Category: New Research
Blog news (3) Books (2) Citizen Science (18) Conference Proceedings (73) Defining Urbanization (6) Guest Post (8) How To (13) Museums/Natural History Collections (3) Natural History Notes (10) New Lit Abstracts (101) New Research (180) New Research Tools (7) Notes from the field (15) Public Outreach (21) sustainable development (1) Uncategorized (38) Urban Environments (48) Urban Evolution in the Media (11) Urban observations (82) Urban Wildlife (9)
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Evolution of Rat Crania in an Urban Environment
This week we are cross-posting from the Ecology & Evolution blog written by Dr. Emily Puckett and Elizabeth Carlen. Check out the original post here. Observations…
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Anoles Adapt to Beat the Urban Heat
Urban areas are hot. The urban heat island effect causes urbanized regions to be significantly warmer than nearby forested areas, and the tropical islands…
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Eastern Gray Squirrel Behavior in Urban Environments
Urbanization can significantly alter environments in ways that impact abundance and behavior of urban animals. Fewer natural predators and greater food availability – as…
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Monarchs, Milkweed, and Metal: Is Roadside Zinc Pollution Harming Butterflies?
Heavy metal pollution is a widespread threat to urban ecosystems. Although many types of heavy metals are required by organisms at trace levels, the…
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Urbanization Influences Pollinator-Mediated Plant Reproduction
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that urbanization has an impact on the ecology and evolution of species. However, we know much…
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Ants in France: Urbanization without Isolation
In ecological studies, ants are commonly used as bio-indicators because they are able to respond to rapid changes in their environments. This also makes…
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Toxic Toads in a Toxic World
The Common European Toad, Bufo bufo, is a pond-breeding amphibian found throughout Europe, including in urban environments. Ecological changes (e.g., predator communities) in anthropogenic habitats present…
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European Rabbits Have High Gene Flow in German Cities But Not Other EU Cities
Many organisms seem to do poorly in urban areas, and it is unclear which organisms will become extirpated in cities. Typically, organisms that are…
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Cities’ Shrinking Gene Pools
Full paper here: Schmidt, C., Domaratzki, M., Kinnunen, R. P., Bowman, J., & Garroway, C. J. (2020). Continent-wide effects of urbanization on bird and…
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Urbanization has Varying Effects on the Population Structure of Six Bird Species in Singapore
Urban areas are known to be prone to habitat fragmentation. We’ve seen the intense urbanization in New York City lead to the rapid divergence…
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The Urban Island: Landscape Genetics of Red Foxes in Berlin
Urbanization can impact wildlife in different ways, depending on the organism and how it interacts with humans and the built environment. Geographical barriers may…
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SICB 2020: Artificial Light at Night and West Nile Virus in House Sparrows
As habitats become increasingly urbanized, wildlife are exposed to artificial light at night (ALAN). Greater exposure to ALAN can have detrimental effects on animal…
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Urbanization Reduces Genetic Connectivity in Bobcats
When you live in the outskirts of the city, every once in a while you may spot a bobcat in your neighborhood. In fact,…
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SICB 2020: Urban Lizards Lay Lower Quality Eggs
The decisions that a parent makes or conditions that a parent experiences can influence the survival and fitness of their offspring. These transgenerational effects,…
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SICB 2020: Artificial Light at Night and Stress
Urban areas are easy to find during the night as they quite literally light up. Urban light pollution disrupts biological processes from gene expression…