New post by Anton Schaap: Plants in the concrete jungle https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/07/16/plants-in-the-concrete-jungle/ #UrbanEvolution
Life in the City - Evolution in an urbanizing world
@litc-urbanevo.bsky.social
urbanevolution-litc.com We bring you the latest urban evolution research, and we welcome you to be a contributor!
New post by Leen Jammalieh: Refuge or Risk: Can Cities Protect Our Frogs? https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/07/14/refuge-or-risk-can-cities-protect-our-frogs/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Livia Rebello: The Snake Next Door https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/07/02/the-snake-next-door/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Aesha Sarker: Accidental Ecosystems: How Dutch Homes Became Bat Caves https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/30/accidental-ecosystems-how-dutch-homes-became-bat-caves/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Laura Veenstra: From fields to sewers: how rats thrive in the city https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/25/from-fields-to-sewers-how-rats-thrive-in-the-city/ #UrbanEvolution
Urban evolution is shaped by more than traffic and pollution. Human emotions such as disgust and attraction may influence which animals are able to survive in cities.
New post by Shrijanti Moensi: The Fearless Pigeon: Master of Urban Adaptation https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/18/the-fearless-pigeon-master-of-urban-adaptation/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Kayne van Eijk: From ancient city builders to city adapters https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/16/from-ancient-city-builders-to-city-adapters/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Arilah van Eden: When roads split species: Are urban newts evolving apart? https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/11/when-roads-split-species-are-urban-newts-evolving-apart/ #UrbanEvolution
New post by Becky Dong: Urban corals are following in the footsteps of pigeons https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/06/09/urban-corals-are-following-in-the-footsteps-of-pigeons/ #UrbanEvolution
As Europe warms, the Asian Tiger Mosquito is spreading north through cities and tourism networks, bringing new public health and ecological risks to countries like the Netherlands.
If not pet, why pet shaped? How racoons are self-domesticating in urban environments.
New post by Willemijn Bulterman: Sponge in the City: a nature-based solution for PFAS pollution? URL: https://urbanevolution-litc.com/wp-admin/post-new.php #UrbanEvolution #nbs
Evolving nature-based solutions for urban resilience | Science: A wonderful collaboration across ecology, evolution, urban science, and urban design and planning www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Evolving nature-based solutions for urban resilience
Despite growing investments in nature-based solutions for urban resilience, their design often overlooks a fundamental biological process: evolution. Populations of organisms that sustain nature-based...
science.org
For our readers in Netherlands: Edoardo Facchielli tells us why Dutch cities make great bat habitats and what species to look out for! urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/05/12/b... For our non-European readers, look up at dusk to see some night shift residents wherever you are too!
Bats in Leiden: The night shift nobody talks about – Life in the City
urbanevolution-litc.com
Behavioral convergence: Urban wildlife exhibit similar behavior across species and cities Behavioral Convergence in Urban Wildlife https://urbanevolution-litc.com/2026/03/20/behavioral-convergence-in-urban-wildlife/ #UrbanEvolution
Excited to share our new review in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com, coauthored w/allstar postdocs @vale-alaasam.bsky.social @annainthefield.bsky.social @anthonysnead.bsky.social Bridging island biogeography & evolutionary processes, we explore how eco-evo dynamics play out in the urban mosaic rdcu.be/e4tcj
Eco-evolutionary dynamics shaping biodiversity in the urban mosaic
Nature Reviews Biodiversity - The urban mosaic is a complex assimilation of habitats, biotic and abiotic factors with eco-evolutionary influence on local and regional biodiversity. In this Review,...
rdcu.be
Are corvids the smartest urban animal? Our contributor Willard makes a case for this remarkably adaptable bird and highlights some unique and amazing behavior. urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/10/30/c... #urbanecology #urbanevolution
Clever City Crows: How Corvids Conquered the City
What is the most intelligent animal you can think of? Species that likely come to mind are perhaps apes, cetaceans, or elephants. However, in spite of their intelligence, most of the species from t…
urbanevolution-litc.com
Really enjoyed this post on @litc-urbanevo.bsky.social this week. Very cool to learn about the history and uncertain future of this staple of urban street trees! urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/08/26/b...
