New paper
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
8M ago
In this collaborative paper by 59 co-authors, we asked how the community traits for diverse animals (amphibians, bats, bees, birds, carabid beetles and reptiles) shift with increasing urban land cover in 379 cities around the world. The traits are diverse, with shifts in body size and mobility seemingly driven by changes in dietary and reproductive resources. Our analysis suggests there are taxon-specific shifts in trait composition—especially for reproductive traits— and, in contrast to the common view that there is one unifying “urban trait syndrome”, we propose four, described below. Each ..read more
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New paper
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
10M ago
Just out – a paper with my former undergraduate honours students Deon LUM and YAO Xinyi, whose data were used. We worked along pedestrian footpaths (3.5m tall luminaires) in Singapore and found that shifting from sodium-vapour to LED lights is not detrimental to most insects in most sites (meaning, the LEDs are no more attractive to them). This work complements our prior study, in which the same retrofit, but along streets (6m tall luminaires), did not affect most bats (probably because bats were not hunting at those streets). I originally designed both studies as a twinned project, based ..read more
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Featured in National Geographic
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
As a teen & young adult, the only magazine I ever subscribed to (and amassed quite a collection of) was National Geographic (NatGeo). Each month, the latest issue would arrive, and I would pore over it, marveling at the incredible photography and engrossing text and, perhaps more than anything, learning about the natural and cultural richness of this amazing spinning rock we all share. Had you told me then I would eventually get to visit some of the exotic Asian places it showcased – all so far from my home in Canada – I would have had major doubts. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I even ..read more
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Urban Bats – finally published !
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
What a great start to the new year – our book is out, showcasing many diverse facets of the urban ecology of bats, with chapters co-authored by > 40 diverse authors based in many different countries.  What an honour to work with all these wonderful people ! The post Urban Bats – finally published ! appeared first on The Urban Ecologist ..read more
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New paper – how do stakeholders view the issue of bat conservation & management?
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
As you may know, bats are, in many cultures and contexts, undeservedly maligned. The COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated that. Most likely, a species of horseshoe bat was the original reservoir for the viral ancestor to SARS-CoV2, which causes COVID. But the media and even the scientific literature have widely misrepresented the role of bats in COVID-19. In our latest paper, we used Q-methodology to investigate stakeholders think about the conservation and management of bats in Singapore – especially where they converge and diverge on the issue. We ultimately uncovered three unique “discour ..read more
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And then there were 6
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
Introducing our newest lab member, Taylor Rubin, who will do her PhD research with us. Taylor comes with a slightly unconventional and super appealing background. She obtained her master’s degree in neuroscience and animal behaviour in 2012 from Emory University. Her research subjects were tufted capuchins – am I the only one who wonders if the late Keith Flint modelled his hairstyle after these capuchins? Anyway, Taylor studied their cognition and facial expressions. This included a year in Argentina working with these adorable monkeys in the field. But ever since then, Taylor’s main jam has ..read more
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The Urban Ecology lab is growing
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
Sulaimon Lawal will soon join our lab as my first PhD student. He grew up (and still lives) in Lagos, the largest of Africa’s three megacities. Sub-Saharan Africa! The motherland for our species. The only land that was spared the worst of the Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions. A land of huge cultural and biological diversity. But also, a land where extreme poverty and strife have most people living at the base of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. And the world’s fastest urbanising continent. That’s a huge problem. In 2012, the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook explicitly recognised the potential ..read more
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Just out – Human dimensions of bat conservation
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
Back in 2019, at the International Bat Research Conference in Phuket, Thailand, I gave a talk on knowledge and views of bats among Singaporeans – the work of my honours student, Cheryl YIP. At the end of the talk, I said this was the pilot for a global study I was keen to do, and invited conference attendees to collaborate with me. This led to a poolside meeting and, eventually, the formation of a small group of researchers who were interested in embarking. Four of us – Drs Tanja Straka, Ewan Macdonald and Tigga Kingston and I – upon Tanja’s suggestion decided to create a research project inve ..read more
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Just out: insect bats & LED streetlighting
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
These days, we recognise that cities play a starring role in the global climate crisis. Indeed, at least 70 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from cities themselves or activities that take place elsewhere but satisfy urban demand for goods and services. So, limiting warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels — a goal we must reach — hinges on urban sustainability solutions. Because the best urban levers to mitigate warming are variable, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to urban energy policy. And although outdoor urban lighting is probably not the most important sour ..read more
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Topic 5: Lessons learnt – future practice
The Urban Ecologist Blog
by Joanna Coleman
1y ago
In our final post, we are asked to critically reflect on our overall ONL202 learning journey. To that end, we are given five guiding questions. What are the most important things that you learnt through your engagement in the ONL course? How will your learning influence your practice? What are your thoughts on using tech to enhance learning/teaching in your context? What are you going to do as a result of your involvement in ONL? What suggestions do you have for development of eLearning in your own teaching or context? To be honest, I find this difficult. Maybe I’m the only one who feels thi ..read more
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