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When the city comes to you, get flexible; when you go to the city, be persistent

Researchers find that foraging behavior breadth, persistence, and variability of flexibility could facilitate a rapid geographic range expansion

An international team of researchers conducted two studies on the foraging behavior of birds in human-modified environments. Led by Corina Logan at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, the studies found that, while flexibility in foraging behavior is crucial for adapting to human-altered habitats, it is not the primary driver of rapid geographic range expansion. Rather, persistence and variability in flexibility, as well as the ability to exploit a wide range of food sources, seem to play a more significant role in facilitating range expansion. These findings have important implications for conservation managers seeking to predict species' success in new environments.

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© Corina J. Logan