Urban evolution can have different meanings depending on what field you come from. If you are an urban planner, it might mean that urban areas are getting larger, even using sustainable energy sources where they didn't previously. For some architects it may mean that they now figure out how to put green roofs on buildings.... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Crabby Engine
Most of the time when you hear about an animal in your car engine, its a kitten in the winter seeking warmth. Bet you never thought you'd see a crab in your engine! Thank you Jose A. Velez Torres of Puerto Rico for this gem! Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles Lizards: Shifts in Morphology Associated with Urban Living
Ecomorphology describes how an animal’s physical traits (called morphology) match how it uses its habitat. It is assumed that ecomorphology results from performance-morphology relationships across different habitats. For instance, running speed (a measure of performance) could be affected by limb length (a measure of morphology), but this relationship varies based on habitat (e.g. type of... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Stick Insect in San Diego
A few weeks ago I was in San Diego, California for #ComSciCon19 and walking back to the dorms late in the evening when a friend grabbed me just before I stepped on something. I bent down to get a closer look and found this stick insect. After doing a bit of searching and posting a... Continue Reading →
Urban Ichs and Herps!
The annual Joint Meeting of Icthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) kicks off today in Snowbird, Utah. This is one of my favorite conferences so I'm sad I will not be attending this year. And unfortunately, none of our contributors are attending this meeting either this year (that I know of), so we will not be able... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Fireflies in NYC
Fireflies are great little bugs (actually beetles) that come out on warm summer evenings. They dance around the air with a light display that can mesmerize you into a lull and signals to females that they are ready to mate. Even the larvae are able to glow, but their glow is a warning that they... Continue Reading →
Urban Dragons are Innately Bold
We've talked before here on Life in the City about behavioral shifts related to fear and boldness in urban animals (check out: Skirting Skinks: Are Lizards Learning to Live Among Humans?, No city for shy dog, Concrete Escape: Increased Wariness of Anoles). Although it is clear that urban species experience behavioral modifications in response to urban... Continue Reading →
Urban Evolution at Behaviour 2019
The 56th annual conference of the Animal Behavior Society and the 36th International Ethological Conference will come together for Behaviour 2019 in Chicago, Illinois from July 23 - 27. There are several presentations that are bound to be of interest to the urban evolution community including a full symposium on animal behavior on an urbanized... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Wimbledon Birds
Last week I was watching some top-notch tennis on TV as Coco Gauff battled to stay in at Wimbledon. I was amused when a small bird, what seems to be a Wagtail (Motacilla alba), flew out onto the court and perched calmly on the net! Not being a huge tennis fan, I was surprised and... Continue Reading →
Skirting Skinks: Are Lizards Learning to Live Among Humans?
You can't live near humans if you're afraid. Fleeing constantly can be very costly, so generally animals near humans tend to become accustomed to them. A new research compares skinks in Mo'orea island to see if their escape response varies and if skinks living with more humans have adjusted their responses accordingly.
Urban Observation of the Week: Milkweed and Clover Together
Summertime is prime for doing field work for many scientists, including those of us that work on urban organisms. I was recently out in the field collecting bugs for one of the projects I work on. The first milkweed I found, looking for milkweed bugs, was this one below. The white flowers that are next... Continue Reading →
Evolution 2019 Recap
Did you miss out on Evolution 2019 last week in Providence, Rhode Island? Were you overwhelmed with all of the urban talks at the meeting? Not to worry, here's a recap of what you missed. We brought you a total of 20 blog posts from 10 contributors, including 5 new contributors to the blog! Check... Continue Reading →
Evolution 2019: Cities Accelerate Metabolic Rate and Diminish Thermal Sensitivity in Acorn Ants
Here’s an idea for the newest weight loss fad: live in a city. In her presentation at Evolution 2019, Dr. Sarah Diamond showed that the resting metabolic rate of urban acorn ants was higher than that of rural colonies. This research, conducted by Dr. Diamond and coauthors Lacy Chick and James Waters, looked at the metabolic... Continue Reading →
Evolution 2019: The Effect of Urbanization on White Clover (Trifolium repens) in Los Angeles
When it comes to current studies on urban plant evolution, The Global Urban Evolution Project (GLUE Project) is by far the most robust in terms of replication at a global scale. This worldwide collaboration spans every continent except Antarctica and includes hundreds of contributing researchers. The GLUE Project aims to answer two main questions: 1)... Continue Reading →