Biodiversity in Urban Landscapes

Dear Colleagues,

Urbanisation is among the most powerful drivers of global biodiversity change, reshaping terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems at unprecedented rates, and with the development of cities contributing to the fragmentation, degradation, and replacement of natural habitats, triggering profound shifts in species composition, ecological interactions, and ecosystem functioning. While many species decline under urban pressures, others adapt to novel niches or become synanthropic, producing communities strongly shaped by urban environments. These dynamics are amplified by population growth and economic expansion, which drive land cover change and intensify biodiversity impacts.

The ecological consequences of urbanisation manifest across different scales: Locally, habitat structure, microclimate, and resource availability alter population dynamics and community diversity. Meanwhile, at broader scales, urban growth disrupts connectivity, dispersal pathways, and biogeographic patterns. Importantly, terrestrial and aquatic systems experience distinct yet interconnected pressures—soils, vegetation, and landscapes are transformed on land, while hydrological regimes, water quality, and habitat integrity are modified in rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Urbanisation also creates unique ecological contexts, such as the urban heat island effect and pervasive pollutants, which may alter species abundance, physiology, phenology, and behaviour. These stressors can reshape mutualistic and antagonistic interactions, influence pathogen virulence, and redefine the roles of pollinators, herbivores, natural enemies, and urban exploiters.

1. This Special Issue of Urban Science focuses on the ecological and evolutionary consequences of urbanisation on biodiversity. It explores how urban expansion reshapes terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, alters species persistence, and modifies species interactions and ecosystem functions.
2. The scope includes studies at multiple scales, from local habitat changes to global biogeographic patterns, and across both terrestrial and aquatic systems. We encourage observational, experimental, and modelling approaches, as well as interdisciplinary research that integrates ecological and socio-economic perspectives.
3. The overarching purpose of the Special Issue is to advance understanding of biodiversity responses to urbanisation and to highlight underexplored mechanisms, including the roles of novel habitats and ecological niches, urban heat islands, and pollutants in shaping ecological interactions. By filling gaps in the existing literature, the Special Issue aims to inform on conservation strategies and foster sustainable coexistence between urban development and natural systems.

We are pleased to invite contributions that address biodiversity responses to urbanisation from ecological, evolutionary, and conservation perspectives, and we particularly welcome research on species persistence, interactions, adaptation, ecosystem services, and innovative conservation strategies that adopts interdisciplinary, modelling, and experimental approaches.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marija Ilić
Prof. Dr. Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović
Dr. Božica Vasiljević
Dr. Jelena Čanak Atlagić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• urbanisation
• biodiversity
• urban ecology
• aquatic ecosystems
• terrestrial ecosystems
• conservation strategies
• adaptation mechanisms
• novel niches
• urban habitats