Cylita Guy - Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats: Urban Ecology, Community Science, and How We Share Our Cities

To my parents, who helped a Black, city kid grow up with a deep love of nature. I hope this book helps other melanated kids do the same.

C.G.

2021 Cylita Guy, PhD (text) 2021 Cornelia Li (illustrations)

Cover art by Cornelia Li, designed by Paul Covello
Interior designed by Paul Covello and Danielle Arbour
Edited by Claire Caldwell
Copyedited by Debbie Innes
Proofread by Doeun Rivendell
Indexed by Wendy Thomas

Annick Press Ltd.

All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanicalwithout the prior written permission of the publisher.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, and the participation of the Government of Canada/la participation du gouvernement du Canada for our publishing activities.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Chasing bats and tracking rats : urban ecology, community science, and how we share our cities / written by Cylita Guy ; illustrations by Cornelia Li.Names: Guy, Cylita, author. | Li, Cornelia, illustrator.Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210188731 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210188758 | ISBN 9781773215396 (softcover) | ISBN 9781773215389 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781773215419 (PDF) | ISBN 9781773215402 (HTML)Subjects: LCSH: Urban ecology (Biology)Juvenile literature. | LCSH: Urban animalsJuvenile literature.Classification: LCC QH541.5.C6 G89 2021 | DDC j577.5/6dc23

Published in the U.S.A. by Annick Press (U.S.) Ltd.
Distributed in Canada by University of Toronto Press.
Distributed in the U.S.A. by Publishers Group West.

annickpress.com

cylitaguy.com

corneliali.com

Living in the Urban Jungle

Key Terms

Chasing Down Big Browns

How much do wildlife rely on city green spaces?

Ratmobile to the Rescue

How do animals in cities affect human health?

Bees and a Bug Vacuum

Why are cities a good place to study the impact of climate change on bees?

Backyard Bear Buffet

What happens when humans and wildlife in cities dont get along?

Bold Coyote, Bashful Coyote

How are humans changing animal behavior in cities?

Microplastics, Major Problems

How does the pollution we create affect city animals?

Birdwatching Bias

What happens when citizen science doesnt tell us the whole story?

A Bike to Beat the Heat

Why are greener cities better for people?

But This Is Only the Beginning!

There are more than seven billion people on earth. Over half of these people (around 55 percent) live in cities. Thats a lot! And guess what? That number keeps going up. Cities may make life easier for many humans by bringing us closer to things like grocery stores, jobs, and hospitals, but they make it much harder for most wildlife.

Think about itto build our cities we destroy the natural spaces that are homes for insects, plants, and animals. We make roadways that split forests into smaller pieces. We mow fields so we have parks to play in. Sometimes we even get rid of everything when we pave over the ground to create parking lots. These changes are too much for many plants and animals to handle. Without the right type of habitat, many species cant survive in cities. This means there is often less biodiversityor different types of plants and animalsin cities compared to natural spaces.

But guess what? Some creatures seem to do okay in cities. In fact, some species do better in cities than in their natural habitats! There is still a lot we dont know about urban wildlife, but scientists are learning more every day. As cities continue to grow and expand, its important that we understand how city living may be changing the behavior of these species and how living so close to them may be affecting us.

The scientists who study how different species interact with each other and their environments are called ecologists. When most people think of these wildlife scientists, they think of people adventuring in far-off places. Perhaps youve even seen ecologists like these on TVdiving in the ocean or exploring in rainforests. But there is a whole group of ecologists who study the animals and plants living in cities! Ecologists like me. Hi! My name is Cylita and Im one of the many urban ecologists around the world helping us understand nature in our cities.

Have you ever wondered how far rats scurrying out of dumpsters might travel in the city? Or how many bird species are in your local park? What about the ways that plants can fight climate change in urban areas?

From bats to bees and microplastics to trees, this book will introduce you to urban ecologists who answer questions like these ones. And because science requires teamwork, all of the urban ecologists youll meet are people that I know and have worked with!

Youll also learn about the wacky ways we do our science in urban environments (like riding a science bike!). Cities are complicated and busy places filled with lots of different challenges to doing research. As urban ecologists, we have to come up with creative approaches to get our data and build cool tools to help answer our questions. Some of my urban ecologist friends even get everyday peoplelike you!to help them collect their data.

We want to help you understand why nature is so important in our cities. Humans get a lot of benefitsor ecosystem servicesfrom nature, but we also have a responsibility to keep our environments healthy and protect the species living in them. We also want you to explore your own local biodiversity, so keep an eye out for urban ecology challenges at the end of each chapter. Who knows, while youre out adventuring in your neighborhood, you might even meet one of usor your own friendly neighborhood urban ecologist!