Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42244502›Full record

ReviewEcology2026

Navigating urban ecology: Conceptual and methodological insights.

Ian MacGregor-Fors, Christine C Rega-Brodsky, D Johan Kotze, J Scott MacIvor, Amy K Hahs, Marco Moretti, Nicholas S G Williams, Christopher A Lepczyk, Kirsten Jung, Madhusudan Katti and 7 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Ecology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Ian MacGregor-ForsDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3198-7322
Christine C Rega-BrodskySchool of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3483-1465
D Johan KotzeDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4211-4420
J Scott MacIvorDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2443-8192
Amy K HahsSchool of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0163-6732
Marco MorettiSwiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5845-3198
Nicholas S G WilliamsSchool of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6291-9483
Christopher A LepczykCollege of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5316-3159
Kirsten JungEvolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9449-2215
Madhusudan KattiDepartment of Integrative Humanities and Social Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3076-3562
Sonja KnappDepartment of Community Ecology, UFZ-Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Halle (Saale), Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5792-4691
Frank A La SorteDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8521-2501
Max R PianaHarvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6802-707X
Caragh G ThrelfallSchool of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4197-8588
Paige WarrenDepartment of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0787-4635
Charles H NilonSchool of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6857-0259
Myla F J AronsonDepartment of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-792X

Funding

National Science Foundation DEB 1354676/1355151
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Since its consolidation as a sub-discipline of ecology in the late 1990s, urban ecology has grown substantially, enhancing our understanding of how urbanization shapes biodiversity and how biodiversity adapts to urbanization. Inherently interdisciplinary in its scope and application, urban ecology is rooted in multiple theoretical and methodological foundations, potentially making the field overwhelming for newcomers as the key literature is scattered across multiple disciplines. Drawing on the collective expertise of editors and reviewers, we attempt to address common pitfalls noted in studies of biodiversity within urban ecosystems and suggest action items for both the new and experienced urban ecologist. Here, we present key concepts for framing hypothesis-based urban biodiversity research questions, conceptualizing urban settings, accounting for spatial and temporal scales, selecting study systems and meaningful explanatory variables for research questions, and recognizing the social-ecological nature of urban systems. We offer insights and examples, emphasizing the importance of rigorous urban ecological research without imposing constraints on innovation.

Indexed as

BiodiversityCitiesEcologyEcosystemUrbanizationConservation of Natural Resourcesinterdisciplinarityresearch methodologysocial‐ecological systemsurban biodiversityurban ecologyurbanization

Identifiers

PMID42244502
PMCPMC13238397

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.