City weeds evolving to stay close to home
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08/03/2008
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New Scientist
Hunkering down is the safe option if leaving home is risky, but it's a strategy that could leave you out on an evolutionary limb. Surrounded mostly by concrete rather than fertile soil, urban weeds have evolved - in just a dozen generations - to keep their seeds close to home, which could amplify the genetic isolation produced by habitat fragmentation.