Dr. Jonathan Richardson
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Profile
Jonathan’s research is focused on the intersection of urban ecology and public health. His lab integrates ecology, evolution and genomics to study applied issues related to urban ecology and zoonotic disease risk within cities. Much of his current work investigates urban rats and how to reduce the issues they cause, but he also works on projects related to wildlife conservation. His research spans levels of biological organization and scale, from genes to organisms to communities, and populations to regional landscapes. His lab works on projects in Richmond, New York City, Salvador, Helsinki, Barcelona, Tokyo and other locations around the world. More details can be found on his lab website.
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Grants and Fellowships
Jeffress Trust Award in Interdisciplinary Research (2021-2023, $100,000; Health Resources in Action): Environmental and Social Determinants of Rodent-borne Zoonotic Disease Risk in Richmond.
National Science Foundation EPSCoR early career faculty development grant (2017-2019, $125,300 and two REU positions): Comparative cityscape genomics of rats in four major cities.
Southern New England Educational and Charitable Foundation research grant (2018-2019, $10,175): Evaluating the movement and gene flow of three species across a complex landscape in southern New England.
National Science Foundation DEB Research Opportunity Award (2016, $32,400, including one REU position)
American Philosophical Society, Franklin Research Grant (2015-2016, $6,000)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2007-2010, $121,500)
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Budweiser Conservation Grant (2007-2009, $10,000)
National Geographic Society, Research and Exploration Young Explorers Grant (2008, $5,000)
USGS/IUCN Amphibian Conservation Grant (2008, $2,000)
Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies Grant (2007, $1,500)
Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists Lefor Grant (2007, $1,000)
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Awards
2016 - American Society of Naturalists Presidential Award for the best paper published in The American Naturalist
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Grants and Fellowships
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Selected Publications
Journal Articles
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denotes undergraduate co-author
Richardson, JL, EP McCoy*, N Parlavecchio*, R Szykowny*, E Beech-Brown*, JA Buijs, J Buckley, RM Corrigan, F Costa, R DeLaney, R Denny, L Helms, W Lee, MH Murray, C Riegel, FN Souza, J Ulrich, A Why, Y Kiyokawa. 2025. Increasing rat numbers in cities linked to climate warming, urbanization and human population. Science Advances, 11: eads6782
Fusco, N, B Cosentino, J Gibbs, et al. 2024. Population genomic structure of a widespread, urban-dwelling mammal; The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Molecular Ecology 33: e17230
Avilés-Rodriguez, K, Hughes, K, JL Richardson, and J Munshi-South. 2023. Molecular Methods Through an Urban Social-Ecological Focus. Chapter 9 in Urban Biodiversity and Equity: Justice-Centered Conservation in Cities; Oxford University Press.
Jacob, J, S Watanabe*, J Richardson, N Gonzales*, E Ploppert, G Lahvis, A Shiels, S Wenger*, K Saverino*, J Bhalerao*, B Crockett*, E Burns, O Harding, K Stenger, K Lambert. Divergent neural and endocrine responses in wild-caught and laboratory-bred Rattus norvegicus. Behavioral Brain Research 432: 113978
Rowland, FE, E Schyling*, LK Freidenburg, MC Urban, JL Richardson, AZ Andis Arietta, SB Rodrigues, AD Rubinstein, MF Benard, DK Skelly. 2022. Asynchrony, density dependence, and persistence in an amphibian. Ecology 103: e3696.
Santangelo, JS, MTG Johnson, et al. 2022. Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover. Science, 375, 1275-1281.
Parsons, HM, JL Richardson, Y. Kiyokawa, R. Stryjek, KA Byers, CG Himsworth, RM Corrigan, MA Deutsch, M Ootaki, T Tanikawa, FE Parsons, J Munshi-South. 2021. Rats and the COVID-19 pandemic: Considering the influence of social distancing on a global commensal pest. Journal of Urban Ecology 7: 1-8.
Richardson, JL, S Michailidis, M Djan, L Bisch*, K Barrett*, G Silveira*, J Butler*, TT Aye*, M Combs, J Munshi-South, M DiMatteo, C Brown, TJ McGreevey Jr. 2021. Dispersal ability predicts spatial genetic structure in native mammals persisting across an urbanization gradient. Evolutionary Applications 14: 163-177.
Urban, MC, NA Freidenfelds, and JL Richardson. 2020. Microgeographic divergence of functional responses among salamanders under antagonistic selection from apex predators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 20201665.
Munshi-South, J, and JL Richardson. 2020. Landscape genetic approaches to understanding movement and gene flow in cities. Chapter 4 in Urban Evolutionary Biology; Oxford University Press.
Richardson, JL, G Silveira*, I Soto Medrano*, AZ Arietta, C Mariani, AC Pertile, T Carvalho Pereira, J Childs, AI Ko, F Costa, A Caccone. 2019. Significant genetic impacts accompany an urban rat control campaign in Salvador, Brazil. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution 7:115.
Combs, M, KA Byers, BM Ghersi, MJ Blum, A Caccone, F Costa, CG Himsworth, JL Richardson, J Munshi-South. 2018. Urban rat races: spatial population genomics of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285: 1880.
Angley, LP*, MC Combs, C Firth, MJ Frye, I Lipkin, JL Richardson, J Munshi-South. 2018. Spatial variation in the parasite communities and genomic structure of urban rats in New York City. Zoonoses & Public Health 65: 113-123.
Combs, M, EE Puckett, JL Richardson, D. Mims, J Munshi-South. 2018. Spatial population genomics of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) in New York City reveals fine-scale genetic structuring. Molecular Ecology 27: 83-98.
