Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) has impacted over twenty sea star species along the Northeast Pacific Coast, with some seemingly more susceptible than others. The once common sunflower sea star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, has been driven to endangerment. Observations from natural SSWD outbreaks have indicated higher mortality rates in adults than juveniles, suggesting that susceptibility may be age-dependent. The hypothesis of age-related differences in immunity was assessed by challenging both juvenile and adult P. helianthoides in controlled laboratory exposures to SSWD. Using a transcriptomic approach, we compared the immune response of adult and juvenile P. helianthoides exposed to SSWD in two independent disease challenge trials. In both trials, all disease-exposed sea stars showed disease signs consistent with SSWD with no observable differences in outcome across age class, although age-driven differentially expressed genes were identified, related to development, signaling, differentiation, and stress and metabolism regulation. Transcriptomic sequencing datasets showed a majority of differentially expressed genes were shared across the two experiments, suggesting a core response to SSWD that did not differ between age classes in the second trial. Functional annotation identified a core immune response to bacterial pathogens.

Peatlands provide critical ecosystem services, including carbon storage, water regulation, and climate mitigation, yet spatial information on their ecological condition remains limited despite widespread degradation that is expected to intensify under ongoing climate change. Here, we assess whether vegetation dynamics associated with peatland degradation can be detected using high-resolution spectral data and linked to underlying biogeochemical processes. We present an integrated approach combining PlanetScope multispectral imagery with soil biogeochemical indicators to distinguish pristine from drained peatlands across climatic zones in Europe. Vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, gNDVI, Greenness Index, and albedo) were derived to characterize vegetation properties, while soil biogeochemistry was assessed using elemental carbon and nitrogen contents and molecular composition determined by pyrolysis–GC/MS. Our results show that spectral indices effectively differentiate peatland conditions, with NDVI and Greenness Index consistently higher in drained areas, reflecting increased vascular plant productivity. EVI and albedo further distinguish between open and sparsely treed systems. The strongest spectral contrasts occurred during the early growing season, highlighting the importance of seasonal timing for remote sensing assessments. Biogeochemical analyses support these patterns, showing increased nitrogen content, reduced C/N ratios, and enhanced microbial decomposition under drainage. Our results reveal a strong link between the stoichiometric and molecular composition of peat soils and spectral indices, demonstrating that spectral indicators can serve as rapid and reliable proxies for peatland condition across diverse vegetation types and climatic settings. This integrative approach enables large-scale monitoring and supports restoration efforts under ongoing environmental change.

Background and Aims Common gardens are critical to studying the trait variations in plant species and how environmental or genetic factors influence them. In common gardens, non-native species and non-local populations must be monitored closely to reduce their chances of escaping, as it can lead to genetic spillage, which is the introduction of foreign genetic material with potential unwanted phenotypes/genotypes into the native ecosystems. This could decrease the fitness of native populations and threaten natural habitats. This study investigated a possible spillage of genetic material from an existing common garden experiment of the Scarlet Monkeyflower. This garden consists of six populations that originated from three regions across its distribution (North, Central, and South), and were propagated at an Ecological Reserve in Southern California. A population of E. cardinalis was spotted a kilometer away from the common garden, leading to the question of whether it is a wild population or an escapee. Methods Leaf samples were collected from individuals of each provenance established at the common garden, as well as the “unknown” population. DNA was extracted from all samples and further processed for DArT sequencing to generate genome-wide SNPs. Genetic clustering analyses such as DAPC, PCoA, and ADMIXTURE were used to determine the genetic proximity of the unknown population against the six provenances from the common garden. Key Results Clustering analyses of all individuals revealed that the unknown population is genetically related to southern populations. A focused analysis of only the southern and unknown populations showed that the unknown individuals formed a distinct cluster, suggesting they are not escapees but represent a natural population in that region. Conclusion Although a spillage was not detected, these findings serve as a reminder for researchers to monitor their garden experiments to control escapees and reduce the possibility of a spillage from occurring.

