biostudies-literatureParlin AFNational Science Foundatione70109https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12089062biostudies-literatureUnknown18(5)Cities impose unique selection pressures on wildlife and generate clines in phenotypic traits along urban-rural gradients. Roads are a widespread feature of human-dominated landscapes and are known to cause direct wildlife mortality; however, whether they act as a selective force influencing phenotypic trait variation along urban-rural gradients remains unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that roads influence natural selection of coat color in the eastern gray squirrel (<i>Sciurus carolinensis</i>), a species with two distinct coat colors: a gray morph that is common in all areas and a melanic morph more prevalent in urban areas than in rural ones. Vehicular collisions are a significant cause of mortality in eastern gray squirrels, with the melanic morph more visually conspicuous on Evolutionary applicationsRoad Mortality Contributes to the Evolution of an Urban-Rural Cline in Squirrel Coat Color.PMC12089062DEB‐2018140DEB‐2018249Lehtinen RMGibbs JPParlin AFCosentino BJSinclair ECCMcDonald JEfalseRoad Mortality Contributes to the Evolution of an Urban-Rural Cline in Squirrel Coat Color.Cities impose unique selection pressures on wildlife and generate clines in phenotypic traits along urban-rural gradients. Roads are a widespread feature of human-dominated landscapes and are known to cause direct wildlife mortality; however, whether they act as a selective force influencing phenotypic trait variation along urban-rural gradients remains unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that roads influence natural selection of coat color in the eastern gray squirrel (<i>Sciurus carolinensis</i>), a species with two distinct coat colors: a gray morph that is common in all areas and a melanic morph more prevalent in urban areas than in rural ones. Vehicular collisions are a significant cause of mortality in eastern gray squirrels, with the melanic morph more visually conspicuous on 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 May2026-05-29T14:50:44.207Z2026-04-08T05:07:23.007ZS-EPMC120890624039544010.1111/eva.70109