Abstract
A main goal of ecological research is to recognize problems that are connected to anthropogenic uses of nature, and to figure out solutions for a better development and a higher quality of life for humans (Haber 1993). From Carl Troll’s landscape ecology developed the branch of urban ecology, which Leser characterized as “a landscape ecological field par excellence” (Troll 1973; Leser 1997, 2008; Reichholf 2007). Urban ecology is the study of ecosystems that includes humans living in cities and urbanizing landscapes (Marzluff et al. 2008). Alberti et al. (2003) defined urban ecology as the “study of ecosystems that includes humans living in cities and urbanizing landscapes. It investigates ecosystem services which are closely linked to patterns of urban development”. The interdisciplinary concept of urban ecology covers multiple branches of science which deal with the linkages and relationships between biotic communities and their abiotic environment as well as between urban nature, city dwellers and urban planners (Sukopp and Trepl 1995). Urban ecology has a long history of research, especially in Europe (Sukopp 2002). However, as an independent branch of science, urban ecology is a comparably young discipline. Only 40 years ago, researchers began to investigate urban agglomerations more in detail from an ecological point of view (Sukopp 1973). It has been shown that the specific environmental conditions in urban settings compared with rural areas give rise to very specific ecological systems and particular species combinations.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alberti, M., Marzluff, J.M., Shulenberger, E., Bradley, G., Ryan, C., ZumBrunnen, C., 2003. Integrating humans into ecology: Opportunities and challenges for studying urban ecosystems. Bioscience 53(12), 1-11
Bastian, O., Haase, D., Grunewald, K., 2011. Ecosystem properties, potentials and services - the EPPS conceptual framework and an urban application example. Ecological Indicators 11 (in press)
Baumbach, G., 1996. Air quality control. Berlin
Blume, H.-P., 1998. Böden. In: Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds., Stadtökologie. 2nd ed. Stuttgart, 168-185
Breuste, J., 2009. Structural analysis of urban landscape for landscape management in German cities. In: McDonnell, M., Hahs, A., Breuste, J., Eds., Ecology of cities and towns: A comparative approach. Cambridge, 355-379
Breuste, J. & Wächter, M., 1999. Konzepte zur umwelt- und sozialverträglichen Entwicklung von Stadtregionen auf der Basis von urbanen Raumstrukturen und deren ökologischer, umweltepidemiologischer und sozialer Indikatoren. UFZ-Bericht 34, Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle
Breuste, J., Haase, D., Elmqvist, T., 2011. Urban landscapes and ecosystem services. (ES2: Ecosystem Services in Engineered Systems). In: Sandhu, H., Wratten, S., Cullen, R., Costanza, R., Eds. (Forthcoming from Wiley-Blackwell)
BUND/MISEREOR, Eds., 1996. Zukunftsfähiges Deutschland: Ein Beitrag zu einer global nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Basel
Burghardt, W., 1991. Wasserhaushalt von Stadtböden. In: Schuhmacher, H. & Thiesmeier, B. Eds., Urbane Gewässer. Essen, 395-412
Charta der Europäischen Städte auf dem Weg zur Zukunftsbeständigkeit, 1994. Die Kampagne europäischer zukunftsbeständiger Städte und Gemeinden. Brüssel
Costanza, R., d'Arge, R., deGroot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., O'Neill, R., Paruelo, J., 1997. The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387, 253-260
Crutzen, P., 2006. The “Anthropocene”. In: Ehlers, E. & Krafft, T., Eds., Earth system science in the anthropocene. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 13-18
Daily, G., Ed., 1997. Nature’s Services: Societal dependence on natural ecosystems. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
De Groot, R.S., Wilson, M., Boumans, R., 2002. A typology for description, classification and valuation of ecosystem functions, goods and services. Environmental Economics 41, 393-408
Ehlers, E., 2008. Das Anthropozän – Die Erde im Zeitalter des Menschen. Darmstadt
Endlicher, W., Langner, M., Hesse, M., Mieg, H.A., Kowarik, I., Hostert, P., Kulke, E., Nützmann, G., Schulz, M., van der Meer, E., Wessolek, G., Wiegand, C., 2007. Urban ecology – Definitions and concepts. In: Langner, M. & Endlicher, W., Eds., Shrinking cities: Effects on urban ecology and challenges for urban development. Frankfurt am Main, 1-15
Grimm, N.B., Faeth, S.H., Golubiewski, N.E., Redman, C.L., Wu, J.G., Bai, X.M., Briggs, J.M., 2008. Global change and the ecology of cities. Science 319, 756-760
Haase, D., 2008. Urban ecology of shrinking cities: an unrecognised opportunity? Nature and Culture 3, 1-8
Haase, D., 2009. Effects of urbanisation on the water balance – a long-term trajectory. Environment Impact Assessment Review 29, 211-219
Haase, D. & Nuissl, H., 2010. The urban-to-rural gradient of land use change and impervious cover: a long-term trajectory for the city of Leipzig. Land Use Science 5(2), 123-142
Haber, W., 1993. Ökologische Grundlagen des Umweltschutzes. Bonn
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contributions of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva
Klausnitzer, B., 1987. Ökologie der Großstadtfauna. Jena
Kowarik, I., 1990. Some responses of flora and vegetation to urbanization in central Europe. In: Sukopp, H., Hejny, S., Kowarik, I., Eds., 1990. Plants and plant communities in the urban environment, The Hague, 45-74
Kowarik, I., 2003. Biologische Invasionen. Neophyten und Neozoen in Mitteleuropa. Stuttgart
Kowarik, I. & Körner, S., Eds., 2005. Wild urban woodlands. New perspectives for urban forestry. Berlin
Kunick, W., 1974. Veränderungen von Flora und Vegetation einer Großstadt, dargestellt am Beispiel von Berlin (West). Diss. TU Berlin
Kunick, W., 1982. Zonierung des Stadtgebietes von West-Berlin. Ergebnisse floristischer Untersuchungen. Landschaftsentwicklung und Umweltforschung 14, 1-164
Kuttler, W., 1998. Stadtklima. In: Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds., Stadtökologie. 2nd ed. Stuttgart, 125-167
Langner, M. & Endlicher, W., Eds., 2007. Shrinking cities: effects on urban ecology and challenges for urban development. Frankfurt am Main
Leser, H., 1997. Landschaftsökologie. Stuttgart. 4th ed.