Meadow and steppe ecosystems in the overlapping area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the Loess Plateau (OQLP) are vital to global carbon cycling and ecological security. However, the driving mechanisms underlying the dynamics of meadow and steppe productivity under a shared climatic context remain unclear, limiting our understanding of their patterns of change. Herein, an entropy-weighted integrated productivity index (IPI) was developed using 1-km MODIS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and net primary productivity (NPP) products (2000–2023) accompanied by 153 field biomass plots. Random forest, variation partitioning, and confirmatory path analysis (CPA) modeling were applied to disentangle the key climatic, soil, and topographic drivers and potential mechanisms. Results showed significant increases over time in both NDVI (slope = 0.0023) and NPP (slope = 6.15 gC m-2 yr-1) across the OQLP, with spatial heterogeneity marked by greater improvements in central valleys and mountainous areas. Random forest models showed growing season climate factors (precipitation, temperature, and evapotranspiration) explained 58 to 63% of productivity variations in the meadow and steppe, respectively, indicating these were the dominant drivers. However, ecosystem-specific differences emerged: meadow productivity was strongly influenced by soil pH and topography whereas steppe productivity was more sensitive to soil physicochemical properties (e.g., texture, cation exchange capacity) and non-growing season temperatures. Variation partitioning indicated the growing season climate accounted for the largest unique variance (~28% in meadows), while path analysis demonstrated more complex causal pathways in meadows (eight significant paths) than in steppes (six paths). These findings highlight the need for ecosystem-specific management strategies that account for distinct environmental sensitivities in the face of climate change.

Gut microbiome community composition and diversity often shift in response to host diet, but this responsiveness may depend on microbial transmission mode. While environmentally acquired microbes are well documented to respond to dietary change, the ecological flexibility of vertically inherited microbiomes remains poorly understood. The wood-feeding cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus harbors three phylogenetically distinct and taxonomically diverse microbial groups in its hindgut: two vertically transmitted protist lineages (Parabasalia and Oxymonadida) and a bacterial community acquired via mixed-mode transmission. We used feeding experiments and microbiome profiling to assess the responsiveness of these three communities to diet in late-instar C. punctulatus. The Parabasalia community did not differ with host diet changes, in line with the expectation of stability in vertically inherited microbial communities. In contrast, Oxymonadida exhibited differences in community structure with respect to changes in relative abundance but not composition of taxa. The bacterial community differed across a broader range of diversity and composition measures, including richness and community structure based on both presence/absence and relative abundance. These results indicate that some vertically inherited microbial communities retain ecological flexibility, but the level of responsiveness to environmental change varies.

Across a variety of ecosystems, taxonomically distinct primary producers have been shown to support communities that differ in diversity and/or community structure. Additionally, ecosystem engineers and other abundant species have been shown to change the structure and diversity of communities across different ecosystems. Deadwood-dependent (saproxylic) arthropod communities play a crucial role in forest ecosystems, facilitating decomposition of wood and nutrient cycling in forests Decaying deadwood habitats are highly heterogeneous and are able to support large and diverse communities of these deadwood-dependent arthropods. However, our understanding of how these communities differ across different ecosystem factors, such as community composition and characteristics of the wood itself, is limited. We investigated the impacts of two factors on saproxylic arthropod diversity: deadwood type (hardwood vs. softwood) and abundance of Cryptocercus punctulatus, an abundant, social, wood feeding insect. We sampled arthropod communities from 26 logs in the western Appalachian Mountains and identified arthropods to order- and family-level. We observed a large amount of variation in the abundance and diversity of the arthropod taxa sampled, but no effects of log type or C. punctulatus abundance on the arthropod community diversity or community structure. Our study suggests that broad scale deadwood arthropod diversity may not be structured by variation in log type or colonization history of social wood feeding insects, providing clarity about the relationship between two underexplored drivers of diversity within these essential arthropod communities.

