Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Our cat’s cousin has returned to the Netherlands! The Netherlands, one of the smallest countries in Europe, is getting wilder! A few days ago, I came across an intriguing news report on Jeugdjournaal. It stated that the European wildcat has been spotted in the southern part of the Netherlands, with signs that a few have... Continue Reading →
Humans and domesticated cats (Felis catus) have lived alongside one another for a very long time and, consequently, humans have taken their cats all over the world (Cecchetti et al., 2020; Pirie et al., 2022; Wijburg et al., 2022). Nowadays, cats are in the household as pets, but they are also used on farms as... Continue Reading →
Wild bees are declining at alarming rates in rural environments, but cities have the potential to provide habitat for a surprisingly high diversity of these pollinators (Sirohi et al., 2025). At the same time, urban beekeeping is gaining ground as an increasingly popular hobby, spiking up honey bee numbers in cities worldwide (Lanner et al.,... Continue Reading →
Urban areas as a refuge Cities provide a diverse set of habitats that have the possibility to house many wild bee species [1]. Urban green spaces such as gardens, parks and yards provide nesting and foraging resources for many bee species and often are seen as a refuge for many wild bee species that are... Continue Reading →
Around the globe we see an increase of populations living in cities, making urban environments the fastest growing ecosystem on the planet. Urbanization is a global phenomenon that has been increasing at an accelerating rate, altering both terrestrial and aquatic landscapes. These alterations are often linked to biodiversity loss, but can urbanization also drive evolution?... Continue Reading →
When I was younger, I remember thinking to myself: “This tree is losing its skin, is it dying?” I believe I can’t be the only child that thought this when first looking at a London plane. Little did I (and the other children) know, this was one of the London planes’ amazing abilities that made... Continue Reading →
Cover photo: Birds on a lantern post (Source: Business Insider) Taking a walk through the busy streets of the city, life appears to all around us. Bikers briskly pass you by, drivers honk loudly and hundreds of people walk around as if you find yourself in a busy anthill. A pigeon quickly takes off before... Continue Reading →
Within cities, the number of trophic levels present in the community can change when animals migrate there. Smaller predators can end up at the top of the trophic chain or a different species, like the domestic cat, becomes the apex predator of the city. How are apex predators like raptors thriving or at least surviving... Continue Reading →
Using soundscapes to monitor urban diversity by Shade Walker Daily sounds of local traffic, the coffee machine pouring, conversations over breakfast, and morning birdsong, are all familiar to us, signaling the start of a new day. As sound waves pulse through the air, they encounter physical structures in the environment, and it is through this... Continue Reading →
The Earth is surely heating up, and so are our cities. The concrete structures that surround us in our daily lives quickly raise temperatures in the cities up until 15 degrees Celsius higher than surrounding rural areas (Mentaschi, 2022). One of the key strategies of governments to make cities more resilient to climate change is... Continue Reading →
Pollination is a fundamental ecological process that supports biodiversity and sustains economies through crop pollination. About 80% of wild plant species rely on insect pollination for seed set and fruit. Additionally, about 75% of crops used for human food rely on insect pollination. This means that insect pollination is highly important for biodiversity and agriculture... Continue Reading →
It is definitely that time of year again: insects and other invertebrates seem to spawn from every nook and cranny. We see snails feasting on freshly emerged leaves, earthworms being snatched away by hungry and breeding birds and flies scouting for a place to lay their eggs. We double-check for ticks after a nice forest... Continue Reading →
The world has become increasingly urbanised in recent decades and cities are still expanding at fast rates all across the world. This urbanization and evolution of cities has numerous major environmental consequences, such as climate change or biodiversity loss due to habitat replacement, degradation, and fragmentation (1,2). These new, often socio-environmental, challenges that urban evolution... Continue Reading →
An introduction to the city spider Spiders are the most diverse and abundant terrestrial predators on earth. This group of species is, in turn, a crucial contributor to the earth's ecosystems as we know them: they control insect populations directly, which indirectly changes plant diversity and productivity. Since many of the earths ecosystems are under... Continue Reading →
Cities are a special environment regulated by humans: planted green spaces, paved streets, large buildings, constant light and traffic. Some animals like meadow birds have disappeared from these landscapes, but other animals have not. Trashcans, littering, bird feeders, food laying around restaurants and cafés all attract animals to the cities. This leads to an increase... Continue Reading →
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