Last week we brought you breaking news on campus of baby deer being born. The other sure fire way to tell it is spring, mating season! Here is a pair of 5-lined skinks, Plestiodon fasciatus, doing a mating ritual: Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Baby Deer Born on Campus
Spring is finally here! How can we tell for sure, well how about a baby deer being born. We were fortunate enough to capture the birth of twins on campus here at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Check out the thread on twitter: Do you have a photo or video of an urban species... Continue Reading →
Claws in the City
I’m excited to share an update on my foray into urban ecology and evolution research as an undergraduate! I've been working in the Revell Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston since my freshman year. I've reported here before about some of my experiences in the field working on urban anoles. Over the past couple of... Continue Reading →
International Urban Wildlife Conference 2019 – See you there?
The 2019 International Urban Wildlife Conference will take place in Portland, Oregon from June 2nd-5th. This meeting is a great chance to connect with other scientists studying urban evolution and hear about the wide range of research that is being conducted in urban environments. Talk submission has already closed, but registration is open until May... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Grill Possums
Did you know that opossums are the only marsupial in North America? They are also fairly common in some urban areas. These are great animals to have around because they eat the ticks that would otherwise chow on you and your pets! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something... Continue Reading →
Proc. B Special Issue: Invasive Grass in Urban Areas
This post is part of our series covering the large number of urban evolution manuscripts that were published in August 2018 in the special issue "The Evolution of City Life" in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Urbanization can create new pathways of introduction for invasive species. The recently introduced invasive grass Brachypodium... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Kangaroo Mob
Did you know that kangaroos are really common in parts of Australia? Here's a mob of kangaroos passing through a neighborhood! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, let... Continue Reading →
Call for Submissions: Evolution in Urban Environments
We invite contributions to a special feature on evolution in urban environments to be published in Evolutionary Applications in 2020. Instructions on how to be considered for this special feature are provided below. Urban areas are among the fastest growing ecosystems on earth and the driver of local and global climate change. Despite this importance, little... Continue Reading →
Even Low Intensity Urbanization Can Influence Evolution
A recent article published in Conservation Genetics by Gizelle Hurtado and Karen Mabry found that even low levels of urbanization can influence genetic structure of Merriam's kangaroo rat. Researchers collected the kangaroo rats from Las Cruces, NM in 5 urban and 5 non-urban sites to compare genetic diversity and genetic structure between the two habitat... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Car Nesting Birds
Spring is in the air and birds are nesting... Sometimes on your car?!?
Evolution in Urban Environments Talk
For those of you who follow us and live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I'm giving a talk at the Riverwood Conservancy this Saturday, April 20th at 9:30 am. You can register for the event here. I will be talking about how urbanization can influence evolution for a lot of different organisms, including plants... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Campus Ducks
Springtime is here! In the northern latitudes we are seeing birds coming back from their winter grounds.These ducks are enjoying a "pond" made by the runoff pipes. Thank you Rose Wood for the great duck pic! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare... Continue Reading →
Evolution 2019 – See you there?
The annual Evolution meeting co-sponsored by the Society for the Study of Evolution, Society of Systematic Biologists, and American Society of Naturalists is coming soon to Providence, Rhode Island this June 21-25th! This meeting usually has a strong representation of researchers working in urban systems and we hope this year will be no different. Are... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Neighborhood Coyotes
Coyotes seem to be everywhere in North American neighborhoods. Here is a spotting from @evoecolab in his front yard. We have explored aspects of urban evolution in coyotes in a previous post by Kevin Aviles-Rodriguez. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant... Continue Reading →