Moving past the challenges and misconceptions in urban adaptation research

Winchell, Kristin M.; Avilés‐Rodríguez, Kevin J.; Carlen, Elizabeth J.; Miles, Lindsay S.; Charmantier, Anne; León, Luis F. De; Gotanda, Kiyoko M.; Rivkin, L. Ruth; Szulkin, Marta; Verrelli, Brian C.

doi:10.1002/ece3.9552

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…We hypothesize that behavioral and phenotypic flexibility in adults can lead to faster colonization of urban habitats as compared to development or selection, and that species that have higher flexibility are more likely to successfully colonize urban habitats (Mason et al, 2013). Future work exploring this possibility could enable predictions of which species are most likely to adapt to urban habitats, and which species will require conservation of appropriate wildlands (Winchell et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic disturbance induces attenuation of the acute glucocorticoid response in an urban adapter, the dark-eyed junco

Hanauer,

Abolins-Abols,

Brenner

et al. 2023

Front. Bird Sci.

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Urban birds’ stress response frequently differs in magnitude from non-urban conspecifics. This urban phenotype may reflect response to selection, sorting during colonization of urban environments, developmental plasticity, or phenotypic flexibility in response to urban environments. We investigated whether exposure to one characteristic of an urban environment, chronic disturbance, could induce an attenuated acute glucocorticoid response over a short time in adult non-urban dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis), which, if true, would support the phenotypic flexibility hypothesis. We tested this during the period of spring gonadal recrudescence. We simulated a high-disturbance urban-like environment by exposing non-urban experimental birds to chronic disturbance (30-min psychological stressors 4x/day for 3 weeks); controls were minimally disturbed. We found that chronically disturbed birds had a lower acute corticosterone response after 3 weeks of treatment. Baseline corticosterone was not affected. Chronically disturbed birds had less body fat and lower body condition than controls at the end of the experiment, although on average all birds gained weight over the course of the experiment. Feathers grown during the experiment did not show an effect of the disturbance treatment on feather corticosterone or fault bars, although captive-grown feathers had lower corticosterone and more fault bars than wild-grown feathers. We conclude that adult male juncos have the capacity to attenuate their acute corticosterone response in an environment with high frequency of disturbance, potentially facilitating colonization of urban habitats. Future research may show whether successful urban colonists differ from unsuccessful species in this regard.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic disturbance induces attenuation of the acute glucocorticoid response in an urban adapter, the dark-eyed junco

Hanauer,

Abolins-Abols,

Brenner

et al. 2023

Front. Bird Sci.

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“…To better understand the evolutionary ecological consequences of urbanization, urban-associated trait databases are required, and acquiring such data in urban areas poses its own set of challenges (Santos et al, 2023;Winchell et al, 2022). Such databases can be used to more accurately evaluate the urban filtering of individuals and species (Fournier et al, 2020), urban evolution and adaptation (Thompson et al, 2016), urban ecosystem functions and services (Grilo et al, 2022), and urban degradation and resilience (Morelli et al, 2020).…”

Section: Common Methods and Freely Available Datasets For Urban Eco-e...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Online toolkits for collaborative and inclusive global research in urban evolutionary ecology

Savage,

Willmott,

Moreno‐García

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

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Urban evolutionary ecology is inherently interdisciplinary. Moreover, it is a field with global significance. However, bringing researchers and resources together across fields and countries is challenging. Therefore, an online collaborative research hub, where common methods and best practices are shared among scientists from diverse geographic, ethnic, and career backgrounds would make research focused on urban evolutionary ecology more inclusive. Here, we describe a freely available online research hub for toolkits that facilitate global research in urban evolutionary ecology. We provide rationales and descriptions of toolkits for: (1) decolonizing urban evolutionary ecology; (2) identifying and fostering international collaborative partnerships; (3) common methods and freely‐available datasets for trait mapping across cities; (4) common methods and freely‐available datasets for cross‐city evolutionary ecology experiments; and (5) best practices and freely available resources for public outreach and communication of research findings in urban evolutionary ecology. We outline how the toolkits can be accessed, archived, and modified over time in order to sustain long‐term global research that will advance our understanding of urban evolutionary ecology.

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“…Adaptations that arise from selective pressures of urban environments have been addressed comprehensively elsewhere (Szulkin et al, 2020; Winchell et al, 2022). Here, we consider effects of the urban landscape on movement and dispersal, which are likely to translate into effects on gene flow, with consequences for genetic structure and diversity of urban insect populations (e.g., Xu et al, 2024).…”

Section: Key Emergent Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insect ecology and conservation in urban areas: An overview of knowledge and needs

Collins,

Audusseau,

Hassall

et al. 2024

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Urban expansion across the globe profoundly impacts local biodiversity. The growing body of urban ecology research on animals has largely focused on mammals and birds, whereas knowledge of insect ecology and conservation in urban areas remains limited. To anchor this Special Issue (SI), we have taken a broad approach to editorial and conducted a structured literature search to set the scene. We provide here an overview of existing literature reviews on urban insect ecology and conservation, indicate where the articles included in this SI contribute to developing our understanding and point to priority areas for further investigation. Key themes in the growing literature (at individual, species, and/or community level) include the influence of habitat quality, quantity and land use type on insect diversity; the impacts of anthropogenic pollution (for instance, heat, noise, light and chemicals); habitat connectivity and changes in habitat structure and impacts of urban density on genetic diversity. Insect diversity and abundance broadly decline with urban density and loss of habitat. Beyond this, variation in responses of different taxa, or in different regions, and methodological limitations of individual studies make it challenging to identify general patterns. Insect ecology and conservation research in urban environments should focus on applying ecological theory to understand variation in diversity patterns; investigating interactions between climate change and urban contexts; identifying impacts of novel environments on insect biodiversity; addressing methodological limitations and harmonising methodological approaches; and exploring the influence of social and historical factors on urban insect biodiversity. Insect conservation must also consider research into how best to communicate the value of urban insects to urban humans.

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Moving past the challenges and misconceptions in urban adaptation research

Cited by 15 publications

References 134 publications

Chronic disturbance induces attenuation of the acute glucocorticoid response in an urban adapter, the dark-eyed junco

Chronic disturbance induces attenuation of the acute glucocorticoid response in an urban adapter, the dark-eyed junco

Online toolkits for collaborative and inclusive global research in urban evolutionary ecology

Insect ecology and conservation in urban areas: An overview of knowledge and needs

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