Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale.
To reduce virus transmission, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) increased substantially during the COVID-19 global pandemic. As a result, disposable face masks and gloves made from plastic polymers rapidly entered the environment, with little understanding of ecological impacts. Many plastic polymers sink to the bottom of freshwater bodies, either immediately or following biofouling and degradation, posing a potential risk to the benthos. We assessed the acute and chronic ecotoxicity of disposable polypropylene face masks and nitrile gloves on Lumbriculus variegatus, a benthic ecosystem engineer. In microcosm experiments, we also investigated direct impacts on sediment biogeochemistry and indirect impacts mediated by toxicity to L. variegatus. Exposure to fragments of both masks and gloves decreased vitality of L. variegatus. Gloves were acutely toxic, but mask toxicity was mediated by physical interactions. Glove fragments significantly decreased nitrogen removal and phosphorus release to the water column. Both materials suppressed the ecosystem engineering role of L. variegatus by decreasing its impact on microalgal primary production, net ecosystem metabolism, and sediment nitrate consumption. The influx of PPE to the environment may have profound and cascading negative impacts on benthic organisms and ecosystem function, suggesting the need for improved management of PPE litter.
In a non-majors upper-level undergraduate environmental history course focused on the Laurentian Great Lakes, students researched and wrote micro-histories of the Rochester, NY area. Many were focused on water—quantity, quality, recreation, and pollution. This article briefly explains the approach and its potential applications to other interdisciplinary water courses. Then five of the original micro-water history cases are presented. It concludes with the lessons learned as a class and for teaching local water history in the future incorporating the previous class’ findings.
There is growing concern, locally and globally, about the health of pollinating insects and their decreasing abundance and diversity. While roads may also be contributing to insect pollinator declines (roads can contribute to habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction), roadsides may provide opportunities for pollinating insect conservation. Yet to use these areas to support local pollinating insects, we need to understand which plants will support wild pollinators, especially of conservation concern. To that end, we researched the potential plant-pollinator networks of three existing seed mixes in western New York (USA)- a roadside seed mix, a pollinator-friendly planting mix, and a lawn seed mix. We used publicly available information and built bipartite graphs to show the resulting networks. The pollinator-friendly seed mix supported the most pollinating insects overall and taxa of conservation concern. Yet the roadside mix, with the same species richness as the lawn seed mix, supported a different network based on the plants in the mix. Our results inform which particular plant species in existing seed mixes in western New York can support wild pollinating insect species of concern in the region. Additionally, our results show potentially how roadside and lawn plantings may be altered to support a broader network of pollinating insects.
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