Urban connectivity may work differently once organisms are allowed to evolve
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Across 100 U.S. metropolitan regions, urban landscapes had lower heterogeneity and forest aggregation and higher aggregation of developed land than non-urban landscapes. A proof-of-concept spatial eco-evolutionary plant–pollinator model then showed that heterogeneity and connectivity can delay extinction, but trait evolution and mutualistic feedbacks change the size of those benefits.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Green corridors and habitat networks are not static plumbing. If species interactions and traits change in fragmented urban landscapes, design performance may depend on how connectivity shapes both movement and adaptation over time.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
The empirical landscape analysis does not measure observed extinction outcomes, and the eco-evolutionary result comes from a proof-of-concept model rather than a post-occupancy design experiment. The 100-city U.S. sample may not generalize to other urban forms.
SOURCE
Landscape Ecology
View original evidence ↗
A 100-city landscape analysis paired with a plant–pollinator model suggests that heterogeneity and connectivity can delay extinction, while evolutionary feedbacks can erode some of that benefit.
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