Adaptive evolution in urban ecosystems

Donihue, Colin M.; Lambert, Max R.

doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0547-2

Cited by 167 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…At the community level, a significant decrease in mammal, reptile, amphibian, invertebrate and plant species richness has been observed in highly urbanized areas [14]. At the level of individual populations, a broad range of adaptive behavioural, morphological and physiological responses of urban populations have been reported (reviewed in [15]). For example, the plant species Crepis sancta shows a reduced settling success of dispersing seed types and a significant increase in non-dispersing seed types in urban areas associated with increased habitat fragmentation [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eco-evolutionary dynamics in urbanized landscapes: evolution, species sorting and the change in zooplankton body size along urbanization gradients

Brans¹,

Govaert²,

Engelen³

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 18 to a theme issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'. Urbanization causes both changes in community composition and evolutionary responses, but most studies focus on these responses in isolation. We performed an integrated analysis assessing the relative contribution of intra-and interspecific trait turnover to the observed change in zooplankton community body size in 83 cladoceran communities along urbanization gradients quantified at seven spatial scales (50-3200 m radii). We also performed a quantitative genetic analysis on 12 Daphnia magna populations along the same urbanization gradient. Body size in zooplankton communities generally declined with increasing urbanization, but the opposite was observed for communities dominated by large species. The contribution of intraspecific trait variation to community body size turnover with urbanization strongly varied with the spatial scale considered, and was highest for communities dominated by large cladoceran species and at intermediate spatial scales. Genotypic size at maturity was smaller for urban than for rural D. magna populations and for animals cultured at 248C compared with 208C. While local genetic adaptation likely contributed to the persistence of D. magna in the urban heat islands, buffering for the phenotypic shift to larger body sizes with increasing urbanization, community body size turnover was mainly driven by non-genetic intraspecific trait change.This article is part of the themed issue 'Human influences on evolution, and the ecological and societal consequences'.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eco-evolutionary dynamics in urbanized landscapes: evolution, species sorting and the change in zooplankton body size along urbanization gradients

Brans¹,

Govaert²,

Engelen³

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of urban ecosystems remains poor because of a paucity of data on the subject [7]. Although there have been relatively few studies, researchers have identified several cases of adaptive phenotypic differentiation between paired urban -rural populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanization drives the evolution of parallel clines in plant populations

2016

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Urban ecosystems are an increasingly dominant feature of terrestrial landscapes. While evidence that species can adapt to urban environments is accumulating, the mechanisms through which urbanization imposes natural selection on populations are poorly understood. The identification of adaptive phenotypic changes (i.e. clines) along urbanization gradients would facilitate our understanding of the selective factors driving adaptation in cities. Here, we test for phenotypic clines in urban ecosystems by sampling the frequency of a Mendelian-inherited trait-cyanogenesis-in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) populations along urbanization gradients in four cities. Cyanogenesis protects plants from herbivores, but reduces tolerance to freezing temperatures. We found that the frequency of cyanogenic plants within populations decreased towards the urban centre in three of four cities. A field experiment indicated that spatial variation in herbivory is unlikely to explain these clines. Rather, colder minimum winter ground temperatures in urban areas compared with non-urban areas, caused by reduced snow cover in cities, may select against cyanogenesis. In the city with no cline, high snow cover might protect plants from freezing damage in the city centre. Our study suggests that populations are adapting to urbanization gradients, but regional climatic patterns may ultimately determine whether adaptation occurs.

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“…However, urbanization also represents a potential source of selection and a new avenue to study evolutionary processes (Donihue and Lambert, 2014;Isaksson, 2015;Alberti et al, 2017;Hendry et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Great Tits (Parus major) Show Higher Distress Calling and Pecking Rates than Rural Birds across Europe

et al. 2017

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Environmental change associated with urbanization is considered one of the major threats to biodiversity. Some species nevertheless seem to thrive in the urban areas, probably associated with selection for phenotypes that match urban habitats. Previous research defined different "copying styles" in distress behavior during the handling of birds. These behaviors vary along a continuum from "proactive" to "reactive" copers. By studying avian distress behaviors we aimed to broaden our understanding of the relationship between coping styles and urbanization. Using a large-scale comparative study of seven paired rural and urban sites across Europe, we assayed distress behaviors during handling of urban and rural-dwelling populations of the great tit Parus major. We detected no consistent pairwise differences in breath rate between urban and rural habitats. However, urban great tits displayed more distress calling (fear screams) and higher pecking rate (handling aggression) than rural birds. These findings suggest that urban great tits have a more proactive coping strategy when dealing with stressful conditions. This finding is in line with previous studies implying that urban great tits are more explorative, less neophobic, and display shorter flight distances than their rural counterparts, representing further aspects of the same "proactive," coping strategy. Future research should investigate whether reported differences in distress behavior are due to local adaption caused by natural selection or due to phenotypic plasticity.

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Adaptive evolution in urban ecosystems

Cited by 167 publications

References 63 publications

Eco-evolutionary dynamics in urbanized landscapes: evolution, species sorting and the change in zooplankton body size along urbanization gradients

Eco-evolutionary dynamics in urbanized landscapes: evolution, species sorting and the change in zooplankton body size along urbanization gradients

Urbanization drives the evolution of parallel clines in plant populations

Urban Great Tits (Parus major) Show Higher Distress Calling and Pecking Rates than Rural Birds across Europe

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