Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution

From evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen, a book that will make you see yourself and the world around you in an entirely new way *Carrion crows in the Japanese city of Sendai have learned to use passing traffic to crack nuts.*Lizards in Puerto Rico are evolving feet that better grip surfaces like concrete.*Europe’s urban blackbirds sing at a higher pitch than their rural cousins, to be heard over the din of traffic. How is this happening?Menno Schilthuizen is one of a growing number of “urban ecologists” studying how our manmade environments are accelerating and changing the evolution of the animals and plants around us. In Darwin Comes to Town, he takes us around the world for an up-close look at just how stunningly flexible and swift-moving natural selection can be. With human populations growing, we’re having an increasing impact on global ecosystems, and nowhere do these impacts overlap as much as they do in cities. The urban environment is about as extreme as it gets, and the wild animals and plants that live side-by-side with us need to adapt to a whole suite of challenging conditions: they must manage in the city’s hotter climate (the “urban heat island”); they need to be able to live either in the semidesert of the tall, rocky, and cavernous structures we call buildings or in the pocket-like oases of city parks (which pose their own dangers, including smog and free-rangingdogs and cats); traffic causes continuous noise, a mist of fine dust particles, and barriers to movement for any animal that cannot fly or burrow; food sources are mainly human-derived. And yet, as Schilthuizen shows, the wildlife sharing these spaces with us is not just surviving, but evolving ways of thriving. Darwin Comes toTown draws on eye-popping examples of adaptation to share a stunning vision of urban evolution in which humans and wildlife co-exist in a unique harmony. It reveals that evolution can happen far more rapidly than Darwin dreamed, while providing a glimmer of hope that our race toward over population might not take the rest of nature down with us.

Details e-book Darwin Comes to Town

🗸 Author(s): Menno Schilthuizen
🗸 Title: Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution
🗸 Rating : 4.5 from 5 stars (189 reviews)
🗸 Languange: English
🗸 Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
🗸 Supported Devices: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle

Readers' opinions about Darwin Comes to Town by Menno Schilthuizen

Jett Marsden
This thought-provoking work of non-fiction explores the mysteries of the human mind, delving into the complexities of consciousness and perception. Drawing on the latest scientific research, the author sheds light on the inner workings of the brain, offering fascinating insights into what makes us who we are. Engaging and accessible, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the workings of the human mind.

Ethelda Dixon
Explore the wonders of the natural world with this captivating exploration of wildlife and ecosystems. From the depths of the ocean to the heights of the mountains, the author takes readers on a journey through some of the planet's most extraordinary habitats. With its stunning photography and fascinating insights, this book is a feast for the eyes and the mind.

Rawena Briggs
This captivating science fiction novel transports readers to a distant future where humanity has colonized the stars and forged new alliances among the cosmos. Against the backdrop of interstellar conflict, the story follows a group of intrepid explorers as they journey to the far reaches of space in search of a lost civilization. With its gripping plot twists and richly imagined world-building, this book is a thrilling adventure that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.

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