Illustration: Evolution in the city
for Groningen University & Naturalis

T he EvoScope project studies adaptations of plants and animals to life in the city – and what makes them succesful. This knowledge can be used by planning Green Cities: where nature and sustainability is fully integrated into city design. With the help of city residents as “citizen scientists” the EvoScope project studies evolution of animals and plants in cities. 

Examples of study projects:

• Flowers (poppies): can differences in flower color be observed in cities vs. natural areas? For example, flowers might adapt their color to be better visible against grey (concrete) backgrounds.
• Spiders: do spiders use artificial lights to catch more prey (as many insects are attracted to light)?
• Birds: is the day/night rhythm of birds different in cities?
• Flowers (dandelions): are dandelion seeds adapted to life in the city? For example: do they land closer or farther away from the mother plant?

The main illustration (above) is a summary of the EvoScope project for grant proposal. It was also printed as a poster and as post cards. Several other illustrations were developed to visualize the different work packages of the project.