In urban ecology, a lot of attention has been paid to groups such as birds and trees and how they adapt to life in the human hive, but an often-neglected group are the lichens. These easily overlooked species are developing in their own way in the human dominated urban habitat. All lichens are a symbiotic... Continue Reading →
Coyotes as Proxy for Urban Evolution
Urbanization has been ever increasing since the start of the industrial revolution and has shown no signs of slowing down. This has lead to cities growing bigger and bigger and thereby imposing new selection pressures on the animals in them. However, quantifying the effects of anthropogenic selection pressures has proven difficult for non-model species due... Continue Reading →
Relaxing Chipmunks in Urban Areas
The human population around the world keeps growing. With that growth existing cities are expanding and new ones are being built. The urban landscape is a relatively new environment with different ecological and environmental conditions compared to rural areas. Environmental pressures in cities affect humans and wild animals alike, for example artificial light at night... Continue Reading →
How Does Urban Development Affect Soil Microbial Community?
Microorganisms are essential members of soil ecosystems, and they form complex, interactive networks [4] including communications and interactions with each other that are similar to human communities. The soil microbial community contributes to global ecological stabilization by providing various terrestrial ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and degradation of pollutants [4]. Moreover, the soil microbial... Continue Reading →
Is ALAN an advantage or disadvantage for bats?
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most significant environmental changes of the past century.1 In 2020, there were approximately 361 million streetlights globally,2 and ALAN continues to increase at an alarming rate of 7%-10% per year.3 But how does this rapid expansion affect wildlife, particularly nocturnal creatures like bats? Research suggests that... Continue Reading →
Navigating towards a quieter urban environment: mitigating the threat of traffic noise
In today’s urban environment, the constant presence of traffic noise is undeniable, infiltrating even the most hidden corners of the woods. Previous studies have shown that this anthropogenic noise negatively affects the welfare of both humans and other species. The fact that even unborn organisms experience negative effects is a worrying development, emphasizing the urgent... Continue Reading →
The rise of Culex molestus: True Urban Evolution or a mere eco-type?
A number of years ago there was quite a lot of media attention regarding a possible case of in situ evolution of Culex pipiens form molestus in the London Underground metro system. This media buzz created speculation that this was a unique species that had risen during the over 160 year long existence of the... Continue Reading →
Why the long neck? Signs of avian botulism to look out for!
Have you ever seen a duck, goose, coot or any other waterbird laying long out on the ground or surface of the water? Do these birds look tired to you? If so, they might be suffering from botulism.Avian botulism, also known as Limberneck, is the most significant disease for migratory birds around the globe. Outbreaks... Continue Reading →
Of leopards and men; the presence of a lethal predator in Mumbai
Darkness sets over India’s largest city. Of course, a city with a population exceeding 12 million people will never be truly dark. Or silent. Still, in those neighborhoods bordering Sanjay Gandhi National Park the vibrant city center feels far away. In this park the wild part of India is still visible as the densely vegetated... Continue Reading →
Arms race in the war on raccoons
“Madrid declares war on plague of raccoon and parrot invaders” The Guardian (2013, July 22) “Toronto wages war on Raccoon Nation”The Canadian Press (2015, May 3) Many places have declared the war on raccoons in recent years. But is this war only making them stronger? Why declare war on racoons? The raccoon (Procyon lotor) originates... Continue Reading →
Urbanization and Local History Affect the Saguaro Cactus in the Sonoran Desert
With the rapid expansion of the city, the degradation of the natural environment has gradually aroused widespread concern in society. In recent years, the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), one of the most iconic plants in the Sonoran Desert, has attracted the attention of ecologists because of its declining population and wildfires. They began to think... Continue Reading →
The fox and the bag: a modern fable
A statue of a fox, as long as 16 meters with a height of over 10 meters, with a bag between its teeth sits in the middle of the Dutch city Rotterdam (Smets, 2024). It is locally known as the Bospoldervos, created by Hofman in 2020. Not without reason, because precisely in this part of... Continue Reading →
Reptiles in the city: Should we welcome our reptilian overlords?
Think about a classic urban species. The first ones that come to mind are usually rats, pigeons and cockroaches. I’d bet that less than 10% of people reading this thought of a reptile. With cockroaches (and possibly ants) being the exception, most big names of the city are birds and mammals. Rats, mice, squirrels, (feral)... Continue Reading →
Nature and the City or Nature in the City?
If I were to ask a typical citizen what comes to mind when they hear the word 'nature,' they would likely think of jungles, oceans, and forests. Logical, because when the media talks about how 'nature is declining' it usually refers to declining 'natural' habitats such as coral reefs, the Amazon Rainforest or the polar... Continue Reading →
Light Pollution as a Barrier for the Visibility of Aurora borealis in Urban Environments
Unfortunately, I missed something of which I think is one of the most fantastic natural phenomena the world has to offer. Instead of watching a wonderful dance of light in the sky, I was sleeping… It all happened last Friday night (10th of May 2024). One of the most wonderful natural phenomena was visible above... Continue Reading →