Bottlenose Dolphins’ Adaptations to Noise in Urban Harbours: Shouting, Eavesdropping & Fleeing Health risks of urban noise to Bottlenose dolphins Recently, urban sightings of cetaceans have become increasingly prevalent, which can be linked to higher water quality and healthier environments in general. Recent examples include dolphin sightings in the Baltimore (US), and Bridlington (UK); killer… Continue Reading →
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. Bats comprise one of the most diverse groups of mammals in urban areas, and many… Continue Reading →
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 of vertebrates. With changes in the environment, these animals become more exposed to light and… Continue Reading →
Parallel Urban Adaptation from Phenotype to Genotype in Anolis Lizards
Anolis lizards (known as anoles) are models for studying evolution in the wild. Not only do anoles have a history of repeatedly diversifying to specialize in the same types of microhabitats in the same ways across the Greater Antilles (i.e., they are an adaptive radiation), these lizards also have a tendency to adapt on rapid… Continue Reading →
New Lit Alert: Urbanization extends flight phenology and leads to local adaptation of seasonal plasticity in Lepidoptera
Urbanization extends flight phenology and leads to local adaptation of seasonal plasticity in Lepidoptera Thomas Merckx, Matthew E. Nielsen, Janne Heliölä, Mikko Kuussaari, Lars B. Pettersson, Juha Pöyry, Juha Tiainen, Karl Gotthard, and Sami M. Kivelä Abstract Urbanization is gaining force globally, which challenges biodiversity, and it has recently also emerged as an agent of… Continue Reading →
New Lit Abstract: De Novo Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Potential Thermal Adaptation Mechanisms in the Cicada Hyalessa fuscata
De Novo Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Potential Thermal Adaptation Mechanisms in the Cicada Hyalessa fuscata Hoa Quynh Nguyen, Yuseob Kim, and Yikweon Jang Abstract In metropolitan Seoul, populations of the cicada Hyalessa fuscata in hotter urban heat islands (“high UHIs”) exhibit higher thermal tolerance than those in cooler UHIs (“low UHIs”). We hypothesized that heat stress… Continue Reading →
Genomic Urban Adaptation in a Common Bird Across Europe
Cities, defined as large human settlements of the contemporary human population, have been part of the “Old World” landscape for long time, including Europe. However, the current exponential increase of the urbanised landscape is an unprecedented phenomenon, which has an impact at multiple ecological scales. Urbanisation and its derived actions can fragment wildlife populations and… Continue Reading →
Recap: The Finer Points of Urban Adaptation
In August 2020, I recently published my first first-author paper about urban Anolis lizard claws! I have previously written about my research after doing field work and presenting at my university’s science symposium. I’m excited to report that the results are finally out! In our paper, The Finer Points of Urban Adaptation, myself and my coauthors (Kevin… Continue Reading →
Cities and Behavioral Adaptations
It’s clear that urbanization alters native animal and plant communities around the world. However, while some organisms become locally extinct as anthropogenic forces change the land, other species survive or even thrive in this urban landscape. A recent paper by George Perry reviews several cases of human behavior impacting the genetics of urban organisms. For… Continue Reading →
High Lead (Pb) Exposure May Lead to Adaptation in House Sparrows
City life can be difficult for many organisms. Cities are louder, brighter, hotter, and often more contaminated with toxins than nearby less-developed areas. Ever-increasing research is showing that organisms are coping with the urban environment in many ways. Urban great tits (Parus major) living in areas with high amounts of noise pollution sing at a… Continue Reading →
Evolution 2019: Adaptation to Coastal Stressors in Oyster Larvae
When people think of the effects of cities on wildlife, changes on land often first come to mind. But, urban areas also have major impacts on aquatic life, especially near sewage treatment plants. These sewage plants dump billions of liters of effluent per day into estuaries and oceans, and this waste can contain a veritable… Continue Reading →
Urban Adaptation in Mammals
Mammals are some of the most easily recognizable and endearing critters to share our cities with us. Who doesn’t love a cute bunny or squirrel in a city park? Or a fox or raccoon slinking through the streets at night. Even city rats can be endearing. Despite the commonality of these species, urban areas are… Continue Reading →
If they can’t hear you, make them smell you…
At the heart of the Amazon rainforest, near the confluence of the Rio Negro and Amazone, lies the metropole Manaus. Nicknamed the Paris of the Tropics, Manaus is home to over two million people and functions as the economical hub of the northern part of Brazil. Incidentally, it is also the last refuge of the… Continue Reading →
The many consequences of urbanization on an endemic Cuban lizard
As urbanization continues to reshape landscapes, its effects on wildlife have become a subject of growing concern. In the unique context of Cuba, a recent study focused on an endemic lizard species, Anolis homolechis, found in both natural and suburban environments. This in-depth study relied on adapted tracking methods deployed over several years and explored… Continue Reading →
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) is a unique kind of caudate with numerous traits that make it well equipped to… Continue Reading →