Evolution in an Urbanizing World
How does urbanization affect natural selection? Anne Charmantier, Tracy Burkhard, Laura Gervais, Charles Perrier, Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde & Megan J. Thompson Abstract Urbanisation is one of the most significant contributors to the Anthropocene, and urban evolutionary ecology has become an important field of research. While it is commonly assumed that cities impose new and/or stronger... 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 →
As urbanization continues to reshape landscapes, its effects on wildlife have become a subject of growing concern. In the unique context of Cuba, a recent study focused on an endemic lizard species, Anolis homolechis, found in both natural and suburban environments. This in-depth study relied on adapted tracking methods deployed over several years and explored... 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 →
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 →
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 →
The rate of urbanization is increasing greatly and with that, comes large human populations. Our population has increased from 6 billion people in 2000 to roughly 7.8 billion people in 2020 and in North America alone (~370 million people), over 80% of people reside in cities. These urban areas serve as an epicenter for human... Continue Reading →
Urban evolution can have different meanings depending on what field you come from. If you are an urban planner, it might mean that urban areas are getting larger, even using sustainable energy sources where they didn't previously. For some architects it may mean that they now figure out how to put green roofs on buildings.... Continue Reading →
Ecomorphology describes how an animal’s physical traits (called morphology) match how it uses its habitat. It is assumed that ecomorphology results from performance-morphology relationships across different habitats. For instance, running speed (a measure of performance) could be affected by limb length (a measure of morphology), but this relationship varies based on habitat (e.g. type of... Continue Reading →
Evidence for evolution in urban systems is increasing, but a key outstanding question in the field of urban ecology and eco-evolutionary dynamics is whether the ability of individuals to adapt to environmental conditions (plasticity) also evolves and how this process can happen. In a new paper, Sarah Diamond and her collaborators looked to examine the... 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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