urbanization

The biologist at the University of Sunshine Coast in Australia wants to understand why some animal species adapt well to urbanization, while others fall flat.

As shelter-in-place orders quieted the city of San Francisco, its sparrow population developed softer, sexier songs.

Using DNA data, researchers track family dynamics in Europe over the last 500 years and find socioeconomic status is related to married women having a child with a man other than their husband.

Urban environments are driving genetic changes in resident species through multiple mechanisms, from establishing gene flow barriers to exerting novel selection pressures.

From changes in gene flow to adaptation, the effects of urbanization are shaping the evolutionary trajectories of plants and animals.

Urban colonies had more offspring, survived longer, and hosted fewer parasites.

A species of water flea in northern Belgium that helps keep algae in check is growing smaller and less abundant in urbanized areas. 

Important pollinators under threat from habitat destruction, bumblebees may find refuge on vacant land throughout Michigan’s largest metropolis.

See the urban landscapes in Detroit where researchers are studying the fates of pollinators that adopt a metropolitan lifestyle.