Urban Ecology and Biodiversity: Patterns, Mechanisms, and the Role of Green Infrastructure in Sustaining Ecosystem Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69760/portuni.26050012Keywords:
Urban ecology, biodiversity, green infrastructure, ecosystem services, urbanization, habitat fragmentation, biotic homogenization, urban heat island, landscape ecology, sustainable urban planningAbstract
Rapid global urbanization has emerged as one of the most consequential drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem transformation in the twenty-first century. By 2050, it is projected that approximately 68 percent of the world’s population will reside in urban areas, intensifying pressures on native species, habitat connectivity, and the provisioning of critical ecosystem services. This review synthesizes the current state of knowledge on urban ecology, with a particular focus on the mechanisms by which urbanization shapes biodiversity, the functional role of green infrastructure in mitigating habitat fragmentation, and the capacity of urban ecosystems to sustain provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services. Drawing on an extensive body of literature from both Web of Science- and Scopus-indexed sources, the article examines the urban-to-rural biodiversity gradient, the homogenization of urban biota, and the differential responses of taxonomic groups to urban environmental filters. The review argues that green infrastructure—encompassing parks, green roofs, street trees, riparian corridors, and urban wetlands—can substantially offset biodiversity losses and maintain critical services including urban heat island mitigation, stormwater management, carbon sequestration, and psychological well-being. The article concludes with an integrated framework for evidence-based urban ecological planning and identifies key knowledge gaps requiring further empirical investigation.
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