The effects of urbanisation on ecological interactions.

Environmental urban changes assessment is providing information on environmental quality for identifying the major issues, priority areas of the policy making, planning and management. Effective planning is based on the completely and precisely understanding of the environmental parameters in urban area. Remote sensing is a key application in globalchange science, being very useful for urban climatology and land use/land cover dynamics and morphology analysis. Multi-spectral and multi-temporal satellite imagery (LANDSAT TM and ETM , and IKONOS) for Bucharest urban area over 1989 - 2009 period provides the most reliable technique of monitoring of different urban structures regarding the net radiation and heat fluxes associated with urbanization at the regional scale. The main objectives of this investigation aimed to develop and validate new techniques for mapping and monitoring land cover and land use within and around Bucharest urban area using satellite sensor images and new digital framework data and to analyze the spatial pattern of land cover and the detailed morphology of urban land cover across the study area as well as to develop an improved information base on urban land cover and land cover change for transportation models, urban development planning, urban ecology and local plans.

Ecological interactions are crucial to understanding both the ecology and the evolution of organisms. Because the phenotypic traits regulating species interactions are largely a legacy of their ancestors, it is widely assumed that ecological interactions are phylogenetically conserved, with closely related species interacting with similar partners. However, the existing empirical evidence is inadequate to appropriately evaluate the hypothesis of phylogenetic conservatism in ecological interactions, because it is both ecologically and taxonomically biased. In fact, most studies on the evolution of ecological interactions have focused on specialized organisms, such as some parasites or insect herbivores, belonging to a limited subset of the overall tree of life. Here we study the evolution of host use in a large and diverse group of interactions comprising both specialist and generalist acellular, unicellular and multicellular organisms. We show that, as previously found for specialized interactions, generalized interactions can be evolutionarily conserved. Significant phylogenetic conservatism of interaction patterns was equally likely to occur in symbiotic and non-symbiotic interactions, as well as in mutualistic and antagonistic interactions. Host-use differentiation among species was higher in phylogenetically conserved clades, irrespective of their generalization degree and taxonomic position within the tree of life. Our findings strongly suggest a shared pattern in the organization of biological systems through evolutionary time, mediated by marked conservatism of ecological interactions among taxa.

Urban forests globally face severe degradation due to human activities and natural disasters, making deforestation an urgent environmental challenge. Remote sensing technology and very-high-resolution (VHR) bitemporal satellite imagery enable change detection (CD) for monitoring forest changes. However, deep learning techniques for forest CD concatenate bitemporal images into a single input, limiting the extraction of informative deep features from individual raw images. Furthermore, they are developed for middle to low-resolution images focused on specific forests such as the Amazon or a single element in the urban environment. Therefore, in this study, we propose deep learning-based urban forest CD along with overall changes in the urban environment by using VHR bitemporal images. Two networks are used independently: DeepLabv3+ for generating binary forest cover masks, and a deeply supervised image fusion network (DSIFN) for the generation of a binary change mask. The results are concatenated for semantic CD focusing on forest cover changes. To carry out the experiments, full scene tests were performed using the VHR bitemporal imagery of three urban cities acquired via three different satellites. The findings reveal significant changes in forest covers alongside urban environmental changes. Based on the accuracy assessment, the networks used in the proposed study achieved the highest F1-score, kappa, IoU, and accuracy values compared with those using other techniques. This study contributes to monitoring the impacts of climate change, rapid urbanization, and natural disasters on urban environments especially urban forests, as well as relations between changes in urban environment and urban forests.

This research was carried out in area of urban of Buleleng regency. The aim of the research: (a) to identify form of changes of urban settlement environment on the basis of THK, (b) to study change factor of urban micro settlement environment on the basis of THK in Buleleng regency, (c) study process of change of urban micro settlement environment, what factors had an effect on to the change, and (d) study fade in what impact of existence of change of urban micro settlement environment on the basis of THK. This research duration during 2 year. First year focus on identifying form of changes and study cause of change of urban micro settlement environment. The method research by using survey design. Sampling is sampling subject was chosen with technique in stratified random sampling. Analysis was analytical technique qualitative supported with quantitative data to change of urban micro settlement environment which based on at concept THK. Research results show that: Identify form of change of applying of concepts THK in urban micro settlement. The cause of change of urban micro settlement environment on the basis of THK. Research result in the forms of change of urban micro settlement environment and cause of change of environment, relate to development of urban micro settlement basis of Tri Hita Karana in urban of Bali, as a form of innovation and enable of urban area as strategic way out and anticipation for sub-province local government in overcoming various problems of development of the areas for the agenda of areas autonomies, specially concerning of settlement environment.

