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Alberti M. Cities of the Anthropocene: urban sustainability in an eco-evolutionary perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220264. [PMID: 37952615 PMCID: PMC10645089 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cities across the globe are driving systemic change in social and ecological systems by accelerating the rates of interactions and intensifying the links between human activities and Earth's ecosystems, thereby expanding the scale and influence of human activities on fundamental processes that sustain life. Increasing evidence shows that cities not only alter biodiversity, they change the genetic makeup of many populations, including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. Urban-driven rapid evolution in species traits might have significant effects on socially relevant ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, pollination, water and air purification and food production. Despite increasing evidence that cities are causing rapid evolutionary change, current urban sustainability strategies often overlook these dynamics. The dominant perspectives that guide these strategies are essentially static, focusing on preserving biodiversity in its present state or restoring it to pre-urban conditions. This paper provides a systemic overview of the socio-eco-evolutionary transition associated with global urbanization. Using examples of observed changes in species traits that play a significant role in maintaining ecosystem function and resilience, I propose that these evolutionary changes significantly impact urban sustainability. Incorporating an eco-evolutionary perspective into urban sustainability science and planning is crucial for effectively reimagining the cities of the Anthropocene. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Alberti
- Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
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2
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Waring TM, Wood ZT, Szathmáry E. Characteristic processes of human evolution caused the Anthropocene and may obstruct its global solutions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220259. [PMID: 37952628 PMCID: PMC10645123 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
We propose that the global environmental crises of the Anthropocene are the outcome of a ratcheting process in long-term human evolution which has favoured groups of increased size and greater environmental exploitation. To explore this hypothesis, we review the changes in the human ecological niche. Evidence indicates the growth of the human niche has been facilitated by group-level cultural traits for environmental control. Following this logic, sustaining the biosphere under intense human use will probably require global cultural traits, including legal and technical systems. We investigate the conditions for the evolution of global cultural traits. We estimate that our species does not exhibit adequate population structure to evolve these traits. Our analysis suggests that characteristic patterns of human group-level cultural evolution created the Anthropocene and will work against global collective solutions to the environmental challenges it poses. We illustrate the implications of this theory with alternative evolutionary paths for humanity. We conclude that our species must alter longstanding patterns of cultural evolution to avoid environmental disaster and escalating between-group competition. We propose an applied research and policy programme with the goal of avoiding these outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy M. Waring
- Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Zachary T. Wood
- Department of Biology, Colby College, 4000 Mayflower Hill Drive, Waterville, ME 04901, USA
| | - Eörs Szathmáry
- Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary
- Center for the Conceptual Foundations of Science, Parmenides Foundation, Pöcking, Germany
- Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
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3
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Fukano Y, Yamori W, Misu H, Sato MP, Shirasawa K, Tachiki Y, Uchida K. From green to red: Urban heat stress drives leaf color evolution. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eabq3542. [PMID: 37862418 PMCID: PMC10588939 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Prevalence of impervious surface and resulting higher temperatures in urban areas, known as urban heat islands, comprises prominent characteristics in global cities. However, it is not known whether and how urban plants adapt to such heat stress. This study focused on Oxalis corniculata, which has intraspecific polymorphism in leaf color (green and red) and examined whether the leaf color variation is associated with urban heat stress. Field observations revealed that green-leaved plants were dominant in green habitats, and red-leaved individuals were dominant in urban habitats, at local (<500 meters), landscape (<50 kilometers), and global scales. Growth and photosynthesis experiments demonstrated that red-leaved individuals performed better under heat stress, while green-leaved individuals performed better under nonstressful conditions. Genome-wide SNP analysis suggests that the red leaf may have evolved multiple times from the ancestral green leaf. Overall, the results suggest that the red leaves of O. corniculata observed in cities worldwide are evidence of plant adaptive evolution due to urban heat islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Fukano
- Graduate School of Horticulture Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Wataru Yamori
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hayata Misu
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko P. Sato
- Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kenta Shirasawa
- Department of Frontier Research and Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuuya Tachiki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kei Uchida
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Kolbe JJ, Giery ST, Lapiedra O, Lyberger KP, Pita-Aquino JN, Moniz HA, Leal M, Spiller DA, Losos JB, Schoener TW, Piovia-Scott J. Experimentally simulating the evolution-to-ecology connection: Divergent predator morphologies alter natural food webs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2221691120. [PMID: 37276393 PMCID: PMC10268251 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2221691120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The idea that changing environmental conditions drive adaptive evolution is a pillar of evolutionary ecology. But, the opposite-that adaptive evolution alters ecological processes-has received far less attention yet is critical for eco-evolutionary dynamics. We assessed the ecological impact of divergent values in a key adaptive trait using 16 populations of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei). Mirroring natural variation, we established islands with short- or long-limbed lizards at both low and high densities. We then monitored changes in lower trophic levels, finding that on islands with a high density of short-limbed lizards, web-spider densities decreased and plants grew more via an indirect positive effect, likely through an herbivore-mediated trophic cascade. Our experiment provides strong support for evolution-to-ecology connections in nature, likely closing an otherwise well-characterized eco-evolutionary feedback loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason J. Kolbe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI02881
| | - Sean T. Giery
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Oriol Lapiedra
- Centre for Research in Ecology and Applied Forestry (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia08193, Spain
| | - Kelsey P. Lyberger
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | | | - Haley A. Moniz
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV89557
| | - Manuel Leal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO65211
| | - David A. Spiller
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Jonathan B. Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO63130
| | - Thomas W. Schoener
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Jonah Piovia-Scott
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA98686
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Verrelli BC, Alberti M, Des Roches S, Harris NC, Hendry AP, Johnson MTJ, Savage AM, Charmantier A, Gotanda KM, Govaert L, Miles LS, Rivkin LR, Winchell KM, Brans KI, Correa C, Diamond SE, Fitzhugh B, Grimm NB, Hughes S, Marzluff JM, Munshi-South J, Rojas C, Santangelo JS, Schell CJ, Schweitzer JA, Szulkin M, Urban MC, Zhou Y, Ziter C. A global horizon scan for urban evolutionary ecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:1006-1019. [PMID: 35995606 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Research on the evolutionary ecology of urban areas reveals how human-induced evolutionary changes affect biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. In a rapidly urbanizing world imposing many selective pressures, a time-sensitive goal is to identify the emergent issues and research priorities that affect the ecology and evolution of species within cities. Here, we report the results of a horizon scan of research questions in urban evolutionary ecology submitted by 100 interdisciplinary scholars. We identified 30 top questions organized into six themes that highlight priorities for future research. These research questions will require methodological advances and interdisciplinary collaborations, with continued revision as the field of urban evolutionary ecology expands with the rapid growth of cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Verrelli
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA.
