ESPM 189A: Urban Ecology and Evolution

This course examines the complex, coupled and heterogeneous interactions that occur among organisms, humans, and the urban environment. We will emphasize foundational concepts in urban ecology spanning the organismal, population, community, and ecosystem levels, with special focus on the role of social-ecological dynamics in shaping the emergent properties of urban biological systems. We will also discuss how such interactions lead to rapid evolutionary change in cities and discuss what that means for urban biodiversity and conservation. Finally, we will address how cities regionally and globally have similar and dissimilar properties, and how we can apply urban ecological principles to urban planning, design, conservation, wildlife manage.