GELIFES Seminars - Brabara Gravendeel

Barbara Gravendeel (University of Leiden)

Darwin comes to town - How urbanisation can trigger plant evolution

Living in the Anthropocene, the urbanisation of our environment is increasingly recognised as an opportunity to understand fundamental principles of ecology and evolution and, in the long run, understanding its principles perhaps offers opportunities to create greener cities. Compared to urban ecology, urban evolution is relatively new, although there are ample examples of evolution in action in cities. Barbara will draw upon her work on orchids, dandelions, obtained in “field” experiments and using museum specimens to tell us how plants adapt to life in the city.