| | - Marina Alberti
- Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Simone Des Roches
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nyeema C Harris
- Applied Wildlife Ecology Lab, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Andrew P Hendry
- Department of Biology, Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C4, Canada
| | - Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Biology, Centre for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Amy M Savage
- Department of Biology and Center for Computational & Integrative Biology, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
| | | | - Kiyoko M Gotanda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Lynn Govaert
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, 12587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lindsay S Miles
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - L Ruth Rivkin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kristien I Brans
- Department of Biology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cristian Correa
- Instituto de Conservación Biodiversidad y Territorio, Centro de Humedales Río Cruces, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, 5090000, Chile
| | - Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ben Fitzhugh
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nancy B Grimm
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Sara Hughes
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - John M Marzluff
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jason Munshi-South
- Louis Calder Center & Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, Armonk, NY 10504, USA
| | - Carolina Rojas
- Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales, Centro de Desarrollo Sustentable CEDEUS, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, El Comendador 1916, Providencia, 7500000, Santiago, Chile
| | - James S Santangelo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Christopher J Schell
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jennifer A Schweitzer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37917, USA
| | - Marta Szulkin
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2c, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mark C Urban
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Center of Biological Risk, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Yuyu Zhou
- Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Carly Ziter
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada
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Evans AE, Zimova M, Giery ST, Golden HE, Pastore AL, Nadeau CP, Urban MC. An eco‐evolutionary perspective on the humpty‐dumpty effect and community restoration. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annette E. Evans
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- Dept of Environmental Conservation, Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
| | | | - Sean T. Giery
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- Dept of Biology, The Pennsylvania State Univ. Univ. Park PA USA
| | - Heidi E. Golden
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- Golden Ecology LLC Simsbury CT USA
| | - Amanda L. Pastore
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
| | - Christopher P. Nadeau
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- Smith Conservation Research Fellow, Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern Univ. Nahant MA USA
| | - Mark C. Urban
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- Center of Biological Risks, Univ. of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
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Wood ZT, Wiegardt AK, Barton KL, Clark JD, Homola JJ, Olsen BJ, King BL, Kovach AI, Kinnison MT. Meta-analysis: Congruence of genomic and phenotypic differentiation across diverse natural study systems. Evol Appl 2021; 14:2189-2205. [PMID: 34603492 PMCID: PMC8477602 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Linking genotype to phenotype is a primary goal for understanding the genomic underpinnings of evolution. However, little work has explored whether patterns of linked genomic and phenotypic differentiation are congruent across natural study systems and traits. Here, we investigate such patterns with a meta-analysis of studies examining population-level differentiation at subsets of loci and traits putatively responding to divergent selection. We show that across the 31 studies (88 natural population-level comparisons) we examined, there was a moderate (R 2 = 0.39) relationship between genomic differentiation (F ST ) and phenotypic differentiation (P ST ) for loci and traits putatively under selection. This quantitative relationship between P ST and F ST for loci under selection in diverse taxa provides broad context and cross-system predictions for genomic and phenotypic adaptation by natural selection in natural populations. This context may eventually allow for more precise ideas of what constitutes "strong" differentiation, predictions about the effect size of loci, comparisons of taxa evolving in nonparallel ways, and more. On the other hand, links between P ST and F ST within studies were very weak, suggesting that much work remains in linking genomic differentiation to phenotypic differentiation at specific phenotypes. We suggest that linking genotypes to specific phenotypes can be improved by correlating genomic and phenotypic differentiation across a spectrum of diverging populations within a taxon and including wide coverage of both genomes and phenomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T. Wood
- School of Biology and EcologyUniversity of MaineOronoMEUSA
- Maine Center for Genetics in the EnvironmentOronoMEUSA
| | - Andrew K. Wiegardt
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | - Kayla L. Barton
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical SciencesUniversity of MaineOronoMEUSA
| | - Jonathan D. Clark
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | - Jared J. Homola
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMIUSA
| | - Brian J. Olsen
- Maine Center for Genetics in the EnvironmentOronoMEUSA
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation BiologyUniversity of MaineOronoMEUSA
| | - Benjamin L. King
- Department of Molecular & Biomedical SciencesUniversity of MaineOronoMEUSA
| | - Adrienne I. Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | - Michael T. Kinnison
- School of Biology and EcologyUniversity of MaineOronoMEUSA
- Maine Center for Genetics in the EnvironmentOronoMEUSA
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