Growing in the city: Urban evolutionary ecology of avian growth rates.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Rapid environmental change driven by urbanization offers a unique insight into the adaptive potential of urban-dwelling organisms. Urban-driven phenotypic differentiation is increasingly often demonstrated, but the impact of urbanization (here modelled as the percentage of impervious surface (ISA) around each nestbox) on offspring developmental rates and subsequent survival remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the role of selection on urban-driven phenotypic divergence was rarely investigated to date.

Methods and results

Data on nestling development and body mass were analysed in a gradient of urbanization set in Warsaw, Poland, in two passerine species: great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Increasing levels of imperviou

SUBMITTER: Corsini M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7819560 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature