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insectinthecity's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This book is simply fantastic. If you're at all interested in urban ecology and evolution, this is a great place to start.
jessferg's review against another edition
3.0
I realize that non-fiction writing is a combination of expertise and research and that, therefore, there are often lots of studies and ideas quoted within the text. More often than not though this book, unfortunately, incorporates what would ordinarily be in the notes right into the text and thus ends up sounding like a round-up of the literature to date on the subject instead of a seamless retelling of the process of evolution in an urban environment.
The result is that I got bored and while I'm sure there is something I learned, I don't feel equipped to have a discussion with anyone about this topic except at the most basic level.
Schilthuizen also turned me off with his stance that humans effect their environment no differently than anything else in nature, which is blatantly untrue and an unnecessary disclosure for the purposes of the book.
What am I saying? I didn't hate it but I probably would only recommend it to the most determined of my citizen science friends and urban development geeks. I appreciate the attempt to put this topic on the general public's radar.
The result is that I got bored and while I'm sure there is something I learned, I don't feel equipped to have a discussion with anyone about this topic except at the most basic level.
Schilthuizen also turned me off with his stance that humans effect their environment no differently than anything else in nature, which is blatantly untrue and an unnecessary disclosure for the purposes of the book.
What am I saying? I didn't hate it but I probably would only recommend it to the most determined of my citizen science friends and urban development geeks. I appreciate the attempt to put this topic on the general public's radar.
frhwrdn's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars
A fun book to read in one sitting (albeit I did not manage to do so) and this book takes the reader up close to the ever-evolving nature. By using terms that are really easy to understand, this is an enjoyable read that one can read without having to juggle between googling the terms and reading.
Schilthuizen also highlighted that while we may think that urban cities can be bad for biodiversity, it has become a place where species evolve to become stronger to survive the modern cities. I have also learned, through this book that evolution is non-linear and my favourite example would be the Japanese nutcracker birds that due to living in urban areas have learned how to crack open the nuts with the help of human urbanization.
My only issue is that I was really looking forward to a diverse comparison and not only birds and insects alike. But the optimistic approach in this book shows that both cities and nature can live co-dependently.
"For each successful urban species there are dozens of other species that could not adapt to city life and disappeared."
A fun book to read in one sitting (albeit I did not manage to do so) and this book takes the reader up close to the ever-evolving nature. By using terms that are really easy to understand, this is an enjoyable read that one can read without having to juggle between googling the terms and reading.
Schilthuizen also highlighted that while we may think that urban cities can be bad for biodiversity, it has become a place where species evolve to become stronger to survive the modern cities. I have also learned, through this book that evolution is non-linear and my favourite example would be the Japanese nutcracker birds that due to living in urban areas have learned how to crack open the nuts with the help of human urbanization.
My only issue is that I was really looking forward to a diverse comparison and not only birds and insects alike. But the optimistic approach in this book shows that both cities and nature can live co-dependently.
"For each successful urban species there are dozens of other species that could not adapt to city life and disappeared."
nayzjayz's review against another edition
5.0
This book will make you see the Indian house crow in a new light. In addition to being clever and a total badass, the Indian house crow can also survive climatic conditions vastly different from those around the tropical belt. In fact, Menno retells a story bordering on avian true crime that involves politics, a hunt for survival and how the Indian house crow has managed to not only evade designated hunters but also survive the climatic conditions in Netherlands. Menno also tells the fascinating story of the peppered moth and how it evolved from pale to black at the peak of the industrial revolution and then black to pale once laws were revised and the black smog and soot over Manchester receded. From the mosquitos onboard the London tubes to Darwin’s finches, Menno Schilthuizen takes you on auditory, visual and fascinating journey as he explains about the fight for survival and how Human Induced Rapid Evolutionary Change (HIREC) is happening right under our noses, within our concrete jungles.
rhianne_bob's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Interesting read, that brings a positive spin to the debate of urbanisation and the impact we as people are having on the nature and wildlife around us.
tnsbandgeek's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
aniie's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoy books that shed light on how man interacts with nature, and vice versa. Fascinating read that highlights evolution in urban environments. Very accessible.
corvarchist's review against another edition
4.0
A pleasingly nuanced and data-driven perspective on the way human activity coexists with and transforms the Earth's biodiversity! Definitely happy and fascinated with the range of species and types of traits discussed as examples of distinct urban selective pressures; as well as by the carefulness with which Schulthuizen explains the experimental paradigms used to investigate said examples. I was less thrilled by the dip into rhetorically-styled anthropomorphism during the chapters dealing with sexual selection pressures, but considering the difficulty of finding science writing on the topic that's more casual than literal academic articles without using that sort of rhetoric, I'll not knock the book too hard for it. (As a redeeming plus side, though, I have to give back a few points at least for enjoyability, due to the presence of my favourite type of animal behaviour anecdotes: birds getting up to ridiculous shenanigans. Long live the milk bottle thieving great tit!)