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Beyond the Shade: The Growing Disadvantages of the London Plane
When I was younger, I remember thinking to myself: “This tree is losing its skin, is it dying?” I believe I can’t be the only child that thought this when first looking at a London plane. Little did I (and…
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How do we make birds feel more at home?
Cover photo: Birds on a lantern post (Source: Business Insider) Taking a walk through the busy streets of the city, life appears to all around us. Bikers briskly pass you by, drivers honk loudly and hundreds of people walk around…
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A concrete hunting ground: a new environment for raptors
Within cities, the number of trophic levels present in the community can change when animals migrate there. Smaller predators can end up at the top of the trophic chain or a different species, like the domestic cat, becomes the apex…
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Using Soundscapes to Monitor Urban Diversity
Using soundscapes to monitor urban diversity by Shade Walker Daily sounds of local traffic, the coffee machine pouring, conversations over breakfast, and morning birdsong, are all familiar to us, signaling the start of a new day. As sound waves pulse…
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The urban curse on Coho salmon
Lets perform a small thought-experiment: what are the first three things you think about when you hear the term urbanization? I would guess people would give answers akin to stone houses, big cities, paved roads and a decrease in greenery.…
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‘Our neighbours suck!’
The Earth is surely heating up, and so are our cities. The concrete structures that surround us in our daily lives quickly raise temperatures in the cities up until 15 degrees Celsius higher than surrounding rural areas (Mentaschi, 2022). One…
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What Is The Impact of ALAN On Nocturnal Pollination By Moths?
Pollination is a fundamental ecological process that supports biodiversity and sustains economies through crop pollination. About 80% of wild plant species rely on insect pollination for seed set and fruit. Additionally, about 75% of crops used for human food rely…
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Lichens versus Urban Traffic
In my previous blog post I wrote about the beauty and uses of lichens in the city, and I mentioned their use as indicators for pollution. In this post I want to go a little deeper into their interactions with…
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