Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Urban areas around the world are an interesting combination of non-native and native species. In London, urban foxes are a common sight and because of this, we would predict that urban foxes have evolved due to differing selection factors in cities. For mammalogists, examing and comparing skulls is a common way to measure changes that... Continue Reading →
Urban areas are dynamic, heterogeneous habitats that differ dramatically from your traditional “non-urban” habitats. These centers are complex, multi-level habitats that are full of interacting stressors. Additionally, urban habitats are fragmented via impervious surfaces and are subject to noise, chemical, and light pollution alongside human interaction(s). Humans (and their pets) directly and indirectly interact with... Continue Reading →
One of the outstanding questions in urban evolutionary biology is whether there are universal or predictable responses to urbanization, and if so, what factors influence urban tolerance. As small-bodied ectotherms, reptiles are particularly sensitive to many of the challenges of urban life. For example, reptiles appear to be more sensitive to habitat fragmentation than birds,... Continue Reading →
We often think about how the construction of new buildings, parking lots, and industrial areas will impact the local wildlife. And, indeed, governments require environmental impact surveys and ongoing monitoring when vulnerable species are present. However, it wasn't until I saw the paper "Music Festival Makes Hedgehogs Move: How Individuals Cope Behaviorally in Response to... 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 →
The rate of urbanization is increasing greatly and with that, comes large human populations. Our population has increased from 6 billion people in 2000 to roughly 7.8 billion people in 2020 and in North America alone (~370 million people), over 80% of people reside in cities. These urban areas serve as an epicenter for human... Continue Reading →
Pathogens are organisms that cause disease, and zoonotic pathogens are those that can be transmitted between animals and people. Where pathogens are found can be determined by environmental changes. Urbanization is known to mediate environmental changes in cities as well as impact biodiversity. In Brazil, Belo et al. (2011) found a higher prevalence of parasites... Continue Reading →
Urbanization is arguably one of the most rapid and conspicuous human-driven environmental changes, and fragmentation is one of the most pervasive outcomes of urbanization. Patches of vegetation within the built matrix of a typical cityscape, such as parks and gardens, are usually small and isolated and movement among them potentially jeopardized. Bumblebees are common in... Continue Reading →
Recently, Ruth Rivkin shared some of her dissertation work with the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution (CSEE). Urban habitats are more fragmented and degraded than nonurban habitats, which can impact both the ecology and evolution of species interactions. Species interaction may be particularly sensitive to urbanization because the species involved may be responding to... Continue Reading →
The Galápagos Islands are renowned for their unique, endemic biodiversity which inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection. In particular, Darwin’s finches are an iconic example of adaptive radiation due to natural selection, where ~18 species have evolved from a single, common ancestor. Adaptive radiations can occur when exploitation of... Continue Reading →
As areas become more urbanized, fauna are continually exposed to novel anthropogenic structures and are forced to adapt. However, adapting is not always an option. For example, we see that individuals across various groups have not adapted to roads and train tracks (e.g., deer, bears, birds) and the outcome is fatal. Instead of creating barriers... Continue Reading →
I'm partial to the creepy, crawly, scaly, slithering critters. I spend most of my time thinking about urban lizards, but recently started wondering about urban snakes. To my great disappointment, I wasn't able to find many recent publications on urban snakes, and most of what I did find looked at urban ecology and biodiversity, rather... Continue Reading →
It's clear that urbanization alters native animal and plant communities around the world. However, while some organisms become locally extinct as anthropogenic forces change the land, other species survive or even thrive in this urban landscape. A recent paper by George Perry reviews several cases of human behavior impacting the genetics of urban organisms. For... Continue Reading →
Life in the city is stressful, for humans and wildlife! One of the main physiological traits thought to be impacted by the novel pressures of urban life, such as noise and light pollution, is stress hormone concentration. Nevertheless, no patterns have emerged across species. Allison Injaian and co-authors fill this gap in knowledge with their... Continue Reading →
Urbanization is rapidly transforming the Earth leading to drastic changes in the local ecological communities and changing the evolutionary dynamics of organisms living within cities. Previous research has shown that urbanization can prohibit, facilitate, or have little effect on gene flow but the scale at which these phenomena occur are highly dependent on the organism,... Continue Reading →
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