1. Savannas, spanning 20% of the Earth’s surface, are characterized by a continuous grass matrix interspersed with woody patches, supporting high biodiversity and providing ecological and economic services. Coexistence is maintained by interactions among climate, soil nutrients, and disturbance, but can be destabilized by invasion, land-use changes, and climate shifts. Although climatic and edaphic controls on savanna structure are well-studied, the contribution of soil microbial communities in maintaining spatial heterogeneity and coexistence remains poorly understood. We investigated whether savanna heterogeneity is mirrored belowground and how disturbance and invasion by Megathyrsis maximus modify these relationships. 2. We used a factorial field sampling design in a mesquite savanna to compare woody patches and adjacent grasslands with and without mechanical disturbance and invasion. We quantified soil physiochemical properties, plant community composition, and bacterial and fungal communities to evaluate linkages among vegetation and soils. 3. Grasslands and woody patches supported distinct soil and microbial assemblages, consistent with differences in vegetation inputs and nutrient regimes. Grasslands exhibited relatively simple assembly patterns, with plant diversity closely associated with soil nutrients and comparatively homogeneous microbial communities. In contrast, woody patches displayed more complex assembly dynamics, with microbial communities structured by plant diversity, soil nutrients, precipitation, and spatial distance, indicating greater environmental heterogeneity and stronger dispersal limitation. 4. Invasion by M. maximus increased soil nutrient availability and altered microbial community composition in grasslands, while mechanical disturbance produced similar but weaker effects. These impacts reduced grassland microbial distinctiveness and disrupted linkages between vegetation, soils, and microbes. 5. Synthesis. Aboveground patch structure in savannas is tightly coupled to belowground microbial assembly and nutrient dynamics. By demonstrating that invasion and disturbance weaken these spatial linkages, this study indicates that soil microbial communities contribute to savanna coexistence and resilience and reveals how belowground community assembly underpins landscape-scale heterogeneity and its destabilization under multiple stressors.

Sassafras tzumu, an important tree species in subtropical forests of China, provides a valuable model for understanding regional biodiversity patterns and informing conservation strategies. Here, we integrated nuclear microsatellites (nSSRs), chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequences, and ecological niche modeling (ENM) to investigate 29 populations spanning the species’ entire natural range. nSSR analyses revealed a moderate level of genetic diversity (mean HE = 0.308), and analysis of molecular variance showed that 33% of the total genetic variation occurred among populations (FST = 0.333), indicating substantial population differentiation. Bayesian clustering, principal coordinate analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction consistently supported two major genetic lineages: Lineage I from central and southeastern China and Lineage II from southwestern China. Their geographic boundary closely corresponded to the Daba Mountains–Xuefeng Mountains topographic barrier. Six cpDNA haplotypes (H1–H6) were identified, and both haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses supported two major clades largely congruent with the nSSR-based lineage pattern. A significant phylogeographic structure was detected (NST > GST, P < 0.05). Divergence time estimation suggested that the split between the two lineages began in the Miocene (ca. 9.49 Mya), whereas major haplotype diversification occurred during the Pleistocene. Mismatch distribution and neutrality tests indicated historical population expansion. Ecological niche modeling indicated that the suitable range of S. tzumu during the Last Glacial Maximum was markedly reduced relative to the present, and that areas of high habitat suitability overlapped closely with several genetically inferred glacial refugia, including the Daba, Dabie, Wuling, and Wuyi Mountains, supporting a multiple-refugia scenario. Together, these results suggest that the current pattern of low diversity yet high differentiation in S. tzumu reflects the combined effects of Miocene geological events, Quaternary climatic oscillations, and strong contemporary geographic isolation, and provide a scientific basis for lineage-based conservation and climate-adaptive management.

The rapid rate of climate change is shifting environmental conditions towards species thermal limits, at a pace that many species cannot match via genetic adaptation. Phenotypic plasticity can provide species with a rapid response to buffer the negative impacts of warming temperatures, however, not all populations may have the same potential for plasticity. How thermal sensitivity and plastic capacity differs across populations will determine resilience to future warming and heatwave events. Here, we investigate intraspecific variation in phenotypic plasticity in a tropical reef fish, the spiny chromis damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus), to understand how low and high latitude populations differ in their response to ocean warming. To test plastic potential in low and high latitude populations, juveniles were exposed to developmental temperatures of 28.5 °C, 30 °C, and 31.5 °C, and investigated for differences in morphology (standard length and mass), critical thermal maximum, and oxygen uptake. At warmer temperatures fish grew to smaller sizes and displayed only marginal increases in critical thermal maximums (+0.16 °C). No differences were observed in critical upper temperatures, that represent a transition where cellular damage begins to outpace cellular repair, between developmental treatments or latitudes. Critical temperature thresholds (~33.92 °C) were identified as being ~3 °C below critical thermal maximums, and only ~2.19 °C above mean sea surface temperatures during recent heatwave events on the Great Barrier Reef. Thermal death time models found a > 17-day survival advantage at 33 °C, and ~1.5-day advantage at 34 °C, for fish that developed at 31.5 °C from both latitudes, revealing some potential beneficial plasticity. These results demonstrate that low and high latitude populations are expected to have similar capacities to respond to future warming that are limited in their ability to match the pace of climate change through phenotypic plasticity.

