Plasticity and adaptation

The behavioural responses of animals to anthropogenic environments are often led by plasticity and followed by genetic change. This chapter first reviews examples of how developmental and evolutionary responses allow organisms to adjust to variable environments, with a focus on behavioural traits. Then, we consider how the structure and design of the built environment could promote population resilience through such plastic and evolutionary change. This approach combines an understanding of a species’ ancestral environments with the novel dimensions of the anthropogenic environment—a combination of abiotic and biotic factors, from resources and predators to temperature and noise. The landscape and habitat structure of the new environment will affect both the development of cognition and evolutionary processes. Patterns of colonization, gene flow, and adaptation will likely vary across types of built environments, from patchy cities to linear roadsides. These perspectives offer opportunities for collaboration between biologists, designers, and stakeholders in conservation.