Landscape configuration and composition shape mutualistic and antagonistic interactions among plants, bats, and ectoparasites in human-dominated tropical rainforests

Plant patch structure and environmental context can influence the outcome of antagonistic and mutualistic plant-insect interactions, leading to spatially variable fitness effects for plants. We investigated the effects of herbivory and pollen limitation on plant reproductive performance in 28 patches of the self-compatible perennial herb Scrophularia nodosa and assessed how such effects varied with plant patch size, plant density and tree cover. Both antagonistic and mutualistic interactions had strong effects on plant reproductive performance. Leaf feeding from herbivores reduced both fruit production and seed germination, and leaf herbivory increased with plant patch size. Experimentally hand-pollinated flowers produced more seeds than open-pollinated flowers, and pollen limitation was more severe in patches with fewer plants. Our study on S. nodosa is one of few which documents that plant patch structure influences the outcome of both antagonistic and mutualistic plant-insect interactions. The results thus provide an example of how variation in plant patch structure and environmental factors can lead to spatially variable fitness effects from mutualistic and antagonistic interactions.

Urban biodiversity, although often underestimated, plays a key role in providing vital ecosystem services such as climate regulation, air purification and others. However, anthropogenic pressures, including rapid urbanization and land use changes, exacerbate the effects of climate change, and seriously threaten these services. This bibliometric review aims to analyze research conducted between 1990 and 2024 on urban biodiversity assessment and management, ecosystem services, and the impacts of climate change. The Publish or Perish 8 (PoPe) software is used because of its information and its flexibility of use for the different analyses, which are processed with the Excel 2013 software. Out of 1,644 publications with PoPe, 345 are select after clearance and subsequently analyze. The year 2017 marks the most prolific year of publication of articles for the mixing of concepts: “biodiversity”, “ecosystem services”, “urban dynamics” and “climate change”. From 1990 to 1996, we noted a low rate of articles according to these concepts throughout the world and it was in 2019 and 2020 that scientific research gained momentum in the Asian continent (128 publications) and more precisely in China (22.33 %) and India (7.86 %). Through these publications (articles, books, conferences and others), the publisher having been cited the most is Elsevier (17,359 citations). From the sampled publications, researchers in the assessment and management of biodiversity (33.41 %), the mapping and modeling of ecosystem services (27.27 %) as well as the dynamics of land use in urban areas (21.13 %) and the impacts of climate change (18.19 %) used various methods. These different methodological approaches were chosen based on the objective and year of the research, the availability of resources and the reliability of the results. This review has a capital importance in the sense that it provides a range of information regarding urban ecology.

Foliar Herbivory Affects Floral Characters and Plant Attractiveness to Pollinators: Implications for Male and Female Plant Fitness

Exploring the influence of perceived urban change on residents' place attachment

Atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2] has increased from a pre-industrial level of approximately 280 ppm to approximately 385 ppm, with further increases (700–1000 ppm) anticipated by the end of the twenty-first century [1]. Over the past three decades, changes in [CO2] have increased global average temperatures (approx. 0.2°C decade?1 [2]), with much of the additional energy absorbed by the world's oceans causing a 0.8°C rise in sea surface temperature over the past century. The rapid uptake of heat energy and CO2 by the ocean results in a series of concomitant changes in seawater carbonate chemistry, including reductions in pH and carbonate saturation state, as well as increases in dissolved CO2 and bicarbonate ions [3]: a phenomenon defined as ocean acidification. Time-series and survey measurements [4–6] over the past 20 years have shown that surface ocean pH has reduced by 0.1 pH unit relative to pre-industrial levels, equating to a 26% increase in ocean acidity [3]. Reductions of 0.4–0.5 pH units are projected to occur by the end of the twenty-first century [1] and, while atmospheric [CO2] has consistently fluctuated by 100–200 ppm over the past 800 000 years [7], the recent and anticipated rates of change are unprecedented [8].

