We find all sorts of flora and fauna in urban areas that don't seem to belong there. Here is a purple gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus) that was found a bit outside of its Southern US range. These birds are usually found in marshes further south than Washington D.C., and usually not so high up as this apartment sill!... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Raccoon Eats Your Bird Food
Raccoons are really smart and prolific in urban areas. They have been found to eat "people" food, cat food, dog food, trash, etc. In fact, they may be getting fatter in urban areas compared to non-urban areas. Dr. Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde is working on finding out if this is really the case. Do you have a... Continue Reading →
Cannibalism in Urban Environments with Black Widow Spiders!
Ecological stoichiometry of the black widow spider and its prey from desert, urban and laboratory populations Urbanization can change the nutrient availability for organisms that live within cities. Ecological stoichiometry (ES) is a way to identify nutrient requirements and limitations of organisms by measuring carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). ES can show when their are imbalances in... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Black Widow Spiders
The Western black widow spider has been found in many urban areas across the Western United States. You find them frequently in garages, in wood pile, and on brick fences in urban areas. Urban populations can get quite dense, with over 100 spiders occupying 1 city block! These spiders are asocial, which means they do... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Dogwood City Trees
Remember back when we showed you how to get permission to do field sampling on private property? Well, here is the lovely dogwood, Cornus florida, in front of row houses in Richmond, VA. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Eggroll Squirrel
This week's observation is New York City's newest mascot, egg roll squirrel. Pizza rat is so last week. NYC strikes again with wildlife enjoying anthropogenic food. And if you can't get enough squirrels check out our previous posts on squirrel behavior here and here. Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Pizza Rat
We are starting a new post type here, weekly urban observations. To kick this off, here is the classic pizza rat! New York City has lots of urban wildlife that seem to really do well with humans. We've discussed rats previously on our blog, along with how urbanization might influence the diets of Darwin's Finches... Continue Reading →
What Makes an Urban Habitat?
As a scientist that works in the field of urban evolution I often have to consider, "what makes an urban habitat?" While this seems like a fairly easy question to answer, there's actually a lot of different ways that we consider urban habitats. Are neighborhood parks considered urban habitat? Technically, yes they are urban, they... Continue Reading →
Proc B. Special Issue: Urban Hubs of Connectivity: Contrasting Patterns of Gene Flow Within and Among Cities in the Western Black Widow Spider
In my recent contribution to the special issue on urban evolution in Proceedings B, my co-authors and I share our findings on contrasting patterns of gene flow (paper here). This is one of several posts on the recent special issue on urban evolution in Proceedings B. Urbanization in the Western United States is significantly rapid... Continue Reading →
Wherefore and Whither the Non-urban Areas?
Posted by: Brian C. Verrelli, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA The esteemed evolutionary biologist Douglas J. Futuyma once famously wondered “Wherefore and whither the naturalist?” in pondering the role of naturalists and the future of natural history studies. It is hard to imagine one without the other. I could not help but think something similar in... Continue Reading →
Urban Residential Field Tip
Working in urban areas creates a lot of challenges when it comes to gaining access to private lands. Contributor Jane Remfert shares her experience from the field with her tips on how she navigates working on private lands. Posted by: Jane Remfert, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Sampling in urban field sites involves certain benefits and obstacles. My... Continue Reading →
Special Feature in Proceedings B
Articles in the special feature used a diverse set of study organisms to explore the effects of urbanization on evolutionary patterns and processes. (a) Yellow jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens, photo: Wikimedia Commons). (b) Great tit (Parus major, photo: Wikimedia Commons). (c) Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, photo: A. Butko). (d) Water flea (Daphnia magna, photo: J. Mergeay). (e)... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Our Blog!
Hello and welcome to our blog! Who we are: Life in the City is written and edited by scientists who study the impacts that urbanization has on evolutionary processes for species who live in or near cities. Founding editors are: Lindsay Miles (postdoc, University of Toronto), Elizabeth Carlen (PhD Candidate, Fordham University), and Kristin Winchell (postdoc,... Continue Reading →