Evolution in an Urbanizing World
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 →
By Veerle Langezaal During the Covid-19 lockdowns, a grassroots movement emerged where botanists in France, the UK, and the Netherlands began chalking plant species names on sidewalks. This initiative aimed to educate communities about the ecological importance of these plants, challenging the perception of them as mere weeds. This movement has since evolved into a... Continue Reading →
Phenotypic variation along urban-to-rural gradients: an attempt to disentangle the mechanisms at play using the alien species Matricaria discoidea (Asteraceae) C Geron, JJ Lembrechts, R Hamdi, J Berckmans, I Nijs, A Monty Abstract Cities often exhibit higher temperatures, drier soils and greater habitat fragmentation than rural areas, and may thus represent constraining growing environments for... Continue Reading →
When it comes to current studies on urban plant evolution, The Global Urban Evolution Project (GLUE Project) is by far the most robust in terms of replication at a global scale. This worldwide collaboration spans every continent except Antarctica and includes hundreds of contributing researchers. The GLUE Project aims to answer two main questions: 1)... Continue Reading →
Who hasn’t picked up a fluffy dandelion, blew a deep breath, and smiled as the seeds fly along on the wind? But did you know that those seeds are possibly clones of the parent plant? Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.) can produce seeds asexually, a process called apomixis that involves no fusion of egg and sperm. The... Continue Reading →
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