NATURA

URBAN
WILDLIFE
Image 13. Ivy Hedera helix growing on a house wall in Rylands, Nottingham. [Non-marked]
The time when our ancestors stopped following the food and started agriculture
marks the beginning of the development of cities. The early humans
settled down in small groups and villages were formed, which through the
centuries evolved into towns and cities. Human population grew and this
meant that more and more land and wildlife habitat became disturbed. This,
however, also meant that new habitats were created within the cities.
The evolution from being societies of farmers to industrial
cities happened in a relatively short time in the UK.
In a while, the connection between humans and the wild
nature decreased significantly. Before, nature was just
a part of everyday life for most people, farmers used to
harvest their land to get food for their families. Hunting
was also a method to get food and nature was just a part
of everyones life. After the formation of villages and
cities and the rise of the industrial revolution, things
were not the same. After a day at the factory the need
for nature or natural environment became more and
more important. People felt the need to have gardens,
and open spaces were arranged in the cities.
Image 12. (to the left). Dandelion Taraxacum sp. Growing through asphalt
on the riverside of Trent, Beeston Marina, Nottingham.
Some species can learn easily, the main effect of success
is often how good they are in getting food or how they
can tolerate environmental stress or environmental
changes. Adaptation is the basis of evolution. Some species
have shown remarkable adaptation in getting food
in urban environments, species such as pigeons, gulls
and many others. In the cities, pollution and the presence
of humans has a huge effect on animals and plants.
Some plants can tolerate pollution remarkably well and
they can show tremendous adaptation to growing in little
soil or on walls (like the Ivy plant seen on the picture
above growing in Rylands, Nottingham).
The presence of humans can be both positive and negative.
For those animals that dear to be close to humans,
the source of food can be huge. Man-made structures
provide shelter, and many species have adapted to live
in our houses. This can be of huge advantage, since the
houses are heated and often have the same temperature
and humidity throughout the year. Some species that
did not use to live in the UK have settled in this stable
habitat. One example is the Pharaoh’s ant Monomorium
pharaonis, a species that came to Britain in 1828 and is
now found all around the country. Many other species
share our houses with us, for example spiders, cockroaches
and woodlice.
Image 14. American cockroaches Periplaneta americana.