In times of species decline and biodiversity loss, large-scale, multi-species surveys are essential for effective conservation planning. Camera traps have become indispensable for wildlife monitoring, providing detailed insights into species abundance and distribution. However, manual processing of large camera trap datasets remains time-consuming and resource-intensive. Although machine learning algorithms offer a scalable solution, their performance on data collected in densely vegetated tropical forests remains to be validated. Here, we evaluated machine learning algorithms for species classification, using 5,886 videos and 1,369 images from 55 camera traps deployed in the rainforest near Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo, between September 2023 and March 2024. We compared performance metrics across species and algorithms and assessed how factors such as model confidence, distance, and body size influenced accuracies. Overall classification accuracies were lower than officially reported but comparable across region-specific algorithms. Specialist algorithms outperformed a generalist algorithm for classifications on the species level. Performance varied strongly between species, particularly for rare and small-bodied animals. Labelling confidence-based thresholding improved accuracies but resulted in substantial loss of data. Algorithmic confidence score was the strongest predictor of classification accuracy in region-specific algorithms, while distance negatively affected detection and correct classifications. Our findings underscore the importance of critical validation when applying machine learning algorithms, especially in challenging environments such as tropical forests. Machine learning performance is highly location- and species-dependent, with errors potentially propagating to derived ecological metrics. We outline practical steps to integrate manual validation into machine learning workflows to help practitioners avoid pitfalls and ensure robust and rigorous wildlife monitoring that strengthens conservation efforts.

1. Pollen analysis is a crucial tool for reconstructing past vegetation and ecosystems. Until now, pollen analysis has been a time-consuming manual process, severely limiting the number of records an analyst can produce and their temporal resolution. Recently, automatic approaches based on artificial neural networks have shown potential for classifying multiple pollen types. These approaches performed well with clean, modern reference material, but not with real-world fossil pollen samples from e.g. lake sediments. 2. To overcome this limitation, our TOFSI approach uses two neural networks to first detect and then classify pollen and other objects. Here, we apply the approach, for the first time, to a long lake sediment sequence at a very high resolution of 1 cm. To this end, a model has been trained to recognise 48 pollen, spore and NPP classes. 3. Our approach performs excellent for the classes that are well represented in the training data. At the 0.5 confidence level, the automatic recognition achieves a recall and precision of at least 0.9. However, performance tends to decline for classes with fewer than ~100 training objects. 4. We conclude that, when suitable images and model training are provided, TOFSI can accurately detect and classify multiple pollen, spores and NPP classes in lake sediment samples. The approach hence allows fully automated analysis when limited taxonomic resolution is sufficient. When full taxonomic resolution is required, TOFSI can be used in a semi-automatic approach involving manual revision of critical objects. Both approaches substantially reduce analysis times, while the resulting count sums and, consequently, the statistical reliability of the results are often much higher. 5. Besides improved productivity, an image-based workflow could offer palynologists several practical improvements, including simplified student training and communication between researchers. Extended documentation and long-term storage of results may improve the standardisation of pollen counts.

[1]¿p#1 Abstract: In the context of global climate warming, frequent extreme drought events pose a serious threat to the structure and function of forest ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. As a key ecological barrier in the inland arid areas of Asia, the Western Kunlun Mountains harbor coniferous forests whose drought adaptation mechanisms remain unclear. In 2024, tree core samples of the typical coniferous species Picea schrenkiana (P. schrenkiana) and the endemic species Juniperus jarkendensis (J. jarkendensis) were collected in the Western Kunlun Mountains. A standardized chronology was established based on tree-ring width data, and the growth-climate relationships and drought adaptation differences between the two species were systematically revealed via Pearson correlation analysis, missing ring rate (MRR) calculation, and ecological resilience index. The results indicated that the missing ring characteristics of the two species differed significantly: the total missing rates of P. schrenkiana and J. jarkendensis were 2.523% and 4.093%, respectively, with 1961 identified as a common missing ring year for both. Correlation analysis indicated that the radial growth of P. schrenkiana exhibits higher sensitivity to monthly mean minimum temperature and precipitation (P<0.01), whereas J. jarkendensis shows a more significant response to monthly mean minimum temperature and monthly mean temperature (P<0.05). During the 1961 drought event, J. jarkendensis displayed lower resistance compared to P.schrenkiana, yet J.jarkendensis demonstrated higher recovery capacity following the drought; both species regained their pre-drought growth levels within four years post-drought. This study clarifies the key climatic limiting factors and drought adaptation strategies for coniferous growth in the Western Kunlun Mountains, thereby providing a scientific basis for regional historical climate reconstruction and adaptive management of coniferous forest ecosystems.

