Whenever I get a break from my busy schedule, I often sit back and rekindle the memories of my childhood. Of all the memories that arrive in a rush, one in particular stands out: those lazy afternoon art classes, where, when asked to draw a landscape or a scenery, we used to draw two mountains, a couple of trees, distant bushes, a flowing stream originating from the mountains, a house made of mud, hay, and straw, and finally birds in the sky, along with a few animals. Maybe that was our original perception of how a landscape should be. But as time passed and we progressed, that vision of the landscape disappeared, surviving only in the drawing books of little kids.
But the question remains: what happened to the biodiversity there? The landscape changed, but what about the birds or animals that lived there?The answer to this question is quite complex. On a macro scale, the answer is definite: yes, biodiversity has been affected. We no longer have those large paddy fields in urban landscapes, nor we have the elephants roaming there in search of food, although it was difficult then, for the people to exist, yet they managed to exist together. But now we see an increasing trend of conflicts between animals and humans, and conflicts surely cannot be termed as co-existence.Similarly, most of the marshy lands have disappeared, so did the animals; for example, the foxes. The examples are many and enough to fill up an entire newsletter, but why not discuss about biodiversity on a smaller scale? Not as small as microorganisms, but slightly larger—maybe birds, rodents like squirrels, or small mammals?If you ask any elderly person who has lived through decades of change what differences they’ve observed in the scenery, they would point out a trend: an exponentially increasing trend of decreasing trees. Apart from all the various disadvantages caused by the decline in trees, one of the major consequences is its effect on bird ecosystems. Birds play a critical role in environmental protection and growth. For instance, birds act as vectors, helping to pollinate plants. They consume fruits in one place, and when they excrete elsewhere, they release seeds along with their faeces, potentially allowing new plants to grow if the environment is suitable. This cycle is essential, and when it is disrupted, the effects can be disastrous for humans, animals, insects, and plants, as everything is interrelated.So, who survives and how?To answer this question, we need to consider the food habits first, as food is crucial for the survival of most, if not all, animals. And, different animals have different body structures and mechanisms,so their food habits vary. The problem in the urban landscape is that, the primary food source for animals and birds is waste or garbage, as most of the natural sources have disappeared, the whole food chain has been disrupted. And garbage, as absurd as that sounds when compared to natural sources like trees, yet is the reality. In a waste dump, it’s difficult for a pure herbivore or a pure carnivore to survive since the type of waste produced cannot be controlled or determined, as the waste generally is unsegregated and moreover it cannot be determined whether a carnivore will get its preference of food, or an herbivore will get its preference of food. However, for an omnivore, survival becomes comparatively easier. And now, we are witnessing a shift in animals from pure carnivores to omnivores or from pure herbivores.to omnivores. Suppose, let’s take dogs as a point of reference, it belongs to the family Canidae, the same family also involves wolves, jackals, and coyotes—and all these animals are primarily carnivores. However, unlike the other members of this family, the dog, opted towards more of an omnivorous habit of eating, although still preferring meat but yet adapting to other food sources as well. And maybe this explains how dogs manage to survive in urban landscapes, while other members of its family fail to do so. Interestingly enough, even parrots, originally belonging to the family Psittacidae, herbivores by nature; once feeding on fruits and seeds have slowly been changing their diet into a more omnivorous one a new diet.which consists of insects, and thus has enabled itself to live in this new sphere. And while other creatures are adapting, a creature like the crow, naturally an omnivore, dwells easily in this landscape like an undisputed champion. While a more detailed study of food habits would provide a broader view, this surface-level analysis is quite justified. Another aspect of declining tree cover is the loss of natural shelters. While human made structures cannot fully replace the natural ones, but we do see birds making nests in buildings and attics. And this shift in habitat use is a part of the even broader trend where some animals are beginning to show signs of self-domestication, adapting to urban environments as a survival strategy. The shift from rural to urban landscapes has also led to behavioural changes in animals. In search of the quiet ambiance found in rural areas some animals have adopted nocturnal tendencies while many others have engaged with humans for coexistence and survival. Furthermore, urban landscapes have led to a decrease in the natural predators of smaller animals, thus allowing certain groups of animals to increase in population. Thus, these interconnected changes; emits light upon how animals are responding to environmental pressures, changes and challenges by modifying their behaviours and habitats, hence altogether leading to whole new patterns of coexistence and adaptation in an increasingly urbanized world. Although more could be discussed, but that’s preferably left for the future.Thus, the answer to the very first question cannot be commented on with concrete conclusion, but nonetheless we do see a wide variety of animals successfully adapting and sustaining themselves in these harsh, uncertain conditions.
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