Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Did you know that we are currently witnessing the largest extinction event on Earth in 250 million years? In this context, let’s delve into the crucial role of insects, even in our bustling cities. Contrary to what their small sizes might suggest, insects play a crucial role in our ecosystems. Without them, terrestrial and freshwater... Continue Reading →
Cats are a staple in human culture. They have been fed by us, housed by us, even worshipped by us, and are still helping us with many of our problems today — ranging from controlling pests to just being a cute companion. Exactly for this reason, the cat (Felis catus) has been taken alongside man... Continue Reading →
Domestic Cats (Felis silvestris catus; Felis catus) are a human commensal, said to have started their relationship with us during the era of the first settled farmers (approx. 12.000 years ago) within the Fertile Crescent region of the middle east.1 We took them into our homes and slowly transformed them into the royalty that a lot... Continue Reading →
Increasing artificial light In recent decades, the urban population has grown exponentially worldwide, with the expectation that the urban population will continue to increase the next decades. As cities expand, so does the reliance on artificial light sources to illuminate the night. This increases the visibility for humans when it is dark, but it can... Continue Reading →
Bottlenose Dolphins' Adaptations to Noise in Urban Harbours: Shouting, Eavesdropping & Fleeing Health risks of urban noise to Bottlenose dolphins Recently, urban sightings of cetaceans have become increasingly prevalent, which can be linked to higher water quality and healthier environments in general. Recent examples include dolphin sightings in the Baltimore (US), and Bridlington (UK); killer... Continue Reading →
Our perceptions of wildlife and nature are shaped by the media which highlights. The mold has been set by great figures like David Attenborough, with his memorable narrative voice. However, these documentaries only explored 'pristine' landscapes in far away lands, while ignoring the creatures that must contend with the Urban Jungle. In my first (and... Continue Reading →
Walid-Dani Kaki “In none of his works did Nature show her originality more than in insects”(Pliny the Elder) In recent years we have seen a steady decline in biodiversity, with devastating consequences for the natural world and human populations. The tendency of people to migrate to urban areas has led to their chaotic development at... Continue Reading →
Uneven biodiversity sampling across redlined urban areas in the United States Diego Ellis-Soto, Melissa Chapman, Dexter H Locke Abstract Citizen science data has rapidly gained influence in urban ecology and conservation planning, but with limited understanding of how such data reflects social, economic, and political conditions and legacies. Understanding patterns of sampling bias across socioeconomic... Continue Reading →
In the first SEEP workshop urban evolutionary ecologists discussed collaborations with the network of Long Term Ecological Research Stations (LTER) to integrate human socio-cultural dynamics in studies of urban ecology and evolution. The field of urban evolution has only recently begun to incorporate the social dynamics of urban communities as an important covariate shaping ecology... Continue Reading →
“There are ecologists in urban areas, and then there are urban ecologists” - Dr. Chris Schell This point made by my advisor (Dr. Christopher Schell) creates a clear distinction that there are urban ecologists who do not fully integrate social processes (nor the full human, e.g., perceptions, culture) in their studies. And there are urban... Continue Reading →
Urban ecology, although a burgeoning field, is becoming massive. In this field, there is much to think about when developing a question investigating the effect of “urbanization” on a particular species. Even within “urbanization” (which most urban ecologists recognize as just semantics and not a clear definition), there are many quantifications for this (see Moll... Continue Reading →
What is ecological gentrification? Ecological gentrification, also commonly referred to as green or environmental gentrification, is the process of increasing green infrastructure in urban neighborhoods. Ecological gentrification originated from a large environmental movement to increase green infrastructure and sustainability efforts in urban cities. Green infrastructure plans can include planting trees to clean the air, planting... Continue Reading →
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