#14 Manuel Lequerica - Urban Ecology

Science in Progress

In today’s episode I chat with Manuel Lequerica, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. We talk about the fascinating aspects of urban ecology including light pollution, human connection with nature and plant/insect interactions. We also have fun discussions about what it’s like to follow different passions for research and why it’s OK to be fascinated by lots of different things. Thanks to Manuel for this episode!! Also, thank you Alejandra Echeverri for introducing us. If you haven’t listened to the episode I recorded with Ale, you should! (It’s episode number 13).

This is our lab website but it is terribly out of date (sorry!). I am also part of this research group, which focuses more on insect behaviour. You can find us on facebook as The Hochuli Lab and Invertebrate Behaviour and Ecology Lab, respectively. My two papers about urban ecology are under review, so I can’t really share them. Anyhow, I do have a blog (which covers a lot of ground, but is also a bit out of date). My Twitter handle is @M_Lequerica Want to learn more about the research groups that Manuel is part of? Check out these publications: Arthropod responses to urbanisation: Environmental drivers of spider community composition at multiple scales along an urban gradient EC Lowe, CG Threlfall, SM Wilder, DF Hochuli Biodiversity and Conservation 27 (4), 829-852 Petrol exhaust pollution impairs honey bee learning and memory RJ Leonard, V Vergoz, N Proschogo, C McArthur, DF Hochuli Oikos Human wellbeing and urban greeenspaces: Wellbeing and urban living: nurtured by nature L Taylor, AK Hahs, DF Hochuli Urban Ecosystems 21 (1), 197-208 Defining greenspace: Multiple uses across multiple disciplines L Taylor, DF Hochuli Landscape and Urban Planning 158, 25-38 Insects and urban agriculture: Bee-friendly community gardens: Impact of environmental variables on the richness and abundance of exotic and native bees JC Makinson, CG Threlfall, T Latty Urban Ecosystems 20 (2), 463-476 Engaging urban stakeholders in the sustainable management of arthropod pests EC Lowe, T Latty, CE Webb, MEA Whitehouse, ME Saunders Journal of Pest Science, 1-16 We talked about other cool urban ecology studies. Here are some of them: London Underground mosquitos: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/london-underground-has-its-own-mosquito-subspecies-180958566/ Rats in NYC: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/06/05/as-cities-report-more-rats-than-ever-scientists-find-eastside-and-westside-rodents/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2e0b79cf286e Global urban evolution project: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/science/white-clover-evolution.html