• Weaker competition or stronger mutualism in a community decreases plasmid invasion • The origin of the plasmid-bearing population determines plasmid invasion and spread • Model confirms role of interspecies conjugation rate differences in plasmid spread Mathematical models that are used to study the persistence and spread of antibiotic resistance plasmids usually describe conjugation within a single bacterial species or neglect ecological interactions and differences in conjugation rates between species. To increase our understanding of the role of differences between species in plasmid dynamics in a bacterial community, we extend the generalised Lotka-Volterra model with plasmid-bearing populations and density-dependent conjugation. With this model, we investigate how ecological interactions between species with distinct conjugation rates affect the invasion and spread of a conjugative plasmid in a bacterial community. We find that the possibility for plasmid invasion mediated by a species that was already present in the modelled plasmid-free communities is mainly determined by the intraspecies conjugation rate of the initially plasmid-bearing species and the fitness costs of bearing a plasmid. In contrast, the possibility for plasmid invasion mediated by a species that was not yet present in the plasmid-free community is mainly determined by ecological interspecies interactions involving the initially plasmid-bearing species. Nevertheless, decreased interspecies conjugation rates to and from the initially plasmid-bearing species reduce the spread of a plasmid through the community. In both scenarios, weaker competitive and stronger mutualistic ecological interspecies interactions reduce the spread of a plasmid through the community, limiting the creation of new plasmid-host combinations. Our results indicate that ecological interactions and differences in conjugation rates between species should be taken into account when modelling the invasion and spread of plasmids.

A synthesis is underway between ecology and evolution, partly brought about by the realization that evolutionary change can take place on ecological timescales (Hairston et al., 2005; Whitham et al., 2006; Carroll et al., 2007). This synthesis attempts to understand the dynamic interplay of ecological and evolutionary processes that results from natural or anthropogenic selective forces (Lankau & Strauss, 2007). Moreover, this synthesis represents an integration of several ‘genes to ecosystems’ approaches, including ‘ecological stochiometry’, ‘community genetics’ (Whitham et al., 2006) and ‘niche construction’. United under the framework of ‘eco-evolutionary dynamics’, these ideas seek to link genetic and phenotypic variation to population dynamics, biodiversity and ecosystem function, and place these disciplines in a dynamic evolutionary framework (i.e. understanding the ecological consequences of evolutionary processes and the evolutionary consequences of ecological interactions). This is not an easy endeavor because any such synthesis needs to be broadly multidisciplinary and integrative (Whitham et al., 2006). And yet the potential pay offs are large given that genetic variation across plant and animal systems can have extended consequences at the population, community and ecosystem levels. These consequences can come in the form of the vital rates of survival, reproduction and migration, as well as arthropod and aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity, soil microbial communities, trophic interactions, carbon storage, soil nitrogen availability, dissolved organic nitrogen and production of primary producers (Whitham et al., 2006; Bailey et al., 2009; Ezard et al., 2009; Harmon et al., 2009; Johnson et al., 2009; Palkovacs et al., 2009; Post & Palkovacs, 2009). The effects of genetic or phenotypic variation are not limited to single systems or to ecologically important species (i.e. keystone species, dominant species, foundation species, ecosystem engineers), although these are excellent places to start looking. Instead, genetic variation seems to have effects that are broadly distributed across plant and animal systems - and these effects can be similar in magnitude to those of nonevolutionary ecological variables, such as climate, species invasion and habitat quality (Hairston et al., 2005; Bailey et al., 2009; Ezard et al., 2009; Palkovacs et al., 2009; Post & Palkovacs, 2009).