[1]¿p#1 The outcomes of pathogen infection can be sensitive to temperature, interactions with other pathogen species, and host age. Yet few studies have experimentally tested how warming alters infection outcomes for multiple, potentially interacting, pathogen species across host ages. In this study, we conducted a factorial experiment to test how plant age (7-week vs. 13-week plants) and temperature (21 °C vs. 29 °C) influence infection outcomes of two foliar fungal pathogens with contrasting feeding strategies—Rhizoctonia solani (a necrotroph) and Colletotrichum cereale (a hemibiotroph)—in the grass species tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum). Contrary to expectations of co-infection with pathogens of opposing life-history strategies leading to increased disease symptoms, co-infection had relatively minor effects across disease metrics. Instead, infection outcomes were driven by host age, pathogen identity and temperature. In plants inoculated with R. solani, higher temperature reduced lesion severity, and independently, severity was less in older plants. C. cereale lesion development showed a strong age x temperature interaction, with older plants being more resistant to disease in cooler conditions but not under warming. In plants co-inoculated with both pathogens, elevated temperature reduced disease severity, and in another age x temperature interaction, this effect was greater in older plants. These findings demonstrate that environmental conditions and host age can both interact and outweigh within-host pathogen interactions, highlighting the importance of incorporating host demographic structure in predicting disease responses to climate warming.

Coyote (Canis latrans) populations are expanding into urban areas, but how they adapt their feeding ecology to the wildland-urban interface remains poorly understood, especially near megacities like Mexico City. This study evaluates coyote diet across an anthropogenic gradient in Sierra del Ajusco, comparing a conserved (Las Rosas) and a human-modified (Las Maravillas) site. We analyzed 198 scats collected over one year, using prey diversity (Shannon-Wiener H’) and network modularity (Louvain algorithm) to assess spatial and seasonal differences. Mammals dominated the diet at both sites (RF > 74%), with Microtus mexicanus as the primary prey. We found no significant difference in annual dietary diversity between the conserved (H’ = 2.245) and modified (H’ = 2.368) sites (p = 0.2502), which was supported by a low network modularity (0.073). However, we found a significant seasonal shift in diet diversity at the conserved site (p = 0.02587), but not at the modified site (p = 0.6874). Our results suggest that the primary impact of anthropogenic disturbance is not a simple change in diet diversity, but rather a buffering of seasonal variation. The stable, year-round availability of anthropogenic resources in the modified landscape appears to decouple the coyote’s feeding ecology from natural seasonal cycles, fundamentally altering its ecological role.

Integrating Indigenous and Western ecological knowledge can strengthen understanding of phenological patterns, yet this integration is often constrained by epistemological differences, power asymmetries, and histories of exclusion. We evaluated the potential of the Two-Eye Seeing guiding principle, which integrates the strengths of both knowledge systems, in ongoing biocultural conservation dialogues among local ethnographic leaders, Indigenous scholars, and Western researchers in ecology and anthropology. To identify similarities and differences between the two knowledge systems for success integration, we compared temporal patterns of bird species richness, composition, and relative abundance derived from a culturally embedded phenological device – an ecological calendar developed by the Pamiwã people – and from a community science initiative (eBird data contributed primarily by visiting avitourists). Our comparison revealed both convergence and divergence: phenological patterns in species richness and relative abundance for culturally important birds were broadly similar, whereas species composition varied across the year. These differences reflect distinct experiential approaches to observation. Indigenous observers ground their knowledge in culturally embedded experience and attention to environmental change, resource use, and bird behavior, whereas avitourists focus on personal encounters with more and rarer birds. Biocultural conservation requires integrative methods that are subject to interpretation and uncertainty. Acting as researchers and translators across disciplines, we demonstrate the opportunity to apply the Two-Eye Seeing guiding principle to integrate Indigenous and Western knowledges. This integration provides a tool for long-term monitoring that aligns global platforms such as eBird with local priorities for safeguarding biodiversity and cultural, ancestral, and spiritual values. Our findings highlight the value of iterative ecological calendars, framed by the Two-Eye Seeing guiding principle, as adaptive strategies for local communities to monitor biodiversity and manage their territories.

