City Lizards Hold Their Footing Against a Category 5 Hurricane

Although species will face the challenges of ongoing urbanization and extreme climate events, we know very little about how these disturbances interact. For example, the response to hurricanes has largely been documented for species in their natural habitat. Thus, how urban taxa will respond to hurricanes remains largely unknown. Read on to find out how the anole lizard in Puerto Rico responded to Hurricane Maria for both urban and forest populations.

Genomic Urban Adaptation in a Common Bird Across Europe

Cities, defined as large human settlements of the contemporary human population, have been part of the “Old World” landscape for long time, including Europe. However, the current exponential increase of the urbanised landscape is an unprecedented phenomenon, which has an impact at multiple ecological scales. Urbanisation and its derived actions can fragment wildlife populations and... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation of the Week: Moose Goes to College

Of all the places you'd think you might see a moose, strolling through a university campus is probably not high on that list. University of Connecticut students were recently treated to a sighting of one of their wildlife neighbors — a friendly moose taking a walk — as reported by the local news. https://twitter.com/wfsbnews/status/1391735978482675713?s=21 Do... Continue Reading →

Urban Evolution & Art

The piece below was posted in 2018 by A.Z. Andis Arietta a PhD candidate in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University -- I recently rediscovered it and thought it would be of interest to our followers. Check out Andis's blog here. In schools, we are taught that evolution is an imperceptibly... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation of the Week: Urban Coyotes

Where do urban coyotes den? Turns out under a building is a pretty okay spot, at least this coyote thought so! Our urban observation of the week comes from Travis Ryan, who not only spotted this coyote poking it's head out from it's den, but also caught the adorable pups emerging! https://twitter.com/IndyWildWatch/status/1386702253273329667?s=20 https://twitter.com/IndyWildWatch/status/1389933915402604553?s=20   Do... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands

Living in discarded containers: spiders explore a new niche created by littering in urban woodlands Krzysztof Kolenda, Konrad Wiśniewski, Krzysztof Kujawa, Natalia Kuśmierek, Adrian Smolis & Marcin Kadej Abstract Increased urbanisation is leading to littering of the environment. However, some animals may adapt to live in such altered habitats. The aim of this study was to assess whether discarded containers... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Morphological divergence, tail loss, and predation risk in urban lizards

Morphological divergence, tail loss, and predation risk in urban lizards Shashank Balakrishna, Madhura Sham Amdekar & Maria Thaker Abstract Urbanisation changes the structure of natural habitats and alters trophic interactions, pressuring urban species to adjust and adapt. Unlike behavioural shifts that tend to be more flexible, morphological characteristics in vertebrates are less plastic and changes may come... Continue Reading →

Urban Observation of the Week: Deck-nesting Robin

Many birds nest in and around human-made structures, taking advantage of windowsills, air vents, rooftops, and just about anywhere that looks like a cozy and safe spot. Previously, we've highlighted birds nesting in some strange locations: rooftops, building nooks, and even cars! Add to the list: the underside of decks. Our urban observation of the... Continue Reading →

New Lit Alert: Interactions between the introduced European honey bee and native bees in urban areas varies by year, habitat type and native bee guild

Interactions between the introduced European honey bee and native bees in urban areas varies by year, habitat type and native bee guild Kit S Prendergast, Kingsley W Dixon, Philip W Bateman Abstract European honey bees have been introduced across the globe and may compete with native bees for floral resources. Compounding effects of urbanization and... Continue Reading →

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