ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the population dynamics of urban communities. Scientists who study population dynamics and species distribution may ask the following broad questions: Can individual members of a population survive in the habitat being studied? What adaptations does the species have that improves its chance of survival in this habitat? What is the average density of the population for the species in this type of habitat? What abiotic and/or biotic factors maintain and/or predict changes in the average population density over time? The population dynamics of urban wildlife species are influenced by human activity and development, including habitat fragmentation and the influence of corridors, supplemental feeding, animal damage control, and introduction of toxic materials into the urban environment. One of the most profound effects of development on the population dynamics of urban wildlife is habitat fragmentation that creates islands or patches in of living space.