Leser, H., 2008. Stadtökologie. Berlin, Stuttgart
MA Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Current State and Trends. Findings of the Condition and Trends Working Group. Island Press, Washington. http://www.maweb.org/en/Condition.aspx
Marzluff, J., Shulenberger, E., Endlicher, W., Alberti, M., Bradley, G., Ryan, C., Simon, U., ZumBrunnen, C. (eds.), 2008. Urban Ecology: An International Perspective on the Interaction Between Humans and Nature. New York
Meurer, M., 1997. Stadtökologie – eine historische, aktuelle und zukünftige Perspektive. Geographische Rundschau 49(10), 548-555
Oke, T.R., 1973. City size and the urban heat island. Atmospheric Environment 7, 769-779
Reichholf, J., 2007. Stadtnatur. Eine neue Heimat für Tiere und Pflanzen. München
Schellnhuber, H.J., Molina, M., Stern, N., Huber, V. & Kadner, S., Eds., 2010. Global sustainability – A Nobel cause. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge
Schuhmacher, H. & Thiesmeier, B., Eds., 1991. Urbane Gewässer. Essen
Strohbach, N., Haase, D. & Kabisch, N., 2009. Birds and the city – urban biodiversity, land-use and socioeconomics. Ecology and Society 14(2), 31
Sukopp, H., 1973. Die Großstadt als Gegenstand ökologischer Forschung. Schr. Ver. Verbreitung naturwiss. Kenntnisse Wien 113, 90-140
Sukopp, H., 1997. Ökologische Charakteristik von Großstädten. Ber. Abhandl. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akad. Wissensch. 3, 105-128
Sukopp, H., 2002. On the early history of urban ecology in Europe. Preslia 74, 373-393
Sukopp, H., Ed., 1990. Stadtökologie, das Beispiel Berlin. Berlin
Sukopp, H. & Trepl, L., 1995. Stadtökologie. In: Kuttler, W., Ed., 1995. Handbuch für Ökologie. Berlin, 391-396
Sukopp, H. & Weiler, S., 1986. Biotopkartierung im besiedelten Bereich der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Landschaft und Stadt 18, 25-38
Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds., 1998a. Stadtökologie. 2nd ed. Stuttgart
Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., 1998b. Was ist Stadtökologie? In: Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds., Stadtökologie. 2nd ed. Stuttgart, 1-12
Sukopp, H. & Wurzel, A., 1995. Klima- und Florenveränderungen in Stadtgebieten. Angewandte Landschaftsökologie 4, 103-130
Sukopp, H., Blume, H., Kunick, W., 1979. The soil, flora and vegetation of Berlins waste lands. In: Laurie, I.E., Ed., Nature in the cities. Chichester, 115-131
Sukopp, H., Hejny, S. & Kowarik, I., Eds., 1990. Urban ecology. Plants and plant communities in urban environments. The Hague
Troll, C., 1973. Landschaftsökologie als geographisch-synoptische Naturbetrachtung. In: Paffen, K.-H., Ed., 1973. Das Wesen der Landschaft. Darmstadt, 252-267
UN United Nations, Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2008. World Urbanization Prospects: The 2007 Revision. Highlights. United Nations, New York. http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007WUP_Highlights_web.pdf
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme, 2007. Global Environment Outlook: Environment for Development (GEO-4). Malta. http://www.unep.org/geo/GEO4/report/GEO-4_Report_Full_en.pdf
Wanner, H., 1986. Die Grundstrukturen der städtischen Klimamodifikationen und deren Bedeutung für die Raumplanung. Jahrbuch der Geogr. Gesellsch. Bern 55, 67-84
Wessolek, G. & Facklam, M., 1997. Standorteigenschaften und Wasserhaushalt von versiegelten Flächen. Z. Pflanzenernähr. Bodenk. 160, 41-46
Wessolek, G. & Renger, M., 1998. Bodenwasser- und Grundwasserhaushalt. In: Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds., Stadtökologie. Stuttgart, 186-200
West, G.B., 2010. Integrated sustainability and the underlying threat of urbanization. In: Schellnhuber, H.J., Molina, M., Stern, N., Huber, V., Kadner, S., Eds., 2010. Global sustainability – A Nobel cause. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 9-18
Wittig, R., 1991. Ökologie der Großstadtflora. Stuttgart
Wittig, R., 2002. Siedlungsvegetation. Ökosysteme Mitteleuropas aus geobotanischer Sicht. Stuttgart
Wittig, R., Sukopp, H., Klausnitzer, B., Brande, A., 1998. Die ökologische Gliederung der Stadt. In: Sukopp, H. & Wittig, R., Eds. Stadtökologie. 2nd ed., 316-372
World Commission Urban 21, 2000. World Report on the Urban Future 21. Berlin
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Endlicher, W. (2011). Introduction: From Urban Nature Studies to Ecosystem Services. In: Endlicher, W. (eds) Perspectives in Urban Ecology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17731-6_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17731-6_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-17730-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-17731-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)