Evolution in an Urbanizing World
As urban centers continue to grow, so too does the research that investigates how urbanization influences evolution. However, urban marine ecosystems are often overlooked. Interestingly, population density along coastlines is 3-times higher than the global average but research in urban marine systems is more than 3-times lower than research inland. Researchers identified the main... Continue Reading →
The birders are back! This time, we see a Black-throated Green Warbler on the street. These birds are seen in the Northern American forests in the warm months and fly south for the winter months. This little bird is probably a tourist on the street on its migration south! Do you have a photo or... Continue Reading →
What is a lichen? Is it a plant? Is it fungus? Actually, lichen are a group of symbiotic fungi and algae! They are typically found in moist environments, growing on rocks and trees in the forest. Today's observation was found on a crosswalk sign! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species... Continue Reading →
Let's take a break this week from the urban birding realm. This week, we bring you marbled salamanders. Salamanders are usually found in wetlands, which are hard to come by inside cities. This is an awesome find! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a... Continue Reading →
If you enjoyed last week's urban birder observation, you'll probably get a kick out of this week's. Here we have a Peregrine Falcon just hanging out on a rusty vent! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised... Continue Reading →
Life in the City turns 2 years old today (ish)! In true 2020 fashion, we missed our own birthday, by a whole month! Thank you all for following our blog. We are very proud of how it has grown and owe a huge thank you to our amazing contributors, which have more than doubled in... Continue Reading →
Urban birders are at it again. This week, we have a group of vultures hanging out in a parking lot, doin' what birds do... Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If... Continue Reading →
The wolverine (Gulo gulo, not the Marvel hero) is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. In the early 20th century, wolverines were nearly extirpated in the contiguous United States, but still had populations in Canada. However, since their populations are so low in the US, they have become a conservation concern. Previous... Continue Reading →
This summer the International Association for Landscape Ecology - North America (IALE-NA) hosted an annual meeting that was originally scheduled to be in person in Toronto, ON, Canada, but due to Covid-19 it was hosted online. This was my first online conference and I was a chair for a special symposium: Landscape genetics as a... Continue Reading →
In light of recent events, particularly the murder of George Floyd, harassment of Christian Cooper, and unjust actions against protesters supporting the #BlackLivesMatter movement, we at LITC want to acknowledge the systematic oppression and racism that exists in our field. We wholeheartedly support the Black community and communities of color, and firmly stand against racism.... Continue Reading →
Recently, our research has been center stage in a number of different platforms! There was a documentary, Darwin in Times Square- the Science of Urban Evolution, that went live last week (if you live in France and Germany). There was an article in the New York Times about Elizabeth Carlen's research on pigeons. This was... Continue Reading →
In ecological studies, ants are commonly used as bio-indicators because they are able to respond to rapid changes in their environments. This also makes them a great system to use in urban studies given the rapid changes that urbanization poses on ecosystems. However, there studies that look at the evolutionary patterns of ants in response... Continue Reading →
Many organisms seem to do poorly in urban areas, and it is unclear which organisms will become extirpated in cities. Typically, organisms that are experiencing population declines are ones that we would think are negatively impacted by urbanization. However, this may not always be the case. Recently, Ziege and co-authors studied populations of the European... Continue Reading →
When you live in the outskirts of the city, every once in a while you may spot a bobcat in your neighborhood. In fact, we have had a few urban observation posts of neighborhood bobcats. But how are these urban bobcats fairing compared to ones that stay in their natural habitat? Recently, Kozakiewicz and co-authors... Continue Reading →
Milestones and more In 2019 we hit a lot of milestones. We turned 1 year old. We were featured in several major news outlets, including as a News Feature in PNAS, the Wildlife Society, and Wired Magazine! We reached over 13,000 visits since starting from (almost) every corner of the globe (we're looking at you,... Continue Reading →
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