Are cities affecting evolution?


University of Toronto


As we build cities, we have little understanding of how they are influencing organisms that live there, says Johnson, who is also director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Urban Environments (@CUE_UofT). It’s good news that some organisms are able to adapt, such as native species that have important ecological functions in the environment. The study raises questions about which native species can persist during urbanization and whether those that adapt will influence the health of ecosystems and human beings. He and Munshi-South suggest that we need to think carefully about how we’re altering our environment in unintended ways when we build cities, influencing the evolution of species that may, in turn, influence our lives. ### Contact: Marc Johnson, UTM Associate Professor of Biology Director, U of T Centre of Urban Environment 905-569-4484 [email protected] http://www.evoeco.org/ Jason Munshi-South, Fordham University Associate Professor of Biology 646-581-1469 [email protected] http://www.nycevolution.org/ Gina Vergel Director of Communications, Fordham University 646-579-9957 [email protected] Nicolle Wahl Associate Director, Communications, UTM 905-469-4656 [email protected] About the University of Toronto Mississauga Founded in 1967 and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) is one of three campuses of the University of Toronto - Canada’s largest and most prestigious research-intensive university.


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