Evolution in an Urbanizing World
What is the most intelligent animal you can think of? Species that likely come to mind are perhaps apes, cetaceans, or elephants. However, in spite of their intelligence, most of the species from these groups are not as abundant as they used to be. Humans have changed the world through climate change, pollution, and changing... Continue Reading →
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 →
Spotting roadkill while driving evokes sadness for many people. Imagine how intimidating our roads must feel for most animals: long concrete lines with strange metal boxes five times your size, moving faster than anything you have ever seen and producing terrifying amounts of noise. Roadkill is one of the leading causes of death for vertebrates... 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 →
Lets perform a small thought-experiment: what are the first three things you think about when you hear the term urbanization? I would guess people would give answers akin to stone houses, big cities, paved roads and a decrease in greenery. And yes, those are big aspects of urbanization. But all of those aspects have an... Continue Reading →
When people consider the causes of the decline in bird or small mammal populations most will first think of pesticides or vehicle deaths. However, one of the biggest threats to these birds and mammals may actually be our own dear pet cats. Domestic cats (Felis catus) contribute significantly to the decline in urban wildlife. Cats... Continue Reading →
Pollinator decline is significant problem we are currently facing. Many studies have shown a drastic decrease of insects, including pollinators (Hallmann et al., 2017). Not only is this the loss of unique species and detrimental to ecosystem functioning, but pollination is also an ecosystem service important for production of many crops (Vanbergen et al., 2013).... Continue Reading →
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