Evolving nature-based solutions for urban resilience
Marina Alberti · Nancy B. Grimm · Eric P. Palkovacs · Mark C. Urban · Brian C. Verrelli · Pippin Anderson · Elizabeth J. Carlen · Jennifer M. Cocciardi · Elizabeth M. Cook · Marie-Josée Fortin · Kiyoko M. Gotanda · Sarah E. Hobbie · Marc T.J. Johnson · Daijiang Li · Anna N. Malesis-Dahm · Lindsay S. Miles · Jason Munshi-South · Cristian Román-Palacios · Megan Phifer-Rixey · David Salazar-Valenzuela · Amy M. Savage · Rebecca Snyder · Kristin M. Winchell · Yuyu Zhou
期刊Science
类型Article
发表2026-05-14
卷期页392(6799): 701-708
收录2026-10-09
被浏览…
关键词nature-based solutionsurban resilienceevolutionadaptive potentialspecies traitsecosystem functioninghabitat fragmentationpollutionclimate extremesevolutionary dynamics
标签—
Despite growing investments in nature-based solutions for urban resilience, their design often overlooks a fundamental biological process: evolution. Populations of organisms that sustain nature-based solutions are dynamic and can evolve over time. Rapid evolutionary changes, driven by urban environmental stressors, such as pollution, climate extremes, and habitat fragmentation, can reshape species’ traits, alter interactions, and shift ecosystem functions. We synthesize evidence of evolutionary change across systems that serve as nature-based solutions in urban contexts and show how evolutionary processes can enhance or undermine their performance. We propose four testable hypotheses linking evolutionary dynamics to nature-based solutions and outline design strategies to maintain adaptive potential. Integrating evolution into nature-based solutions is essential to ensure long-term and efficient functionality under accelerating environmental change.

@article{alberti2026,
author = {Marina Alberti and Nancy B. Grimm and Eric P. Palkovacs and Mark C. Urban and Brian C. Verrelli and Pippin Anderson and Elizabeth J. Carlen and Jennifer M. Cocciardi and Elizabeth M. Cook and Marie-Josée Fortin and Kiyoko M. Gotanda and Sarah E. Hobbie and Marc T.J. Johnson and Daijiang Li and Anna N. Malesis-Dahm and Lindsay S. Miles and Jason Munshi-South and Cristian Román-Palacios and Megan Phifer-Rixey and David Salazar-Valenzuela and Amy M. Savage and Rebecca Snyder and Kristin M. Winchell and Yuyu Zhou},
title = {Evolving nature-based solutions for urban resilience},
journal = {Science},
year = {2026},
volume = {392},
number = {6799},
pages = {701-708},
doi = {10.1126/science.aea9563},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)},
}· END ·