Urbanisation signal detected in evolution, study shows

A "clear signal" of urbanisation has been identified in the evolution of organisms, which has implications for sustainability and human well-being.

In analysis of more than 1,600 cases around the globe, researchers said the changes could affect ecosystem services important to humans.
More than half of the world's human populations now live in urban areas, and this proportion is set to grow.
The findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We found that there is a clear urban signal of phenotypic change, and also greater phenotypic change in urbanising systems compared to natural or non-urban anthropogenic systems," said co-author Marina Alberti from the University of Washington's Department of Urban Design and Planning.
"So urbanisation, globally, is clearly affecting things."
Phenotypic change refers to change in an organism's observable traits, such as it morphology, physiology, phenology, or behaviour.-Read More