---
title: "Ecology and evolutionary biology"
chunk: 2/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology_and_evolutionary_biology"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:19:36.013903+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

== Urban evolution ==
With fast growing cities and high rates of urbanization a whole new kind of environment has emerged. The urban ecosystem is a place of extremities and makes for fast evolution. Higher rates of phenotypic change have been observed in urban areas compared to natural and nonurban anthropogenic systems. A field of study has emerged regarding urban evolution in which the adaptations of animals and plants to urban environments are studied.
In tropical regions a certain species of lizards, Anolis cristatellus, lives in both urban and natural areas. These lizards climb on tree trunks, fences and the walls of buildings. In urban areas more slippery and smooth surfaces are found than in natural areas. This creates a higher risk of falling and dying. The lizards in cities were found to have adapted to these slippery surfaces, by developing longer limbs and more lamellae under their feet that help them to run safely on these smooth surfaces.
One of the differences between urban areas and natural areas is anthropogenic noise, such as traffic noise. The frequencies of these sounds overlap partly with the frequencies of bird songs. In cities, birds started to sing at higher frequencies than they do in natural areas, in order to still be heard by their conspecifics. Their songs were also found to be shorter. This is a way in which the birds adapt to the new urban environment.
An example of urban evolution in plants was found in Crepis sancta. This plant makes seeds with pappus that can travel with the wind, for seed dispersal. In urban environments green patches are very rare and are also often very small and far apart. Due to this, the chances of the seeds landing on asphalt or stone and not being able to sprout are way higher than in open fields. Crepis sancta makes both light seeds with pappus as well as heavier seeds without pappus. In the city the plants were found to make more heavy seeds in comparison to the plants in nonurban areas. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective since heavy seeds fall very close to the mother-plant, probably in the same green patch, and therefore have a higher chance of sprouting.
Another characteristic of urban areas is light pollution. One of the well known consequences of light pollution is the attraction of insects. Before the presence of human light, the only source of light at night was the moon. Insects fly with a fixed angle to the moon to be able to fly in a straight line. Our light sources, however, are very close by. So if an insect flies with a fixed angle compared to a street light for instance, he starts flying in circles and eventually ends up circling the street light, which reduces his chances of finding food and a mating partner. Urban moths were found to have a reduced attraction to light sources, which directly impacts their chances for survival and mating by not wasting time close to a light source.

== Degrees in North America ==
Some North American universities are home to degree programs titled Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, offering integrated studies in the disciplines of ecology and evolutionary biology. The wording is intended as representing the alternative approach from the frequently used pairing of Cell and Molecular Biology, while being more inclusive than the terminology of Botany or Zoology.  Recently, due to advances in the fields of genetics and molecular biology, research and education in ecology and evolutionary biology has integrated many molecular techniques.
A program that focuses on the relationships and interactions that range across levels of biological organization based on a scientific study is Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  The origins and history of ecosystems, species, genes and genomes, and organisms, and how these have changed over time is all part of the studies of how biodiversity has evolved and how it takes place.  Ecology and Evolutionary biology in North America is based on research impact determined by the top 10% of ecology programs.  The interactive web of organisms and environment are all part of what the field of Ecology explores.  There have been studies in evolution that have worked to prove that "modern organisms have developed from ancestral ones." The reason that evolutionary biology is so interesting to learn about is because of the evolutionary processes that is the reason we have such a diversity of life on Earth.There are many processes that make up evolutionary biology that give great insight to how we came to be, some of which include natural selection, speciation, and common descent.  

Among the best-known Ph.D.-granting departments that use this name are

Columbia University
Cornell University
Princeton University
Rice University
University of Arizona
University of California at Los Angeles
University of Colorado
University of Michigan
University of Toronto
Yale University

== See also ==

Evolutionary biology
Evolution
Ecology

== References ==