Evolution in an Urbanizing World
The New York Canid Project is a community science study led by Isabella Vinces, a Science research student at Ossining High School. The goal for this study is to determine the effects of coyote populations on previously residing red fox populations in urban and suburban areas throughout New York. To participate, you simply have to... Continue Reading →
By Veerle Langezaal During the Covid-19 lockdowns, a grassroots movement emerged where botanists in France, the UK, and the Netherlands began chalking plant species names on sidewalks. This initiative aimed to educate communities about the ecological importance of these plants, challenging the perception of them as mere weeds. This movement has since evolved into a... Continue Reading →
The Asian Ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) is a common sight in many urban gardens, such as those on Governor's Island in New York Harbor. They are voracious predators, feeding on soft-bodied arthropods like aphids and scale insects. These beetles were imported into the united states in 1916 to help control insect pests. Larval Asian Lady beetle... Continue Reading →
Native to the Indian subcontinent and the southern fringes of the Sahel, the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) looks wonderfully out of place in the cities of Western Europe. How and when exactly the colourful bird species established itself in isolated pockets so far from its naturally occurring range is heavily disputed, and subject to many... Continue Reading →
Sadly, plastics and litter have become part of the urban and often rural environment. It can be found almost everywhere and in any form – ranging from plastic bags to broken traffic cones. We consider it trash, however, for some birds, it is a jackpot. Often, litter is creatively included during nest building by these... Continue Reading →
The influence of road networks on brown bear spatial distribution and habitat suitability in a human-modified landscape E Gonzalez-Bernardo, MDM Delgado, DGG Matos, A Zarzo-Arias, A Morales-Gonzalez, H Ruiz-Villar, M Skuban, L Maiorano, P Ciucci, J Balbontin, V Penteriani Abstract Roads are human infrastructure that heavily affect wildlife, often with marked impacts on carnivores, including... Continue Reading →
Flamingos are definitely not the first species that comes to mind when I think of urban birds, however, that might change if I ever travel to flamingo city! https://twitter.com/shivangmehtaNW/status/1668269832658206726?s=20 As someone who has personally only seen flamingos in captivity, @shivangmehtaNW's photos of hundreds of these vivid birds gathered in front of sprawling apartment buildings were... Continue Reading →
Guest post by Brandon Waldo, Katherine Moore, Sam Bickley, Christopher Anderson, & Moises Bernal. Salinity, Urbanization, and Genetic Divergence of Killifish Coastlines are unique and dynamic environments that are always subject to intense changes. Organisms living in beaches, estuaries, and marshes constantly face fluctuations in water conditions that can alter their habitat, making hardiness and... Continue Reading →
Plasticity in resource use explains the persistence of the largest living rodent in anthropized environments M Magioli, HR Luz, FB Costa, HR Benatti, U Piovezan, FBP Nunes, B Lopes, MZ Moreira, MB Labruna, KMPMB Ferraz Abstract How organisms search for and obtain food is a determinant of their survival. It has been hypothesized that organisms... Continue Reading →
In Port Phillip City, this arboreal individual has found an urban alternative to climb! https://twitter.com/SeabirdResearch/status/1666378562184826881?s=20 The Common Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) is a marsupial species, widely distributed across its native continent of Australia. This animal is arboreal and traditionally could be found in forests and woodlands primarily on the eastern coast of Australia. Currently, ringtail... Continue Reading →
Do urban habitats induce physiological changes in Mediterranean lizards? R Vardi, S Dubiner, R Ben Bezalel, S Meiri, E Levin Abstract Urban environments offer dramatically different habitats for wildlife compared with natural environments. They provide, for example, different levels of resource availability, anthropogenic night light, and microclimates (e.g., urban heat islands). For reptiles, increased temperatures... Continue Reading →
Walid-Dani Kaki “In none of his works did Nature show her originality more than in insects”(Pliny the Elder) In recent years we have seen a steady decline in biodiversity, with devastating consequences for the natural world and human populations. The tendency of people to migrate to urban areas has led to their chaotic development at... Continue Reading →
Is the urban landscape pushing lichen evolution or is it just providing space for opportunists? Harold Timans Photo by: Matthijs MolenaarPhysciella chloantha is shown with a fertile apothecium and the lobes producing vegetative soralia The urban environment creates a multitude of habitats that differ widely in their abiotic factors. In one street it can be... Continue Reading →
Urban colonies are less aggressive but forage more than their forest counterparts in the ant Temnothorax nylanderi L Jacquier, M Molet, C Doums Abstract Urbanization imposes new constraints on organisms, leading to changes in various traits including behaviour. In particular, foraging and aggressive behaviours are often affected by urbanization. In eusocial species, behaviour can be defined at the... Continue Reading →
The City Nature Challenge is an annual competition among hundreds of international cities to increase awareness of urban biodiversity. Last year’s challenge totaled 1,694,877 observations, 50,176+ species, and 67,220 participants across 450+ cities worldwide. Check if your city is participating in this year’s challenge! If not, join the global project this year and sign-up your city to participate in 2024’s challenge! This year’s challenge is active starting tomorrow, April 28, to... Continue Reading →
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