In the first SEEP workshop urban evolutionary ecologists discussed collaborations with the network of Long Term Ecological Research Stations (LTER) to integrate human socio-cultural dynamics in studies of urban ecology and evolution. The field of urban evolution has only recently begun to incorporate the social dynamics of urban communities as an important covariate shaping ecology... Continue Reading →
Social-Ecological Frameworks and What the Future May Hold
“There are ecologists in urban areas, and then there are urban ecologists” - Dr. Chris Schell This point made by my advisor (Dr. Christopher Schell) creates a clear distinction that there are urban ecologists who do not fully integrate social processes (nor the full human, e.g., perceptions, culture) in their studies. And there are urban... Continue Reading →
What’s Missing in Urban Ecology?
Urban ecology, although a burgeoning field, is becoming massive. In this field, there is much to think about when developing a question investigating the effect of “urbanization” on a particular species. Even within “urbanization” (which most urban ecologists recognize as just semantics and not a clear definition), there are many quantifications for this (see Moll... 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?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 →
Genomic Urban Adaptation in a Common Bird Across Europe
Cities, defined as large human settlements of the contemporary human population, have been part of the “Old World” landscape for long time, including Europe. However, the current exponential increase of the urbanised landscape is an unprecedented phenomenon, which has an impact at multiple ecological scales. Urbanisation and its derived actions can fragment wildlife populations and... Continue Reading →
New Lit Alert: Urban Roosts: Use of Buildings by Florida Bonneted Bats
Urban Roosts: Use of Buildings by Florida Bonneted Bats Elysia N. Webb, Holly K. Ober, Elizabeth C. Braun de Torrez, Jeffery A. Gore, and Ricardo Zambrano Abstract Florida Bonneted Bats, Eumops floridanus, were first documented in Miami, Florida, USA, in the 1930s. We summarized reports of these bats in the greater Miami area throughout the past... Continue Reading →
Incorporating Human Society into Urban Ecology
Urban habitats and landscapes are considerably different from their rural and natural counterparts. Rural and natural habitats experience diluted human effects (e.g., disturbance, low pollution), while urban areas and urban wildlife endure more significant impacts from humans. When we think about the influence of cities and urbanization, we typically think of more "direct" impacts such... Continue Reading →