Evolution in an Urbanizing World
The weather on the northern hemisphere is getting warmer which means beach days are approaching. Every beach dweller can confirm that seagulls (Larus sp.) can be very cunning and cheeky in order to steal food. Is this their ancestral behaviour or has this evolved with the rising of urban areas? Pavlova and Wronski (2020) studied... Continue Reading →
Around May, enormous swarms of termites wing up, coming out from the ground, trying to find the perfect match and establish their own families. After they find each other, the lovers shed their wings and seek out locations to build their marital homes, where they then reproduce. The nuptial flight of Macrotermes barneyi occurs every... 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 →
At first glance, a city is a hodgepodge of buildings, busy streets and public squares, people, traffic, and overall bustle. Yet, if you manage to see past the cacophony of everyday life, there is so much more to explore. A small co-resident of many cities, the ivy bee, reminds us of this. Colletes hederae, more... Continue Reading →
Knotted willows characterise many Dutch landscapes, where they are often seen in a row along creeks that have existed for decades. These willows are pruned every few years, which causes the characteristic wide “knot” at the treetop to form over time. Complex shapes can form due to this pruning, and it is quite common to... 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 →
At the heart of the Amazon rainforest, near the confluence of the Rio Negro and Amazone, lies the metropole Manaus. Nicknamed the Paris of the Tropics, Manaus is home to over two million people and functions as the economical hub of the northern part of Brazil. Incidentally, it is also the last refuge of the... 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 →
As urbanization continues to reshape landscapes, its effects on wildlife have become a subject of growing concern. In the unique context of Cuba, a recent study focused on an endemic lizard species, Anolis homolechis, found in both natural and suburban environments. This in-depth study relied on adapted tracking methods deployed over several years and explored... 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 →
Who would ever have expected to see plovers on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai? The Huangpu River is the "mother river" of Shanghai that flows north throughout Shanghai. It passes some of the most population-dense regions of the city, including Lujiazui and the Bund, and provides green paths on both banks for... Continue Reading →
Spotted Lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) have become an unavoidable nuisance since their arrival in the Big Apple in 2020. These clumsy hemipterans have managed to dominate the urban jungle due to their bright red warning coloration, which is indicative of their bitter tasting chemicals they uptake from their favorite food source, the Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Despite... Continue Reading →
Lurking beneath the trash laden leaf litter of the 5 boroughs lurks a secretive little amphibian that exemplifies the struggle between the forces of urbanization and the biological need to adapt or face extinction. The Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a unique kind of caudate with numerous traits that make it well equipped to... Continue Reading →
From hantavirus to the plague, rats have long since been reservoirs for a whole host of nasty infectious diseases. They live in our cities and feed off our garbage, sharing with us their fleas, ticks, and pathogens as a thank-you. With more urban development comes more rats and more potential for zoonotic diseases, making the... Continue Reading →
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