Camellia longistyla is an endemic species to Guizhou Province, possessing significant ornamental value and potential economic value for oil production.To elucidate its genetic background and guide scientific conservation and sustainable utilization, this study employed whole-genome resequencing for the first time on 98 individuals from three natural populations in Chishui City and Leishan County. Through high-quality SNP markers, we systematically analyzed its genomic variation characteristics, population genetic structure, and genetic diversity levels.A total of 61,370,270 high-quality SNPs were identified, which were uniformly distributed across chromosomes but with distinct variation hotspot regions. Population structure analysis clearly divided all samples into two main subpopulations (Pop60 and Pop38), perfectly corresponding to their geographical origins, indicating that geographical isolation is the key factor driving population differentiation. Genetic diversity assessment indicated moderately low overall genetic diversity, with significant imbalance between the two subpopulations: the larger Chishui population (Pop60) exhibited lower genetic diversity than the Leishan population (Pop38), suggesting a higher risk of genetic diversity loss in the former. This study provides the first genome-level insights into the genetic structure and diversity status of C.longistyla, offering crucial scientific evidence for formulating differentiated conservation strategies, identifying priority conservation units, and future germplasm innovation and breeding research.

Halodule uninervis plays a critical role in the seagrass ecosystem with its opportunistic traits, which facilitate rapid expansion and persistence in disturbed and changing environmental conditions. Yet the population genetic dynamics and connectivity of this species, particularly in the Philippines, remain poorly understood. Using genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated from MIG-seq data, we assessed patterns of clonal reproduction, genetic differentiation, isolation by distance, and recent migration across ten populations in a seascape characterized by complex oceanographic circulation linking the Visayas and Mindanao. Clone detection revealed pronounced spatial variation ranging from predominantly sexual populations with high genotypic richness to strongly clonal populations dominated by a few multilocus genotypes. Genetic diversity was generally low to moderate, consistent with seagrass life-history traits, but the outgroup population exhibited high nucleotide diversity and divergent genotypes, suggesting long-term persistence of distinct lineages. Population structure analyses showed weak but detectable genetic structuring, with overlapping genetic clusters and heterogeneous ancestry profiles indicating regional connectivity. Genetic differentiation among populations was low to moderate and not significantly associated with geographic distance, highlighting the importance of oceanographic processes over spatial proximity. Contemporary migration analyses revealed high self-recruitment across most populations, coupled with asymmetric gene flow, indicating that Mambajao is a regional convergence or sink population. These findings demonstrate that H. uninervis populations in Visayas and Mindanao form a semi-connected metapopulation influenced by clonal reproduction, selective dispersal, and complex circulation patterns. Incorporating genetic connectivity into a network-based restoration and management is essential for enhancing seagrass resilience under ongoing environmental change.

1. Urbanization influences ecological and evolutionary processes, including gene flow and survival. Understanding how genetic and demographic rates respond to urbanization is therefore essential for wildlife viability in human-dominated landscapes. We tested whether population genetic di-versity, genetic structure, and apparent survival of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) vary in concert along an urbanization gradient. 2. We combined a multi-year capture–mark–recapture study with microsatellite-based population genetic analyses at three sites in Berlin, Germany, representing increasing levels of urbanization. 3. Genetic diversity was broadly comparable among sites, indicating no strong genetic erosion in urban populations. However, weak heterozygote deficits and subtle differences in individual het-erozygosity suggest mild restrictions to gene flow along the urban gradient. Bayesian clustering analyses identified two genetic clusters, broadly corresponding to study sites, revealing emerging fine-scale population structure despite the small spatial extent of the study area. 4. Apparent survival did not differ clearly among sites. Several predictors received similar support, highlighting substantial uncertainty in the drivers of survival in this system. 5. By integrating genetic and demographic data, our study demonstrated that fine-scale genetic structuring can emerge in urban wildlife populations without translating into detectable short-term differences in apparent survival. These findings highlight that genetic and demographic re-sponses to urbanization can be decoupled and emphasize the importance of integrated approach-es for understanding population survival in human-modified environments.