Phenotypic Variation in Deer Mice (Peromyscus) Across the Urban Landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area
Adriel Evaristo
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Robert Boria
Urbanization has significantly influenced how modern humans live, reshaping ecosystems and habitats worldwide and altering species diversity patterns. In the San Francisco Bay Area, rapid urban development has introduced novel environmental conditions that may affect morphology and ecological traits of local wildlife populations. This study examines how urbanization in cities around the Bay Area, such as San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, San Mateo and San Rafael, affects the distribution of genetic diversity for local wildlife, focusing on Deer mice species (Peromyscus). Using field-based small mammal trapping surveys, I collected morphological measurements such as body mass, body length, tail length, ear length, and hind foot length from deer mice individuals across multiple urban and non-urban sites in the Bay Area. By comparing these phenotypic traits across locations that vary in urban intensity, this project explores whether urban environments can shift observable characteristics of deer mice populations. These observations can provide insight on how wildlife populations may respond to urban landscapes and contribute to a wider understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes in cities.