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Urban Environments – A Hidden Insect Biodiversity Hotspot?
Walid-Dani Kaki “In none of his works did Nature show her originality more than in insects”(Pliny the Elder) In recent years we have seen a steady decline in biodiversity, with devastating consequences for the natural world and human populations. The…
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The rapid spread of an urban lichen
Is the urban landscape pushing lichen evolution or is it just providing space for opportunists? Harold Timans The urban environment creates a multitude of habitats that differ widely in their abiotic factors. In one street it can be scorching hot…
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New Lit Alert: Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi
Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi L Jacquier, M Molet, C Doums Abstract Urbanization imposes new constraints on organisms, leading to changes in various traits including behaviour. In particular, foraging…
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City Nature Challenge
The City Nature Challenge is an annual competition among hundreds of international cities to increase awareness of urban biodiversity. Last year’s challenge totaled 1,694,877 observations, 50,176+ species, and 67,220 participants across 450+ cities worldwide. Check if your city is participating in this year’s challenge! If not, join the global project this year and sign-up your…
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New Lit Alert: Urban tolerance is phylogenetically constrained and mediated by pre-adaptations in African bats
Urban tolerance is phylogenetically constrained and mediated by pre-adaptations in African bats G.E. Marsden, D Vosloo, M.C. Schoeman Abstract With increasing urbanization, particularly in developing countries, it is important to understand how local biota will respond to such landscape changes.…
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New Lit Alert: Going Wild in the City–Animal Feralization and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Urban Environments
Going Wild in the City–Animal Feralization and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Urban Environments T Göttert, G Perry Abstract Domestication describes a range of changes to wild species as they are increasingly brought under human selection and husbandry. Feralization is…
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New Lit Alert: What coloration brings: Implications of background adaptation to oxidative stress in anurans
What coloration brings: Implications of background adaptation to oxidative stress in anurans TB Radovanović, TG Petrović, BR Gavrilović, SG Despotović, JP Gavrić, A Kijanović, M Mirč, N Tomašević Kolarov, T Vukov, MD Prokić Abstract Background Urban development results in habitat destruction, affecting populations of amphibians, the most fragile group…
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Backyard Wildlife
Check out Lauren Cook’s ‘The New Urban Jungle’ to explore ways to make your backyard a suitable habitat for urban wildlife! Featured image: screenshot from ‘The New Urban Jungle’ video
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