How urban forest composition shapes the structure and function of arthropod communities.

This chapter describes the composition and historical development of urban forests, how urban development shapes tree density and diversity and how herbivores and herbivory respond to these changes in urban vegetation. The pattern of the increased prevalence of exotic plants in cities, the novel plant-insect interactions they create and the consequences for urban forest health are analysed. It also highlights how the density, diversity and geographic origin of trees in urban forests can lead to the simplification of plant and arthropod communities and greater potential for herbivore outbreaks.