“And a German team discovered that , as foretold by Paul McCartney, urban blackbirds are singing in the dead of night” p.248
What does Jimi Hendrix have to do with British populations of urban parrots? I bet you’ve never come across that question before. Yet, if you read this book, you’ll know the answer. This is just one of a wealth of examples that beautifully illustrate Darwin Comes to Town by Menno Schilthuizen, a compelling manifesto for the past, present, and future of nature in our cities.
Having just finished my degree, I initially found myself wary of the premise of the book, as urban nature was an area of my degree that I didn’t enjoy. This was because of abstract, often philosophical papers which just didn’t sit right with my more scientific background. However, (thankfully!) this book doesn’t cover this and instead focusses on the real-world ecological forces driving nature within our cities.
At the heart of the book lies an abundance of amazing examples, clearly taken from Schilthuizen’s decades at the forefront of urban ecology research. Anecdotes cover many different parts of the world and many different types of life, from weeds to mice to crows. A particular highlight is his telling of the story of urban blackbirds (Chapter 18). He masterfully draws comparison with Darwin’s famous Galapagos finches, eloquently outlining signs of speciation between urban and rural populations of the species.
This blackbird comparison is highlighted once again at the end of the book. I would argue that the end of the book is the strongest, doing an excellent job of summarising key themes. Within this section is one of the favourite passages I’ve read this year (from “What will the future bring?” to “But evolve they do, and adapt they will” p.286). This passage ponders the impact of humans as not just keystone species, but ‘hyperkeystone species’ (a term taken from a prior paper), engineering the environment around us to create numerous yet-to-be-filled niches. Nature will thus learn to adapt to the city, eventually generating numerous anthropophililes (species which thrive alongside humans), much in the way that ants’ nests are filled with countless species adapted to live in or around them (myrmecophiles), having been around for tens of millions of years longer than us.
In places I feel the writing could have been slightly clearer, with the odd overly technical section colluding with occasional slips into a more academic style, both in word choice and structure. This meant that at times I struggled to focus on the book, although of course this could have just been my mood when reading. To give Schilthuizen some credit though, to write any book in a non-native language, let alone a complex non-fiction one, is no mean feat and should be recognised accordingly.
A quote that best captures the essence of the book is the following: “in Australia, the same sequence of events unfolded itself, but then, in good notogean fashion, upside down” (p. 187). This passage comes from the example of a species of Australian soapberry bug (Leptocoris tagalicus), which has adapted a longer snout in response to a now-common introduced plant. Therefore, it exemplifies the primary strength of the book – the ceaselessly engaging suite of real-world anecdotes. Meanwhile, the use of the word ‘notogean’ (meaning of the biogeographical region of Australia and New Zealand – I had to google it too, don’t worry!) exemplifies the occasional use of technical, academic prose. The whole phrase though also demonstrates a humour that maintains the reader’s engagement, which when paired with the anecdote itself, is a great recipe for a book filled with wonder. Although it doesn’t quite change the way you think in the way that many of the very best non-fiction books do, you will still be boldly awakened to the depth of urban nature developing before your very eyes.
This book gets 3.75 Earths out of 5
If you want to purchase a copy for yourself, the book is available at the following links:
Publisher’s website: https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/menno-schilthuizen/darwin-comes-to-town/9781786481078/
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/darwin-comes-to-town/menno-schilthuizen/9781786481085
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Darwin-Comes-Professor-Menno-Schilthuizen/dp/1786481081
More thoughts about the book can be found at the following links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34930832-darwin-comes-to-town
Another excellent blog post I found: https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2018/02/26/book-review-darwin-comes-to-town-how-the-urban-jungle-drives-evolution/
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