BIO205H5 Study Guide - Final Guide: List Of U.S. State Mammals, Bioscience, Species Richness
Document Summary
Urbanization has played a major role in ecological habitat loss over the years. Studies show that many animal populations have dramatically declined or completely disappeared from areas due to human interference (mckinney, 2008). Mckinney (2002) discusses the concept of an urban-rural gradient which defines the changes in a habitat"s biodiversity as urban development occurs. Many animals require specific niches to reside in and when urbanization occurs, habitats are destroyed, and animals typically cannot survive in the new environment (fahrig and rytwinski, 2009). Here, at the university of toronto mississauga we examine the ecological differences between two distinct environments within the extremely biodiverse campus. We seek to determine the effects of urban development; such as roads and buildings on wildlife animal abundance (existence of insects, butterflies, birds and mammals). Using multiple sets of data collected by students over several months, we will examine the number of animal species occurring in a grassland (natural/undisturbed) habitat compared with a parking lot (urbanized/disturbed) habitat.