BackgroundChina has the biggest population in the world, and has been experiencing the largest migration in history, and its rapid urbanization has profound and lasting impacts on local and national public health. Under these conditions, a systems understanding on the correlation among urbanization, environmental change and public health and to devise solutions at national, local and individual levels are in urgent need.MethodsIn this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of recent studies which have examined the relationship between urbanization, urban environmental changes and human health in China. Based on the review, coupled with a systems understanding, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for promoting the health and wellbeing of the whole nation at national, local, and individual levels.ResultsUrbanization and urban expansion result in urban environmental changes, as well as residents’ lifestyle change, which can lead independently and synergistically to human health problems. China has undergone an epidemiological transition, shifting from infectious to chronic diseases in a much shorter time frame than many other countries. Environmental risk factors, particularly air and water pollution, are a major contributing source of morbidity and mortality in China. Furthermore, aging population, food support system, and disparity of public service between the migrant worker and local residents are important contributions to China’s urban health.Conclusions At the national level, the central government could improve current environmental policies, food safety laws, and make adjustments to the health care system and to demographic policy. At the local level, local government could incorporate healthy life considerations in urban planning procedures, make improvements to the local food supply, and enforce environmental monitoring and management. At the individual level, urban residents can be exposed to education regarding health behaviour choices while being encouraged to take responsibility for their health and to participate in environmental monitoring and management. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12940-016-0104-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding throughout the world, but how urban growth affects the evolutionary ecology of species living in urban areas remains largely unknown. Urban ecology has advanced our understanding of how the development of cities and towns change environmental conditions and alter ecological processes and patterns. However, despite decades of research in urban ecology, the extent to which urbanization influences evolutionary and eco‐evolutionary change has received little attention. The nascent field of urban evolutionary ecology seeks to understand how urbanization affects the evolution of populations, and how those evolutionary changes in turn influence the ecological dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Following a brief history of this emerging field, this Perspective article provides a research agenda and roadmap for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of the interplay between ecology and evolution of urban‐dwelling organisms. We identify six key questions that, if addressed, would significantly increase our understanding of how urbanization influences evolutionary processes. These questions consider how urbanization affects nonadaptive evolution, natural selection, and convergent evolution, in addition to the role of urban environmental heterogeneity on species evolution, and the roles of phenotypic plasticity versus adaptation on species’ abundance in cities. Our final question examines the impact of urbanization on evolutionary diversification. For each of these six questions, we suggest avenues for future research that will help advance the field of urban evolutionary ecology. Lastly, we highlight the importance of integrating urban evolutionary ecology into urban planning, conservation practice, pest management, and public engagement.

Long-term environmental changes in urban ecosystems in the United States such as habitatloss and fragmentation, drastic modifications of local and regional climate, and contam-ination and depletion of water resources have raised concerns among researchers acrossmany disciplines, such as ecology, geography, anthropology, sociology, planning, and de-sign. Certain disciplines, such as landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design,can help determine how policies, plans, designs, and management strategies respond tothe long-term environmental changes in urban environments. New research initiatives inurban and regional ecology in the United States represent an unprecedented opportunityfor a broader dialogue between ecologists, social scientists, planners, and designers aboutthe future of cities worldwide. However, the integration of ecological research into urbanpolicy, planning, design, and management strategies is complex, but it is one of the keyissues and research priorities in landscape ecology (Musacchio and Wu, 2002; Wu andHobbs, 2002). In order to address this challenge, ecologists, social scientists, planners,and designers will need to work collaboratively to develop interdisciplinary approaches forunderstandingtheeffectsoflong-termchangesinurbanspatialpatterns,landscapes,anden-vironmental quality. Landscape architects, urban planners, and urban designers will need tobeabletoutilizesuchinterdisciplinaryinformationinthedevelopmentofsustainablehumansettlements.In the United States, important examples of interdisciplinary approaches are occurringat emerging centers of urban ecological research and application such as Baltimore (MD),Detroit (MI), Phoenix (AZ), Seattle (WA), and Willamette Valley (OR). These groupsare performing large-scale ecological studies of urbanized and urbanizing regions and arefundedbyrecentinitiativesoftheNationalScienceFoundation(e.g.,Long-TermEcologicalResearch and Biocomplexity), Environmental Protection Agency (e.g., Science To AchieveResults),NASA(e.g.,LandUseandLandCoverChangeresearch),UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey, and United States Department of Agriculture. The researchers include ecologists,geologists,socialscientists,planners,anddesignerswhoinvestigatehowecologicalresearch