Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Be sure to check out today's Urban Evolution talks and posters at SICB! TimeRoomTitleAuthors8:00 - 8:15 AM402-403Creating Interdisciplinary Conservation Tools: A Case Study on Vaccinating Urban WildlifeShriver, C.; Scott, D.; Palakurthy, I.; Hansen, G.; Place, S.; Hu, D.; Schulz, A.K.8:15 - 8:30 AM402-403Effects of roadway disturbances on Side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) behavior and morphologySermersheim, L.;... Continue Reading →
Remember to check out all the incredible research on urban systems at SICB this year! Email Kristin if you'd like to contribute to the blog by covering one of these talks or posters. DayTimeRoomTitleAuthorsWed., Jan. 48:00 - 8:15 AM402-403Creating Interdisciplinary Conservation Tools: A Case Study on Vaccinating Urban WildlifeShriver, C.; Scott, D.; Palakurthy, I.; Hansen,... Continue Reading →
Humans are now the dominant driver of evolution. Most contemporary examples of rapid evolution in nature stem from the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on populations. A prominent example of this is how urbanization affects species' evolution. This topic has received substantial attention since 2016, with many scholars turning their research attention to the topic. Part... Continue Reading →
The Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is an invasive plant-hopper pest native to parts of China, first introduced to the United States in Berks County, PA, in 2014. According to the NYSIPM, egg masses were hypothesized to have arrived in stone shipments in 2012. Since its introduction, there have been Spotted Lanternfly reports in Indiana, Michigan,... Continue Reading →
Skyscrapers as Ecological Traps of the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae): Preliminary Observations Kenneth D. Frank & Gregory W. Cowper Abstract Since its introduction to North America from Asia in 2014, the spotted lanternfly has emerged as a pest in rural and suburban settings. In downtown Philadelphia we found adults of the spotted lanternfly... Continue Reading →
Check out this Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) sauntering about the busy streets of Leicester! https://twitter.com/Hannam79/status/1602660747997216770 This species of swan is native to most of Europe and has been introduced to the eastern United States. They reside in various aquatic ecosystems, including urban lakes and ponds. However, as this tweet's author stated, they don't often take... Continue Reading →
As urban areas continue to expand, nearby wildlife must either adapt to the effects of urbanization or flee to natural spaces. The species impacted by urbanization typically fall into one of three categories: urban avoiders, urban adaptors, or urban exploiters. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are classified as urban adaptors due to their ability to live on... Continue Reading →
Come and check out Life in the City's new Foundational Reading page! It has recommendations for a wide range of individuals interested in urban ecology & urban evolution. From textbooks and taxa-specific research to non-academic books, urban field guides, and even a couple of books for the young, budding ecologist! Scroll to the bottom of... Continue Reading →
The annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) is here! From January 3-7 biologists will convene in Austin, Texas to share the latest and greatest from a broad range of research areas. Urban evolution talks have a strong showing at the meeting this year, and we would like to hear about all of... Continue Reading →
Urban-rural gradients: how landscape changes drive adaptive evolution of plant competitive traits Yuya Fukano, Kei Uchida, Yuuya Tachiki Abstract The role of competition in local adaptation and the associated traits underlying adaptation remain unclear. One reason for the lack of evidence may be that plant-plant competition is ubiquitous in natural environments; thus, local adaptation to... Continue Reading →
Check out this fun-loving gull and its new toy! https://twitter.com/GarethUnwin85/status/1597610347212734464 This gull seen last week at Queen's Park in Brighton, UK, seems to have been enjoying a game of tennis! Gulls species are notoriously difficult to differentiate. There are more than 50 species of gulls, the majority being part of the genus Larus. If observing... Continue Reading →
Cryptic eco-evolutionary feedback in the city: Urban evolution of prey dampens the effect of urban evolution of the predator Kristien I. Brans, Nedim Tüzün, Arnaud Sentis, Luc De Meester, Robby Stoks Abstract Most research on eco-evolutionary feedbacks focuses on ecological consequences of evolution in a single species. This ignores the fact that evolution in response... Continue Reading →
Unexpected dispersal of Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) in an urban landscape MATTHEW J. HALL, JOHN M. MARTIN, ALICIA L. BURNS, AND DIETER F. HOCHULI Abstract Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) are atypical urban colonising birds due to their poor flight and dispersal ability, ground foraging and nesting behaviour, and lack of parental care for their chicks.... Continue Reading →
In a previous post titled Meta-analysis of Urban Bird Phenology, we discussed how urban conditions have affected the average value of phenology and reproductive phenotypes in bird species. Capilla-Lasheras et al. found that urban bird populations had lower values than their non-urban conspecifics for three life-history traits, indicating earlier lay dates, smaller clutch sizes, and... Continue Reading →
“How life adapts to cities around the world” is a 5 minute educational animated film created by Sherry An (myself), a science and medical illuHow the GLUE Animation Came Aboutstrator and designer from Mississauga, Canada. The film uses 3D animation and visual storytelling to share the goals and results of the first GLUE study in... Continue Reading →
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