environments.

Higher rat abundance in greener urban areas - Marieke P. de Cock; Helen J. Esser; Wim H. M. van der Poel; Hein Sprong; Miriam Maas (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban greening has become an increasingly popular strategy to improve urban life and human health. However, there are indications that the presence and extent of urban greenness may increase the abundance of wild rats. Therefore, we investigated which environmental and socio-economic factors are associated with rat abundance, with a focus on factors related to urban greenness. We systematically trapped rats (222 Rattus norvegicus and 5 Rattus rattus ) in parks and residential areas in three cities in the Netherlands. We modelled the relative abundance of rats against various environmental and socio-economic variables. In addition, we compared municipality rat complaint data with our trapping data and analysed trap success over time. We observed positive relationships between the relative abundance of rats and both greenness (NDVI) and different proxies for food resources (restaurants and petting zoos). In addition, there were more municipality rat complaints in residential areas compared to parks, while there was a higher relative abundance of rats in parks. Our findings corroborate that greenness is associated with a higher abundance of wild rats, and that municipality rat complaints may underestimate the abundance of rats in greener urban areas. This study provides new insights on factors affecting relative rat abundance in cities and can guide policy makers and city planners how to minimize rat nuisance in the greener parts of cities. By taking these potential effects of urban greenness on rat abundance into account, measures can be taken that on the one hand maintain the beneficial effects of urban greening, but at the same time reduce the carrying capacity for rats.

Relevance of forest fragments and synanthropic habitats for the maintenance of non-phyllostomid bats in an anthropogenic matrix - Jeanneson Sales; Patrício Adriano da Rocha (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Evaluating the driving factors of the environmental injustice caused by the spatial mismatch of ecosystem services in mega cities in China - Chenjie Gu; Qian Shi; Chao Tongji (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)

Exploring the value of ecosystem services at health clinic gardens in a South African context - N. Gwedla; M. Muller; S. S. Cilliers; C. Niesing; P. Bester; M.J. Du Toit (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Ecosystem services (ESs) valuation is important for advancing biodiversity objectives and investing in green infrastructure (GI) establishment. Little is known about the potential of health clinic gardens (HCGs) to provide ESs and their potential values. This study sought to determine the plant and bird species composition and potential value of ESs provided by 32 HCGs in two South African district municipalities. HCG sizes range from 513.0m 2 to 13531.0m 2 and each had at least one micro-garden. Among the 312 plant species observed across all HCGs, 60% were exotic. The small HCGs had 31 ± 3.6 different plant species per garden, compared to the medium-sized (32 ± 3.7) and large ones (49 ± 5.2). Provisioning ESs from the observed species were prominent with 17.4 ± 1.16 species potentially used for general well-being, 13.66 ± 1.08 as potential food plants, and 11.91 ± 0.93 potentially raw materials. Trees in HCGs were estimated to sequester up to 163481.87 kg of carbon from trees covering an area of up to 9620.80m 2 . Approximately 1390.70 ± 427.50m 2 of HCG space had the potential to provide a habitat for plants and birds, and 11 bird species were observed across all HCGs. Sixty-three bird nests encountered in 18 HCGs are believed to belong to the Passer domesticus . HCGs resemble other types of gardens like home and domestic gardens, and their rich plant biodiversity positions them as ideal ecosystems to benefit even the most vulnerable members of society. They provide an opportune platform for knowledge upscaling in the cultivation and use of plant species as a supplement of primary healthcare and food security issues in the summer months to the rural, urban, and peri-urban poor in the Global South.

Bird population changes in urban green spaces explained by regional population trends - Carmen Emilie Skjelvik; Svein Dale (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Urban bird species represent a subset of the regional species pool, consisting of species that have been able to survive in, or colonise, urban areas. Urban birds are typically resident non-forest species with a broad diet and nesting high in trees or in cavities, and some studies have also claimed that they are large-brained. However, little is known about how urban bird communities change over time. Does the urban environment impose specific selective pressures favouring particular species or ecological groups, or do birds in urban areas simply have population changes reflecting population trends at larger scales? We assessed population changes of 45 breeding land bird species in Oslo, the capital of Norway, based on surveys conducted ca. 15 years apart. Population changes within Oslo most closely matched changes occurring at the regional level (national population trends from Norway and Sweden). Thus, species increasing in Oslo were those that also increased at the regional level. We found no evidence that relative brain size, diet or habitat preferences influenced population trends. However, controlling for regional population trends, there were additional residual effects of nest site and migration: species nesting on the ground or low in bushes had more positive changes than species nesting high in trees or in cavities, and resident species did better than long- or short-distance migrants. These results indicate that urban environments are not isolated islands only influenced by own selection pressures, but are connected with regional population dynamics, most likely through immigration.

Initiating, innovating and accelerating edible cities. A case study based on two transition experiments in the city of Dresden (Germany) - Kristin Reiß; Thea Luisa Seifert; Martina Artmann (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
Civic transition experiments targeting sustainable food production increasingly engage with edible cities aiming at providing free food on public urban spaces. To deepen the understanding regarding how transition experiments can build urban transformative capacities, this paper presents a transdisciplinary case study on two civic edible city initiatives and their measures to cooperatively initiate, innovate, and accelerate edible cities in Dresden (Germany). We identified the two key action areas “civic participation” and “cooperative area activation” covering ten key transition activities to illustrate the variety and content of a transformation towards an edible city. Based on expert interviews and document analyses, we evaluated their process progression by linking research from urban ecology with transformation science. By visualizing its quantitative results, common and distinct patterns of the edible city initiatives could be made visible. Overall, we found that the level of activity is highest in the key action area of “citizen participation”. In this context, both transition experiments had different but specific foci in terms of their key transition activities (i.e. education, activation of stakeholders), whereby activities related to civic empowerment and social cohesion were lacking in both cases. To re-shape narratives pertaining to land access, food production, and participation under the principles of justice, we suggest that transition experiments related to “civic participation” and “cooperative area activation” must be approached together. Our systematic assessment can then enable civic transition teams to strategically identify common goals that need to be prioritized for initiating, innovating, and accelerating urban edible commons.

The effect of root shaving and biostimulant application on the transplant success of six common Australian urban tree species - Ariningsun Cinantya; Anthony Manea; Michelle R. Leishman (Urban Ecosystems, 2024)
To enhance the establishment of container-grown trees, nursery and urban forest practitioners use root pruning to improve plant root structure. However, some methods of root pruning may cause stress to the plant and reduce shoot growth. One potential approach to mitigating tree stress is the application of biostimulants. This study aimed to determine the impact root shaving, a type of root pruning, has on the growth of urban plant species, and whether biostimulant application mitigates this impact. To address these aims, we applied root shaving (not shaved, shaved) and biostimulant (control, humic substance, protein hydrolysate, seaweed extract) treatments to six tree species that are commonly planted in the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia in a factorial design. The study consisted of a glasshouse and field experiment to simulate nursery production and urban field conditions, respectively. We found that the assimilation rate of the plants was not affected by root shaving but four of the species still experienced reductions in shoot growth in the short-term. This reduction was a result of the plants allocating resources to root growth to compensate for the root loss. However, in the long-term, the plants were able to compensate for this reduction in shoot growth. We found that biostimulant application did not mitigate the short-term impacts of root shaving on plant growth. We can conclude that root shaving and biostimulant application do not affect plant establishment in the long-term.