Author: Olivia Weklar

Olivia is a lab technician in Kristin's lab at NYU. She loves all urban creatures, big and small!

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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New Lit Alert: Do urban habitats induce physiological changes in Mediterranean lizards?

Do urban habitats induce physiological changes in Mediterranean lizards? R Vardi, S Dubiner, R Ben Bezalel, S Meiri, E Levin Abstract Urban environments offer dramatically different habitats for wildlife compared with natural environments. They provide, for example, different levels of resource availability, anthropogenic night light, and microclimates (e.g., urban heat islands). For reptiles, increased temperatures... Continue Reading →

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New Lit Alert: Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi

Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi L Jacquier, M Molet, C Doums Abstract Urbanization imposes new constraints on organisms, leading to changes in various traits including behaviour. In particular, foraging and aggressive behaviours are often affected by urbanization. In eusocial species, behaviour can be defined at the... Continue Reading →

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City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is an annual competition among hundreds of international cities to increase awareness of urban biodiversity. Last year’s challenge totaled 1,694,877 observations, 50,176+ species, and 67,220 participants across 450+ cities worldwide. Check if your city is participating in this year’s challenge! If not, join the global project this year and sign-up your city to participate in 2024’s challenge! This year’s challenge is active starting tomorrow, April 28, to... Continue Reading →

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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 →

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New Lit Alert: Going Wild in the City–Animal Feralization and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Urban Environments

Going Wild in the City--Animal Feralization and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Urban Environments T Göttert, G Perry Abstract Domestication describes a range of changes to wild species as they are increasingly brought under human selection and husbandry. Feralization is the process whereby a species leaves the human sphere and undergoes increasing natural selection in... Continue Reading →

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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 →

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Backyard Wildlife

Check out Lauren Cook's 'The New Urban Jungle' to explore ways to make your backyard a suitable habitat for urban wildlife! https://twitter.com/UNBiodiversity/status/1632788135401619470 Featured image: screenshot from 'The New Urban Jungle' video

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