Tipologia socioambiental de cidades médias no Brasil: aportes para um desenvolvimento urbano sustentável

The global urbanization of the territories, which is an important ongoing human ecological phenomenon, and whose environmental impacts have local, regional and global levels, has the remarkable property of a sharp growth of small and intermediate cities, in which capacity of planning and management is usually negligible, when they are compared to large cities. This is what takes place in Brazil, where medium-sized cities, those with populations between 100,000 and 500,000 residents are growing faster than large cities from mid-1990. The article aims to chart a typology of medium Brazilian cities, through multivariate statistical analysis. The resulting typology identifies two types of cities, with different social, environmental and management demands. Some of these cities are located in biodiversity hotspots. In parallel, we have compiled statistics on environmental management in place in these cities. Our results demonstrate low effectiveness of environmental management actions in these municipalitiesA CAPES, y al Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente del gobierno español, por la financiación al Proyecto Ecología Urbana en Regiones Metropolitanas de Brasil: Paisaje, Calidad de Vida y Desarrollo Humano [Plan Nacional de I+D+i (CSO2009 12689)

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems

Technology is transforming societies worldwide. A major innovation is the emergence of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), which have the potential to revolutionize cities for both people and nature. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges associated with RAS for urban ecosystems have yet to be considered systematically. Here, we report the findings of an online horizon scan involving 170 expert participants from 35 countries. We conclude that RAS are likely to transform land use, transport systems and human–nature interactions. The prioritized opportunities were primarily centred on the deployment of RAS for the monitoring and management of biodiversity and ecosystems. Fewer challenges were prioritized. Those that were emphasized concerns surrounding waste from unrecovered RAS, and the quality and interpretation of RAS-collected data. Although the future impacts of RAS for urban ecosystems are difficult to predict, examining potentially important developments early is essential if we are to avoid detrimental consequences but fully realize the benefits

A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems

Technology is transforming societies worldwide. A major innovation is the emergence of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), which have the potential to revolutionize cities for both people and nature. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges associated with RAS for urban ecosystems have yet to be considered systematically. Here, we report the findings of an online horizon scan involving 170 expert participants from 35 countries. We conclude that RAS are likely to transform land use, transport systems and human–nature interactions. The prioritized opportunities were primarily centred on the deployment of RAS for the monitoring and management of biodiversity and ecosystems. Fewer challenges were prioritized. Those that were emphasized concerns surrounding waste from unrecovered RAS, and the quality and interpretation of RAS-collected data. Although the future impacts of RAS for urban ecosystems are difficult to predict, examining potentially important developments early is essential if we are to avoid detrimental consequences but fully realize the benefits

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Codes, raw predation data on dummy caterpillars, and environmental data about urban green spaces across 26 Brazilian state capitals

Data collected by the Urban Predation Risk Network about predation pressure on dummy caterpillars exposed for eight days in 26 small green spaces and 24 forest patches across 26 Brazilian state capitals. The raw predation data describes the type of predator and the day in which each caterpillar was found with marks, as well as the sites' coordinates. The environmental data provides information for each site about precipitation, annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality, elevation, and coordinates. This database also provides summarized information about predation at each site, such as the total number of attacked caterpillars and the number of attacked caterpillars by each predator group. The data files contain a metadata sheet with a description of each column. The code provided was used to assess the local and large-scale drivers of predation pressure on dummy caterpillars in small green spaces and forest patches across 26 Brazilian cities

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale