Evolution in an Urbanizing World
The Bronx High School of Science, a New York City high school located near Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx, hosts an unique rich biological environment, in the midst of urban life. To better understand this environment, we, a group of five students under the mentorship of Emily Schmidt, Tracy LaGrassa, and Sunny Corrao, initiated... Continue Reading →
Cities offer an unprecedented global experiment for parallel evolutionary change: they similarly differ in several dimensions including climate, land cover, and pollution. Yet few studies examine evolutionary change across multiple cities, which is critical for identifying environmental characteristics that mediate adaptive responses. For example, city size, age, and habitat connectivity may all contribute to the... Continue Reading →
How Do We Begin To Center Environmental Justice in Urban Ecology Research?How Do We Begin To Center Environmental Justice in Urban Ecology Research? Urban ecology has many definitions depending on who you ask. An urban planner or a sociologist may define urban ecology as "the study of the ways that human and ecological systems evolve... Continue Reading →
Do you enjoy spotting urban birds but need some help with identifying what you find? This is something I constantly encounter (often with family members sending me photos and videos for identification). Luckily, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a fantastic guide to help you. A few weeks ago my brother sent me this video... Continue Reading →
Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, are some of the most visible and well-known urban animals in the Northeastern United States. Prior to European settlement of the region, the black morph of S. carolinensis ("melanistic") was much more abundant. Scientists have hypothesized that the dark pelt was advantageous in the old growth forests that used to cover the region.... Continue Reading →
Following the plenary at IUWC 2019, this session focused on integrating urban ecology research with community engagement. The speakers here built on some of the ideas expressed by Chris Schell previously on this site. Pigeons & Passers-by Elizabeth Carlen, an editor for this blog and PhD student in the Biological Sciences department at Fordham University... Continue Reading →
This session included three very different community science projects--from otters in Singapore to cats around the world! Otters! Philip Johns, of Yale-NUS College, studies the foraging behaviors in urban smooth-coated otters in Singapore. Singapore is very urban, and all of its waterways are highly modified--similar to those in Los Angeles. Despite this, about 18 families... Continue Reading →
As a common urban bird, pigeons usually provoke strong opinions — people often either despise them or enjoy the daily wildlife interaction that they provide. While conducting an urban ecology study in Butte, Montana, Dr. Stella Capoccia noticed that because of their ubiquity, pigeons are often taken for granted as an important member of the urban ecosystem. This... Continue Reading →
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