Maintaining Local Adaptation Is Key for Evolutionary Rescue and Long-Term Persistence of Populations Experiencing Habitat Loss and a Changing Environment.

The Anthropocene is marked by increased population extirpations and redistributions driven primarily by human-induced climate change and habitat loss. Habitat loss affects populations by removing occupiable area, which reduces carrying capacity through a reduction in resources, and fragmenting the landscape, which can reduce gene flow with potential consequences for adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Real patterns of habitat loss are non-random, often clustered in space and within a subset of environmental conditions (e.

Drivers of arthropod biodiversity in an urban ecosystem.

Our world is becoming increasingly urbanized with a growing human population concentrated around cities. The expansion of urban areas has important consequences for biodiversity, yet the abiotic drivers of biodiversity in urban ecosystems have not been well characterized for the most diverse group of animals on the planet, arthropods. Given their great diversity, comparatively small home ranges, and ability to disperse, arthropods make an excellent model for studying which factors can most accurately predict urban biodiversity.