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Urban Wildlife Behavior

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Urban Wildlife conservation

Abstract

Wild animals in urban areas face unique challenges. They live in environments modified by and for humans without having evolved in these environments, but unlike domesticated animals, they remain under the auspices of natural selection. We do not yet know how living in urban areas will ultimately affect the animals that share our urban environments, but we are at the beginning of a new and important scientific effort to study the effects of urbanization on wildlife. Early signs suggest that animals that can tolerate urbanization are quite different in behavior and physiology than those that are limited in distribution to natural areas.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA

    Amy M. Ryan

  2. School of Cognitive Science, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, USA

    Sarah R. Partan

Authors
  1. Amy M. Ryan
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  2. Sarah R. Partan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah R. Partan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

    Robert A. McCleery

  2. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    Christopher E. Moorman

  3. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    M. Nils Peterson

Appendices

Conclusion

Animals faced with the challenges of urbanization must shift from a behavioral repertoire that was sufficient in their native environment to one that is closer to a new optimum for an urban environment. Some species and individuals can make this adjustment smoothly, by utilizing anthropogenic resources or by avoiding human activity, while others cannot or are outcompeted by newly introduced species. In this chapter, we reviewed behavioral changes in the use of space and structures, foraging, anti-predator behavior, social behavior, and communication, when animals live in urban areas. We also discussed the roles of behavioral flexibility and genetic evolution in adjusting to change. Understanding the effects of urbanization on animal behavior is important for conservation and management of urban species, and for improving human-animal coexistence. It will allow us to improve urban planning and the design of parks and other green spaces so that human-animal interactions are facilitated and biodiversity losses are mitigated.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for comments by Paige Warren, Katya Partan, and the editors, and to the students in SRP’s Fall 2012 seminar on urban wildlife behavior at Hampshire College for reading and discussing an earlier version of the manuscript, particularly Emma Opitz and Shelly Picot for their comments. Finally, thanks to Dennis Dietz for the use of his photograph.

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Ryan, A., Partan, S. (2014). Urban Wildlife Behavior. In: McCleery, R., Moorman, C., Peterson, M. (eds) Urban Wildlife conservation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7500-3_9

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