Journal of Animal Diversity

Journal of Animal Diversity

A review of Szulkin, M., J. Munshi-South, and A. Charmantier, eds. 2020. Urban Evolutionary Biology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 303 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-883685-8

Reviewers

Authors
Tudu Shalini
S J Amith
K S Chetan Nag
Centre for Urban Ecology, Bio-Diversity, Evolution, and Climate Change (CUBEC), JAIN (Deemed-to-be UNIVERSITY), #319, 17th Cross, 25th Main, J P Nagar 6th Phase, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India- 560078
10.22034/JAD.2024.6.1.3
Abstract
In this Anthropocene epoch, where every single ecosystem on Earth is heavily shaped, both in space and time, by human deeds, natural landscapes are being rapidly replaced by urbanization. Henceforth, a new urban biome has arisen displaying certain unique properties, making cities around the globe a perfect place to investigate “natural” processes like ecology, evolution, adaptation, and biodiversity, away from their more natural forested counterparts. Interestingly, despite conurbations, or extended urban habitats, being thought of as adversaries of Mother Nature, organisms in urban environments are learning to adapt and survive, making them novel sources for evolutionary variation. Regrettably, despite advancements in methods to answer questions in ecology and evolutionary biology, there is a lack of knowledge about how urbanization influences evolution and its processes in an urban milieu. There is a dire need to understand issues such as the operational repercussions of urbanization, and the roles of evolutionary transformation in urban community dynamics.
Keywords
Adaptations
Citizen Science
industrialization
micro-evolution
modifications
parallel evolution
urban-ecology
urbanization

Subjects

Journal of Animal Diversity
Volume 6, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
Cover photo: The Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783), from Chilavannoor, Kochi City, Kerala, India (Urban Habitat: Rocks and stones). Photo by Joseliph Abin, July 18, 2019.
Winter 2024
Pages 21-22