Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Urbanization has been ever increasing since the start of the industrial revolution and has shown no signs of slowing down. This has lead to cities growing bigger and bigger and thereby imposing new selection pressures on the animals in them. However, quantifying the effects of anthropogenic selection pressures has proven difficult for non-model species due... Continue Reading →
Published April 10, 2025 in Mammal Research: Melanin-based colouration in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus): is it under selection in urban environments? Isabelle Defosseux, Cécile le Barzic, Pascal Arné, Grégory Jouvion & Julien Gasparini Abstract: Urbanisation is currently expanding at small and global scales, forcing several species to adapt to this new environment. In this context,... Continue Reading →
The human population around the world keeps growing. With that growth existing cities are expanding and new ones are being built. The urban landscape is a relatively new environment with different ecological and environmental conditions compared to rural areas. Environmental pressures in cities affect humans and wild animals alike, for example artificial light at night... Continue Reading →
“Dad, what are those birds? I’ve never seen them before” I remember asking my dad when I was younger. We were outside having a barbecue and for the first time, I noticed several green birds flying overhead accompanied by a cacophony of sounds. I had never seen or heard them before, but suddenly there they... Continue Reading →
Microorganisms are essential members of soil ecosystems, and they form complex, interactive networks [4] including communications and interactions with each other that are similar to human communities. The soil microbial community contributes to global ecological stabilization by providing various terrestrial ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and degradation of pollutants [4]. Moreover, the soil microbial... Continue Reading →
Parallel Signatures of Diet Adaptation in the Invasive Common Myna Genome Kamolphat Atsawawaranunt, Katarina C. Stuart, Annabel Whibley, Kyle M. Ewart, Richard E. Major, Rebecca N. Johnson, Anna W. Santure Abstract Invasive species offer uniquely replicated model systems to study rapid adaptation. The common myna (Acridotheres tristis) has been introduced to over a dozen countries and is classified as one of... Continue Reading →
The shrinkage of natural landscapes with increased urbanization causes substantial shifts in ecosystems, particularly a decrease in bird diversity. Understanding the interactions between the urban heat island (UHI) effect, urban wetlands, and bird diversity is crucial to conserving biodiversity. Advised by Kristin Winchell, New York University undergraduate researcher Emerald Lin presented her poster at SICB... Continue Reading →
Effects of urbanisation, habitat characteristics, and management on garden pond biodiversity: Findings from a large-scale citizen science survey Zsuzsanna Márton, Barbara Barta, Csaba F. Vad, Beáta Szabó, Andrew J. Hamer, Vivien Kardos, Csilla Laskai, Ádám Fierpasz & Zsófia Horváth Abstract The rapid expansion of urban areas often leads to degradation, fragmentation, and loss of natural habitats, threatening biodiversity. While urban ponds might contribute substantially to the biodiversity of urban blue-green infrastructure, the... Continue Reading →
Be sure to check out today’s Urban Evolution talks and posters at SICB! TimeRoom/Poster #TitleAuthors8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.A601Gene expression responses to drought conditions in two imperiled darter speciesPowell, C.A.; Westerman, E.L.; Hofmann, H.A.; Ter, Y.; Magoulick, D.; Findley, K.8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.A601Effects of habitat characteristics on spatial distribution and fitness of collared lizardsReifeiss,... Continue Reading →
Be sure to check out today’s Urban Evolution talks and posters at SICB! TimeRoom/Poster #TitleAuthors8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.A707Rethinking enemy release: sex-specific infection risk and urban influences in House Sparrow populationsMcCain, K.M.; Martin, L.; Schrey, A.; Kohl, K.; Sheldon, E.; Mansilla, G.; Dor, R.; Jensen, H.; Soraker, J.; Mathot, K.; Vu, T.; Jimeno, B.; Buchanan,... Continue Reading →
Be sure to check out today’s Urban Evolution talks and posters at SICB! TimeRoom/Poster #TitleAuthors8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.International Salon 5Climbing performance in urban and natural populations of green anoles and an introduced competitorHanden, M.; Philips, M.; Garner, A.M.8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.International Salon 5Parasites, Fungi, and the Skin Microbiome: Disease Dynamics of Urban Gray... Continue Reading →
Be sure to check out today’s Urban Evolution talks and posters at SICB! TimeRoom/Poster #TitleAuthors8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Marquis AIntroduction to the symposium: Cities as a natural experimentAlaasam, V.; Snead, A;, Winchell, K.8:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.Marquis ADoes urban life and small population size lead to accumulation of deleterious mutations?Caizergues, A.E.8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.Marquis... Continue Reading →
Remember to check out all the incredible research on urban systems at SICB this year! Email Kristin if you’d like to contribute to the blog by covering one of these talks or posters. DayTimeRoom/Poster #TitleAuthorsJan 48:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.Marquis AIntroduction to the symposium: Cities as a natural experimentAlaasam, V.; Snead, A;, Winchell, K.Jan 48:15 a.m. –... Continue Reading →
The annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) is here! From January 3-7 biologists will convene in Atlanta, Georgia to share the latest and greatest from a broad range of research areas. Urban evolution talks have a strong showing at the meeting this year, and we would like to hear about all of... Continue Reading →
City lights, moonlit nights: examining bat responses to urbanization and lunar cycles Claysson de Aguiar Silva & Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar Abstract Urbanization is one of the most abrupt mechanisms of land use change. This process can generate significant impacts on biodiversity, and its effects on bat activity patterns need further exploration due to the importance... Continue Reading →
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