Evolution in an Urbanizing World
This week's post comes from Dale Stevens, who tells us about the effects of elevated urban temperatures on black widow spiders. Along with landscape changes, urbanization also leads to a significant increase in temperature. Human-made surfaces retain heat during the day and stay hot well into the night. Because of this, animals that thrive in... Continue Reading →
Most of the time we expect pigeons or other common birds to be spotted on the power lines and poles. Sometimes, we get a rare gem, the bald eagle! We have shown you a number of birds in these "Urban Observation" posts. This one is super majestic for sure. But sadly, many birds have... Continue Reading →
Life in the City turns 1 year old today! 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. In the last 365 days we have published 147 posts! The blog has received a total of 48K hits from 16K... Continue Reading →
Recently, LITC contributor Sophie Brietbart and myself published a review in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution as part of a special issue on Arthropod Interactions and Responses to Disturbance in a Changing World. Changes to the biotic and abiotic environment via urbanization present challenges not only to herbivorous arthropods, but also their host plants and... Continue Reading →
Did you know that all toads are frogs but not all frogs are toads? Frogs are found in and near water while true toads are found on land. This toad was found on a pile of trash, still on land though! Thanks to Julia Riley for this great urban observation. Julia was also a co-author... Continue Reading →
It can be super scary to see a wasp nest in your neighborhood. Wasps can cause a very painful sting. Sometimes their nests can cause damage to your property too. But these critters also provide important ecosystem services - they help control pest insects and pollinate flowers! You may have heard of birds making nests... Continue Reading →
Urban evolution can have different meanings depending on what field you come from. If you are an urban planner, it might mean that urban areas are getting larger, even using sustainable energy sources where they didn't previously. For some architects it may mean that they now figure out how to put green roofs on buildings.... Continue Reading →
Most of the time when you hear about an animal in your car engine, its a kitten in the winter seeking warmth. Bet you never thought you'd see a crab in your engine! Thank you Jose A. Velez Torres of Puerto Rico for this gem! Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →
Fireflies are great little bugs (actually beetles) that come out on warm summer evenings. They dance around the air with a light display that can mesmerize you into a lull and signals to females that they are ready to mate. Even the larvae are able to glow, but their glow is a warning that they... Continue Reading →
Summertime is prime for doing field work for many scientists, including those of us that work on urban organisms. I was recently out in the field collecting bugs for one of the projects I work on. The first milkweed I found, looking for milkweed bugs, was this one below. The white flowers that are next... Continue Reading →
With increased urbanization across the globe comes more invasive species. Humans accidentally bring pests with them when they travel across the world. The highly invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has been found in Wake County, North Carolina. Emily Reed, a graduate student at NC State, collected mosquito eggs from 15 sites across Wake County... Continue Reading →
As you may have guessed by now, urbanization changes the natural landscape and this can have consequences for the organisms that live in them. Feral pigeons, which had been domesticated thousands of years ago and transported globally by humans, are not immune to rapid urbanization impacts. Previous studies have shown that there can be inbreeding... Continue Reading →
The percent of impervious surface increases as you move from rural to urban areas, with city centers having the highest percent impervious surface. In a Megapolis like New York CIty, there is a gradient from the core of the city to less urban areas. There is typically less available habitat for plants to grow in... Continue Reading →
Fragmentation of habitat patches is one of many consequences that occurs due to urbanization. This fragmentation can lead to isolated populations that are completely surrounded by urban structures. This isolation can happen on relatively quick timescales, as quickly as 30 years! Due to the loss of habitat patches available for nesting, there can be plant-pollinator... Continue Reading →
As we expand our cities further out into previously natural areas, we encounter more wildlife in our yards. In the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area, the outskirts of the city butt up against pristine desert habitats. It has become more common to see coyotes roaming the streets. But recently, Stephen Griffin captured a rare sighting, a... Continue Reading →
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