Evolution in an Urbanizing World
While huddled up in a nook on my apartment's rooftop, camera set up and aimed at the skies above, I briefly witnessed a skirmish between a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). I was able to document the interaction above my head with the featured image above. I feel so honored... Continue Reading →
One of the last things many people expect to see at 2:13 pm is a rat in a tree! Popular belief holds that rodents are nocturnal, but as we see here with this Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus), they can and will be active during daylight hours. Brought to the United States by European ships, the... Continue Reading →
Unexpected dispersal of Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) in an urban landscape MATTHEW J. HALL, JOHN M. MARTIN, ALICIA L. BURNS, AND DIETER F. HOCHULI Abstract Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) are atypical urban colonising birds due to their poor flight and dispersal ability, ground foraging and nesting behaviour, and lack of parental care for their chicks.... Continue Reading →
“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 →
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 →
Downtown diet: a global meta-analysis of increased urbanization on the diets of vertebrate predators Siria Gámez, Abigail Potts, Kirby L. Mills, Aurelia A. Allen, Allyson Holman, Peggy M. Randon, Olivia Linson and Nyeema C. Harris Abstract Predation is a fundamental ecological process that shapes communities and drives evolutionary dynamics. As the world rapidly urbanizes, it... Continue Reading →
Monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus Sometimes referred to as the Quaker parrot due to their quaking vocalizations, the monk parakeet is a small, green parrot with grey breast and head feathers accented with blue feathers on their primaries. In addition to their unique color, these birds can often be picked out by their noisy/screechy vocalizations.... 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 →
When a wall is painted over many times, it will start to have layers peel off. These cracks in the paint apparently make a great hideout for anoles. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find... Continue Reading →
When your car isn't running as smoothly as it used to, you take it into the car shop to get it checked out. Most of the time, there's some component that got old and needs to be replaced. Sometimes, there's wildlife hanging out in the warmth of the engine. This bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) chewed... Continue Reading →
There have been multiple sightings of these two turkeys in my neighborhood. I was trying to get home and these two just stayed in the middle of the street, blocking my way. These turkeys are HUGE and have zero fear of my car! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing... 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 →
Pathogens are organisms that cause disease, and zoonotic pathogens are those that can be transmitted between animals and people. Where pathogens are found can be determined by environmental changes. Urbanization is known to mediate environmental changes in cities as well as impact biodiversity. In Brazil, Belo et al. (2011) found a higher prevalence of parasites... Continue Reading →
As areas become more urbanized, fauna are continually exposed to novel anthropogenic structures and are forced to adapt. However, adapting is not always an option. For example, we see that individuals across various groups have not adapted to roads and train tracks (e.g., deer, bears, birds) and the outcome is fatal. Instead of creating barriers... Continue Reading →
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