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Urban Observation: Little Ringed Plovers on Urban Tidal Marshes
Who would ever have expected to see plovers on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai? The Huangpu River is the “mother river” of Shanghai that flows north throughout Shanghai. It passes some of the most population-dense regions of…
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Urban Observations: Northern Cardinal eating a Spotted Lanternfly?
Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) have become an unavoidable nuisance since their arrival in the Big Apple in 2020. These clumsy hemipterans have managed to dominate the urban jungle due to their bright red warning coloration, which is indicative of their…
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Urban Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) and a New Kind of Leaf Litter
Lurking beneath the trash laden leaf litter of the 5 boroughs lurks a secretive little amphibian that exemplifies the struggle between the forces of urbanization and the biological need to adapt or face extinction. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus)…
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Rats around the rosie: a dance of urbanization and disease
From hantavirus to the plague, rats have long since been reservoirs for a whole host of nasty infectious diseases. They live in our cities and feed off our garbage, sharing with us their fleas, ticks, and pathogens as a thank-you.…
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Urban Observation: Peacock Fly
Although many urban residents are woefully familiar with flies (Order: Diptera), I am willing to bet not many know about the Peacock Fly (Callopistromyia annulipes). A native of North America, this diminutive fly stands out from the rest of its…
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New Lit Alert: Urban environment determines population genetics in the green toad, Bufotes viridis
Urban environment determines population genetics in the green toad, Bufotes viridis Viktória Vargová, Damiána Gužiová, Monika Balogová, Natália Pipová, Marcel Uhrin & Peter Kaňuch Abstract Heavily urbanized areas can hinder dispersal and gene flow between amphibian populations. Given the growth…
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Behavioral Differences Among Individuals of Rural and Urban Shrews
In response to human impact on the environment—from increased light, sound, air, and water pollution, to higher levels of interaction with humans—organisms must adapt to novel conditions in order to survive. One area in which organisms adapt is behavior. von…
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New Lit Alert: Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus)
Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus) J Shang, S Cun, S Zhang, W Liang Abstract Urbanization is rapidly changing habitats of wild birds around the world. Food availability is one…
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