Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most significant environmental changes of the past century.1 In 2020, there were approximately 361 million streetlights globally,2 and ALAN continues to increase at an alarming rate of 7%-10% per year.3 But how does this rapid expansion affect wildlife, particularly nocturnal creatures like bats? Research suggests that... Continue Reading →
Next to the crucial trade route of the Panama canal sits Panama city, where an intriguing example of urban evolution has taken place. As Panama city has grown from a population of around 200,000 in the 1950’s to a population of around 2 million today, massive urbanization has taken place [1]. Urbanization is dramatically reshaping... Continue Reading →
Unfortunately, I missed something of which I think is one of the most fantastic natural phenomena the world has to offer. Instead of watching a wonderful dance of light in the sky, I was sleeping… It all happened last Friday night (10th of May 2024). One of the most wonderful natural phenomena was visible above... 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 →
Artificial light at night alters diurnal and nocturnal behavior and physiology in green anole lizards Laura A.Taylor, Christopher J. Thawley, Olive R.Pertuit, Abigail J.Dennis, Isabela R.Carson, ChenTang, Michele A.Johnson Abstract Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts biological rhythms across widely diverse organisms. To determine how energy is allocated by animals in different light environments, we investigated the... Continue Reading →
Oriented migratory flight at night: Consequences of nighttime light pollution for monarch butterflies Adam F. Parlin, Samuel M. Stratton, and Patrick A. Guerra Abstract We show that light trespass—a form of nighttime light pollution (NLP)—elicits normal daytime clock-mediated migratory behavior in fall monarch butterflies during their night-cycle. In controlled indoor flight simulator studies isolating the... Continue Reading →
Urbanization extends flight phenology and leads to local adaptation of seasonal plasticity in Lepidoptera Thomas Merckx, Matthew E. Nielsen, Janne Heliölä, Mikko Kuussaari, Lars B. Pettersson, Juha Pöyry, Juha Tiainen, Karl Gotthard, and Sami M. Kivelä Abstract Urbanization is gaining force globally, which challenges biodiversity, and it has recently also emerged as an agent of... Continue Reading →
Amphibians can be really great "indicator species" that, if they are present and healthy, then the ecosystem is doing ok. Some amphibians though are really great generalists and can tolerate a range of ecosystem changes. This week, we see a two-lined salamander chomping on the bugs that the porch lights attract. Do you have a... Continue Reading →
Life in the city is stressful, for humans and wildlife! One of the main physiological traits thought to be impacted by the novel pressures of urban life, such as noise and light pollution, is stress hormone concentration. Nevertheless, no patterns have emerged across species. Allison Injaian and co-authors fill this gap in knowledge with their... Continue Reading →
Yesterday we shared some new research with you about the effects of light at night (ALAN) on anoles, featuring new research by contributor Chris Thawley. Today, we stick with that theme of activity at night and the night-light niche. In January (before I knew my fieldwork would be postponed indefinitely), I headed to the beautiful... Continue Reading →
This week we are cross-posting (again) from Anole Annals. Check out the original post here, written by Pavitra Muralidhar. How we perceive and interact with the world is strongly shaped by natural light. How much light there is at a given time determines whether we’re sleepy or awake, and whether we’re bracing for winter or... Continue Reading →
Urbanization is becoming a huge concern and many researchers at SICB 2020 wanted to study the effects it has on the surrounding wildlife. Laura Taylor, an undergraduate student at Trinity University, looked specifically at how urbanization and artificial light at night (ALAN) effected both the physiology and the behavior of anoles. Green anoles (Anolis carolinensis),... Continue Reading →
In the second of four urban anole presentations at Evolution, Emmanuel D'Agostino does a great job summarizing new research by LITC contributor Chris Thawley. Chris' post-doc research has really delved into the night-light niche and ALAN, a topic that is no stranger to this blog (check out: It’s Lit in the City, Is Artificial Light Changing Pigeon... Continue Reading →
Have you ever stopped to look at the city lights at night? Have you ever wondered what impact these lights have on wildlife? Chris Thawley, Zach Forsburg, and Krystie Miner all asked this question in their research on artificial light at night, or ALAN. After exploring how ALAN, affected anoles in a laboratory setting,... Continue Reading →
Night life in the city can be much brighter and artificial lighting can be a significant source of new evolutionary directions for city dwellers. A recent study by Hopkins et al. (2018) researchers reviewed how Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) can drive evolutionary change in a theoretical population. How can artificial light at night (ALAN) drive evolution?... Continue Reading →
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