Beyond the Shade: The Growing Disadvantages of the London Plane
When I was younger, I remember thinking to myself: “This tree is losing its skin, is it dying?” I believe I can’t be the only child that thought this when first looking at a London plane. Little di…
urbanevolution-litc.com
The single-striped grass mouse can be found near cities, but our nighttime lights have negative impacts on this understudied grassland mammal from Africa. Floor Didden tells us about a recent study urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/05/18/a... #urbanecology #urbanmammals
Artificial light at night may make African mouse species vulnerable - Life in the City
When thinking about a city at night, chances are that you include some twinkling streetlights in your mental image. Billboards, streetlamps, and neon signs are no novel presence to city dwellers. Thes...
urbanevolution-litc.com
The tiny plant Draba verna grows out of cracks in sidewalks & roads. Nils tells us more about this resilient #urbanplant & invites us to appreciate the beauty growing between the pavement cracks more often urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/05/16/u... #urbanecology #urbanobservation
Urban acts of defiance: Tiny flowers thriving in concrete jungles - Life in the City
The harsh, brutal urban environment is increasing. In Europe, the Netherlands ranks as one of the countries with the lowest forest cover (10%), with wooden forests being replaced by concrete jungles. ...
urbanevolution-litc.com
Does it ever seem like your neighborhood birds & squirrels recognize you? They probably do! Jitte van Leeuwen explains how & why animals learn to recognize humans in order to thrive in the fast-paced city urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/05/15/t... #urbanecology #urbanevolution
They Know Who You Are: How City Animals Recognize People - Life in the City
Urban wildlife knows more about us than we think. Birds and mammals are able to read our behaviour and recognize individual humans.
urbanevolution-litc.com
Lisa de Haas tells us about a charismatic #urbanwildlife from North America: the chipmunk. Learn more about how the chipmunk is adapting to city life by taking it easy! urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/04/17/r... #UrbanEcology #UrbanEvolution #urbanmammals
Relaxing Chipmunks in Urban Areas - Life in the City
The eastern chipmunk is well adapted to the urban environment. They spend less time foraging and their reproductive succes is better.
urbanevolution-litc.com
Rose-ringed parakeets have become common in urban areas throughout Europe in the past 15 years. Thomas Griep explains why these beautiful birds are so successful in #urban ecosystems urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/04/04/h... #urbanecology #urbanevolution
How the Rose-Ringed Parakeet Conquered the Western World - Life in the City
“Dad, what are those birds? I’ve never seen them before” I remember asking my dad when I was younger. We were outside having a barbecue and for the first time, I noticed several green birds flying ove...
urbanevolution-litc.com
How are soil microbes affected by urbanization? Ao Mo tells us about how key urban impacts affect the diversity of these important components of ecosystems urbanevolution-litc.com/2025/04/04/h... #urbanecology #urbanevolution
How Does Urban Development Affect Soil Microbial Community? - Life in the City
Microorganisms are essential members of soil ecosystems, and they form complex, interactive networks [4] including communications and interactions with each other that are similar to human communities...
urbanevolution-litc.com
NYU MS student Rafael Baez is doing super cool work with urban frogs in NYC! Trypanosomes, chytrid, immune function, and natural history. Some truly integrative research! #SICB2025
An accurate representation of #SICB2025. Loved @princetonvaughn.bsky.social’s talk on anole morphological differences in urban vs. rural settings!
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D.@sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 2y agoI learned that Crested anoles in cities have longer toes than crested anoles in the forest #SICB2025 #DrawWhatYouLearned
Climbing performance is multivariate- climbing and clinging show different patterns for different claw types in common wall lizards. There was also a clear interaction between SVL and sex on sprint speed. Cool lessons from wall lizards by @eric-gangloff.bsky.social and his lab! #SICB2025
Christina Sluka is looking at how urbanization and *self-domestication* (um, cool), is affecting raccoon skull shape. What animals eat affects what their jaws are like. When animals live in cities, they eat different stuff. I apologize to Christina and raccoons for this doodle. #SICB2025
