Urban Ecology

Question 1

Biological impacts of urbanisation

Answer 1

• Species richness often unchanged because of attraction of synanthropic species that do not necessarily exist in wildlands.
• Competitive exclusion of native, non-synanthropic species by invasive species.
• Leads to reduced evenness among species in urban communities

Question 2

Small mammals in the big city: behavioural adjustments to urban environments

Answer 2

Animals adapt to disturbance, novel species, introduced species, new dangers, old enemies that also enter the city, new food sources, artificial light at night, foraging and hunting behavior that changes in the city.

Question 3

Which character traits lead to successfully coping with human-induced environmental changes?

Answer 3

Risk-taking,
exploration,
behavioural flexibility,
innovation

Question 4

How can you quantify urbanization?

Answer 4

• Noise level (in decibel)
• Light pollution (in lux)
• Population density (in number of people per km2)
• Impervious surfaces (measured through the size of sealed areas in the landscape)
• Surface temperature (in ° Celsius)
• Habitat fragmentation (through the rural-urban gradient)
• Recreation pressure

Question 5

Behavioural adjustments: arrival

Answer 5

Ecological factors: habitat availability, ecological interaction, dispersal dynamics, habitat sorting, environmental matching

behavioural challenges: abandon of the natal habitat, obtain environment information on new habitat, decide where and when to settle, change habitat cues

Question 6

Behavioural adjustments: establishment

Answer 6

Ecological factors: small populations dynamics, environmental matching, uncertainties, novel environment

Behavioural challenges: adopt novel foods, deal with unfamiliar enemies, avoid human disturbance, avoid traffic and human-built structures, communicate in noisy environments, cope with pollution

Question 7

Behavioural adjustments: increase

Answer 7

Ecological factors: carrying capacity, ecological interactions, degree of local adaptation
Behavioural challenges: find under-utilized food sources, increase efficiency in resource use, monopolize food resources, improve response to enemies

Question 8

urbanisation: consequences for genetics

Answer 8

Increased in genetic drift and decreased gene flow due to fragmentation. Organisms become increasingly isolated. Predicted evolutionary outcomes for genetic variation, gene flow, and genetic differentiation as fragmentation or resistance to dispersal increases

Question 9

Name 3 characteristics of city animals including examples.

Answer 9

Urban great tits were more reactive to stress and faster explorers compared to rural birds, laid smaller broods earlier in spring compared to their rural conspecifics, and city broods resulted in lower hatching success yet interestingly fledging success was similar. -> faster pace of life in city- birds

Cranial capacity, exploration activity, boldness increased in city mice.

Innovative behaviour: new food sources (fox, crows..) crows: open nuts by letting a car run over it.

Question 10

things that urbanization introduces

Answer 10

• Light as a barrier for nocturnal animals
• Urban heat island effekt
  -> Vegetation is cooling e.g. Cental Park
• Sealed ground
• Fragmentation of non- urban habitats

Question 11

3 Response Types

Answer 11

1. Urban Avoiders (Sensitive Species, Interior Habitat Specialists)
2. Suburban adapter (Edge Species, Early Successional Species)
3. Urban Invaders (Synanthtopic Species, Human Mutualist)