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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
01:09
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
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Gene flow and genetic drift in urban environments
Lindsay S Miles1,2, L Ruth Rivkin2,3,4, Marc T J Johnson2,3
1Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|September 5, 2019
Summary
Urbanization
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Urban Ecology
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Human-modified landscapes, particularly urban environments, significantly impact evolutionary processes.
- Urbanization is hypothesized to either fragment populations (reducing gene flow) or facilitate dispersal (increasing genetic diversity).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and quantitatively analyze existing literature on nonadaptive urban evolution.
- To evaluate the support for urban fragmentation versus facilitation models in population genetics.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of nonadaptive urban evolution studies.
- Quantitative analysis of 167 published urban population genetics studies.
- Assessment of urbanization's impact on genetic drift and gene flow.
Main Results:
- Found weak evidence for reduced within-population genetic diversity and no consistent increase in between-population genetic differentiation due to urbanization.
- Urban landscape features can act as barriers or conduits for gene flow, varying by species and city.
- Over 90% of studies showed an association between urbanization and genetic drift or gene flow.
Conclusions:
- Species' dispersal ability and urban environmental heterogeneity explain variations in genetic patterns.
- Urbanization profoundly influences nonadaptive evolution, affecting genetic drift and gene flow.
- Future research should compare multiple cities and nonurban habitats, considering species biology and environmental variation.
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