New Lit Alert: City lights, moonlit nights: examining bat responses to urbanization and lunar cycles

City lights, moonlit nights: examining bat responses to urbanization and lunar cycles Claysson de Aguiar Silva & Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar  Abstract Urbanization is one of the most abrupt mechanisms of land use change. This process can generate significant impacts on biodiversity, and its effects on bat activity patterns need further exploration due to the importance... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Body size and survival of urban and rural populations of a common wolf spider are not influenced by lifelong exposure to lead pollution 

Body size and survival of urban and rural populations of a common wolf spider are not influenced by lifelong exposure to lead pollution  Lucy Guarnieri, Leo Taylor, P. Larry Phelan & Mary Margaret Gardiner  Abstract Heavy metal pollution is pervasive in urban soils, and it can negatively impact the fitness of arthropods. Arthropod populations can evolve to... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Signatures of local adaptation and maladaptation to future climate in wild Zizania latifolia

Signatures of local adaptation and maladaptation to future climate in wild Zizania latifolia Yang Zou, Weidong Yang, Ruxue Zhang & Xinwei Xu  Abstract Global climate change poses challenges to agricultural production and food security. Assessing the adaptive capacity of crop wild relatives to future climate is important for protecting key germplasm resources and breeding new crops. We performed population genomics,... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Big cities, big bodies: urbanisation correlates with large body sizes and enhanced body condition in African dwarf chameleons (Genus: Bradypodion)

Big cities, big bodies: urbanisation correlates with large body sizes and enhanced body condition in African dwarf chameleons (Genus: Bradypodion) Jody M. Barends & Krystal A. Tolley Abstract Urbanisation is a major driver of habitat transformation that alters the environmental conditions and selective regimes of the habitats where it occurs. For species inhabiting urban habitats, such... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Continent-wide parallel urban evolution of increased heat tolerance in a common moth

Continent-wide parallel urban evolution of increased heat tolerance in a common moth Thomas Merckx, Matthew E. Nielsen, Tuomas Kankaanpää, Tomáš Kadlec, Mahtab Yazdanian, Sami M. Kivelä Abstract Urbanization and its urban-heat-island effect (UHI) have expanding footprints worldwide. The UHI means that urban habitats experience a higher mean and more frequent extreme high temperatures than rural... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Urban Life Affects Differentiation and Phenotypic Variation but not Asymmetry in a Fully Terrestrial Salamander

Urban Life Affects Differentiation and Phenotypic Variation but not Asymmetry in a Fully Terrestrial Salamander Lucía Alarcón-Ríos, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, David Álvarez & Guillermo Velo-Antón  Abstract The environmental transformations associated with cities are expected to affect organisms at the demographic, phenotypic, and evolutionary level, often negatively. The prompt detection of stressed populations before their viability is compromised is essential to... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus)

Metabolic adjustment in urban birds: glycometabolic enzyme activities in urban and rural tree sparrows (passer montanus) J Shang, S Cun, S Zhang, W Liang Abstract Urbanization is rapidly changing habitats of wild birds around the world. Food availability is one of the important factors leading to phenotypic differences between urban and rural bird populations. Comparing... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Variation in Pheidole nodus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) functional morphology across urban parks

Variation in Pheidole nodus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) functional morphology across urban parks Y Luo, QM Wei, C Newman, XQ Huang, XY Luo, ZM Zhou Abstract Background Habitat fragmentation and consequent population isolation in urban areas can impose significant selection pressures on individuals and species confined to urban islands, such as parks. Despite many comparative studies on... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation: Groundhogs in Central Park

Have you ever seen a groundhog in Central Park? Or any other urban park? https://twitter.com/DiveArtist/status/1683549457999175680 According to @BirdCentralPark, these adorable rodents are not a common sight in Central Park, but there have been known individuals in the northern parts of the park. The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a very widespread North American species. Their range... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Habitat Use, Terrestriality and Feeding Behaviour of Javan Slow Lorises in Urban Areas of a Multi-Use Landscape in Indonesia

Habitat Use, Terrestriality and Feeding Behaviour of Javan Slow Lorises in Urban Areas of a Multi-Use Landscape in Indonesia L Karimloo, M Campera, M.A. Imron, S Rakholia, A Mehta, K Hedger, K.A.I. Nekaris Abstract Urban areas are rapidly expanding into natural habitats worldwide. When species are threatened with habitat loss, it is vital to understand... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: The influence of road networks on brown bear spatial distribution and habitat suitability in a human-modified landscape

The influence of road networks on brown bear spatial distribution and habitat suitability in a human-modified landscape E Gonzalez-Bernardo, MDM Delgado, DGG Matos, A Zarzo-Arias, A Morales-Gonzalez, H Ruiz-Villar, M Skuban, L Maiorano, P Ciucci, J Balbontin, V Penteriani Abstract Roads are human infrastructure that heavily affect wildlife, often with marked impacts on carnivores, including... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation: Flamingo City

Flamingos are definitely not the first species that comes to mind when I think of urban birds, however, that might change if I ever travel to flamingo city! https://twitter.com/shivangmehtaNW/status/1668269832658206726?s=20 As someone who has personally only seen flamingos in captivity, @shivangmehtaNW's photos of hundreds of these vivid birds gathered in front of sprawling apartment buildings were... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Plasticity in resource use explains the persistence of the largest living rodent in anthropized environments

Plasticity in resource use explains the persistence of the largest living rodent in anthropized environments M Magioli, HR Luz, FB Costa, HR Benatti, U Piovezan, FBP Nunes, B Lopes, MZ Moreira, MB Labruna, KMPMB Ferraz Abstract How organisms search for and obtain food is a determinant of their survival. It has been hypothesized that organisms... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation: Ringtail Possum

In Port Phillip City, this arboreal individual has found an urban alternative to climb! https://twitter.com/SeabirdResearch/status/1666378562184826881?s=20 The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is a marsupial species, widely distributed across its native continent of Australia. This animal is arboreal and traditionally could be found in forests and woodlands primarily on the eastern coast of Australia. Currently, ringtail... Continue Reading →

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