Can Cities Change Earth’s Evolution?

Organisms adapt slowly to changes in their environment, with new traits developing over the course of many years. Now researchers hope to speed the process, at least with urbanization, described as among the most extreme forms of an environment altered by its inhabitants. “Eco-evolutionary dynamics in a rapidly urbanizing world is the subject of a new paper by Marina Alberti, a professor at the University of Washington's College of the Built Environment,” writes Adam Frank for NPR, who adds the paper’s “perspective takes rapid urbanization as not just a social phenomena, but also as a planetary one.” As an example, he reports the finding that songbirds are “changing their tunes to ensure their acoustic signals don't get lost in the noise of cities.” Alberti focuses on community dynamics and ecosystem functions including “productivity, nutrient cycling, hydrological function, and biodiversity, which provide essential services for human wellbeing." Humans are fortunate with most aware of the consequences of their habits and behaviors. The hope is that the humans can contribute to sustainability and environmental protection with thoughtful innovation. – YaleGlobal