14. It Was A Pleasure to Forge: Urban Impacts on Evolution

02/11/25 • 34 min

Adapt or Die! The Evolutionary Biology of Pop Culture

Welcome to this brand new episode of Adapt or Die! The evolutionary biology of pop culture hosted by Austin Ashbaugh. The current cultural phenomenon we are discussing this season is Pokémon and todays episode is focused on the steel type. Our evolutionary connection to the steel type is the impact of urbanization on evolution.
In the Safari Zone, I get into what current evolutionary pressures of cities are on organisms which are reflected in game and how humans (both in and outside of the Pokémon world) have benefited from looking to adaptations of the organisms around them. During the pokémon professors rant, I appropriately rant about the need for urban pressures to impact pokemon evolution based on proximity to the cities if Pokémon are so route specific. Lastly, we will end todays episode with describing a regional variant of Maushold and results from our latest pokémon spectacular competition. Sit back and relax in a chair older than yourself, open an old dusty tome, and join me as we adapt or die!
Link to Google Slides of Pokémon discussed in this episode
Resources cited for research in this episode:
1. Branciari, R., Franceschini, R., Roila, R., Valiani, A., Pecorelli, I., Piersanti, A., ... & Ranucci, D. (2020). Nutritional value and contaminant risk assessment of some commercially important fishes and crawfish of Lake Trasimeno, Italy. _International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health_, _17_(7), 2545.
2. Cook, L. M., & Saccheri, I. J. (2013). The peppered moth and industrial melanism: evolution of a natural selection case study. _Heredity_, _110_(3), 207-212.
3. Arbel Harpak, Nandita Garud, Noah A Rosenberg, Dmitri A Petrov, Matthew Combs, Pleuni S Pennings, Jason Munshi-South, Genetic Adaptation in New York City Rats, _Genome Biology and Evolution_, Volume 13, Issue 1, January 2021, evaa247, [https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaa247](https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaa247)
4. Holderegger, R., & Di Giulio, M. (2010). The genetic effects of roads: a review of empirical evidence. _Basic and Applied Ecology_, _11_(6), 522-531.
5. Marc T. J. Johnson, Jason Munshi-South ,Evolution of life in urban environments.Science358,eaam8327(2017).DOI:10.1126/science.aam8327
6. Nemeth, E., & Brumm, H. (2009). Blackbirds sing higher-pitched songs in cities: adaptation to habitat acoustics or side-effect of urbanization?. _Animal behaviour_, _78_(3), 637-641.
7. https://asknature.org/biological-strategies/
8. https://www.serebii.net/pokemon/type/steel/

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Previous Episode

13. I, Seviper: Evolution of Poison and Venom

Welcome to this brand new episode of Adapt or Die! The evolutionary biology of pop culture hosted by Austin Ashbaugh. The current cultural phenomenon we are discussing this season is Pokémon and todays episode is focused on the poison type. Our evolutionary connection to the electric type is the evolution of venom and poison.
In the Safari Zone, I get into the difference between venom and poison, how so many groups have evolved venom/poison, and introduce the idea of evolutionary arms races with pokémon case studies lines. During the pokémon professors rant, I appropriately rant about clarity around venom or poison in pokémon and how toxic should be the type and venom/poison type should only existing as a sub-typing. Lastly, we will end todays episode with describing a regional variant of slowking and results from our latest pokémon spectacular competition. Sit back and relax in a chair older than yourself, open an old dusty tome, and join me as we adapt or die!
Link to Google Slides of Pokémon discussed in this episode
Resources cited for research in this episode:
1. Dickinson, C. C. (2019). The Curious Poisoned Weed: Poison Ivy Ecology and Physiology.
2. Espiritu, D. J. D., Watkins, M., Dia-Monje, V., Cartier, G. E., Cruz, L. J., & Olivera, B. M. (2001). Venomous cone snails: molecular phylogeny and the generation of toxin diversity. _Toxicon_, _39_(12), 1899-1916.
3. Gladman AC. Toxicodendron Dermatitis: Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. 2006;17(2):120-128. doi:10.1580/PR31-05.1
4. Harris, R. J., & Arbuckle, K. (2016). Tempo and mode of the evolution of venom and poison in tetrapods. _Toxins_, _8_(7), 193.
5. Labadie, M., Aldabe, B., Ong, N., Joncquiert-Latarjet, A., Groult, V., Poulard, A., ... de Haro, L. (2012). Portuguese man-of-war (_Physalia physalis_) envenomation on the Aquitaine Coast of France: An emerging health risk. _Clinical Toxicology_, _50_(7), 567–570. https://doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2012.707657
6. Mebs, D. (2001). Toxicity in animals. Trends in evolution?. _Toxicon_, _39_(1), 87-96.
7. Possani, L. D., Becerril, B., Delepierre, M., & Tytgat, J. (1999). Scorpion toxins specific for Na+‐channels. _European journal of biochemistry_, _264_(2), 287-300.
8. Undheim, E. A., & King, G. F. (2011). On the venom system of centipedes (Chilopoda), a neglected group of venomous animals. _Toxicon_, _57_(4), 512-524.
9. Vonk, F. J., Admiraal, J. F., Jackson, K., Reshef, R., de Bakker, M. A., Vanderschoot, K., ... & Richardson, M. K. (2008). Evolutionary origin and development of snake fangs. _Nature_, _454_(7204), 630-633.

Next Episode

15. To Kill a Kilowattrel: Evolution of Flight

In the Safari Zone, I get into the evolution of flight in invertebrates and vertebrates using pokemon case studies. During the pokémon professors rant, I appropriately rant about more diversity in flying type pokémon. Lastly, we will end todays episode with describing a regional variant of a new pidgey variant and results from our latest pokémon spectacular competition. Sit back and relax in a chair older than yourself, open an old dusty tome, and join me as we adapt or die!
Link to Google Slides of Pokémon discussed in this episode

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:
1. Elgin, R. A., Hone, D. W., & Frey, E. (2011). The extent of the pterosaur flight membrane. _Acta Palaeontologica Polonica_, _56_(1), 99-111.
2. Hunter, P. (2007). The nature of flight: the molecules and mechanics of flight in animals. _EMBO reports_, _8_(9), 811-813.
3. Iwamoto H, Nishikawa Y, Wakayama J, Fujisawa T (2002) Direct X-ray observation of a single hexagonal myofilament lattice in native myofibrils of striated muscle. Biophys J 83: 1074–1081
4. Iwamoto H, Inoue K, Yagi N (2006) Evolution of long-range myofibrillar crystallinity in insect flight muscle as examined by X-ray cryomicrodiffraction. Proc Biol Sci 273: 677–685
5. Sachs, G., Traugott, J., Nesterova, A. P., Dell'Omo, G., Kümmeth, F., Heidrich, W., ... & Bonadonna, F. (2012). Flying at no mechanical energy cost: disclosing the secret of wandering albatrosses.
6. Stalmaster, M. V., & Gessaman, J. A. (1984). Ecological energetics and foraging behavior of overwintering bald eagles. _Ecological Monographs_, _54_(4), 407-428.
7. https://www.serebii.net/pokemon/type/flying/