Richardson, JL, MK Burak*, F Costa, et al. 2017. Using fine scale spatial genetics of Norway rats to improve control efforts and reduce leptospirosis risk in urban slum environments. Evolutionary Applications 10: 323-337.
Brady, SP, and JL Richardson. 2017. Road ecology: shifting gears toward evolutionary perspectives. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15: 91-98.Munshi-South, J, and JL Richardson. 2017. Peromyscus transcriptomics: understanding evolution within and between species of deer mice. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology 61: 131-139.
Amburgey, SM, DAW Miller, EH Campbell Grant, TAG Rittenhouse, MF Benard, JL Richardson, et al. Range position and climate sensitivity: the structure of among-population demographic responses to climatic variation. Global Change Biology 24: 439-454.
Brady, SP, JL Richardson, and BK Kunz. 2017. Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species. Evolutionary Applications 10: 829-838.
Urban, MC, JL Richardson, NA Freidenfelds, DL Drake, JF Fischer*, PS Saunders*. 2017. Local adaptation of wood frogs in response to predator communities in experimental manipulations. Copeia 105: 451-461.
Richardson, JL, SP Brady, IJ Wang, and SF Spear. 2016. Navigating the promise and pitfalls of landscape genetics. Molecular Ecology 25: 849-863.
Costa, F, JL Richardson, K Dion, C Mariani, A Pertile, MK Burak*, J Childs, A Ko, and A Caccone. 2016. Multiple paternity in the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, from urban slums in Salvador, Brazil. Journal of Heredity 107: 181-186.
Urban, MC, and JL Richardson. 2015. The evolution of foraging rate across local and geographic gradients in predation risk and competition. American Naturalist 186: E16-32.Bayha KM, MH Chang*, CL Mariani, JL Richardson, DL Edwards, TS DeBoer, C Moseley*, E Aksoy*, MB Decker, PM Gaffney, GR Harbison, JH McDonald, A Caccone. 2015. Worldwide phylogeography of the invasive ctenophore M. leidyi based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA data. Biological Invasions 17: 827-850.
Richardson, JL, MC Urban, DI Bolnick, and DK Skelly. 2014. Microgeographic adaptation and the spatial scale of evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 29: 165-176.
Urban, MC, JL Richardson, and NA Freidenfelds. 2014. Plasticity and genetic adaptation mediate amphibian and reptile responses to climate change. Evolutionary Applications 7: 88-103.
Richardson, JL. 2014. Death, taxes and relentless evolution in nature. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 29: 6-7.
Richardson, JL, and MC Urban. 2013. Strong selection barriers explain microgeographic adaptation in wild salamander populations. Evolution 67(6): 1729-1740.Richards-Hrdlicka, K, JL Richardson, and L Mohabir*. 2013. First survey for the amphibian chytrid fungus in Connecticut (USA) finds widespread prevalence. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 102: 169-180.
Richardson, JL. 2012. Divergent landscape effects on population connectivity in two co-occurring amphibian species. Molecular Ecology 21: 4437-4451.Skelly, DK, and JL Richardson. 2010. Larval sampling. Chapter 4 in Amphibian Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques. (CK Dodd, Editor); Oxford University Press.
Richardson, JL. 2006. Novel features of an inducible defense system in larval tree frogs (Hyla chrysoscelis). Ecology 87: 780-787.
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In the News
Rats don't run this city: Why Philly fields fewer rat complaints than New York City and D.C.
Sun., Mar. 23, 2025Warming temperatures in Boston appear to have another drawback, study says: More rats
Mon., Feb. 10, 2025Rat populations spiking in cities due to warming temperatures, study finds
Fri., Feb. 7, 2025Climate change can boost rat populations in cities, study says
Mon., Feb. 3, 2025Rats! Climate change is helping increase their populations in cities
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Climate change is amazing—if you’re a rat
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Why climate change may be making your city's rat problem worse
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Rats! More rodents are infesting cities as scientists say warmer temperatures mean more rat babies
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Rats worldwide are enjoying the perks of climate change
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025‘Perfect rat storm’: urban rodent numbers soar as the climate heats, study finds
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025These cities have big rat problems, and there’s one thing to blame
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Another unwelcome consequence of climate change: An explosion of urban rats
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Warmer, more crowded cities bring out the rats
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Climate Change Is Helping Fuel an Urban Rat Boom
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Get ready: Your city’s rat problem is likely going to get a lot worse
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Some like it hot: Warmer winters mean more rats in Boston
Fri., Jan. 31, 2025Lessons from America’s first ‘war on rats’ summit
Wed., Oct. 2, 2024What happens when you get all of America’s top rat people in a room?
Thu., Sep. 19, 2024How big rats took over North America
Wed., Apr. 3, 2024Is This Elephant Bothering You?
Tue., Dec. 6, 2022Much-maligned rats unlikely to spark next pandemic
Tue., May. 3, 2022A University of Richmond Research Team is Scouring Downtown Alleys in Search of Rats
Wed., Oct. 6, 2021Ratropolis
Mon., Sep. 20, 2021Could Urban Pest Control Create 'Super Rats’?
Mon., Dec. 23, 2019Is Rodent Control Creating Super Rats or Sickly Rodents?
Tue., Dec. 10, 2019New York City Turns to Dry Ice to Control its Rat Population - NPR Marketplace
Thu., May. 23, 2019As Cities Report More Rats Than Ever, Scientists Find Eastside and Westside Rodents - Washington Post
Tue., Jun. 5, 2018New York City Has Genetically Distinct 'Uptown' and 'Downtown' Rats - The Atlantic
Wed., Nov. 29, 2017A Brazilian City is Using DNA to Combat the Ancient Scourge of Rats
Tue., Nov. 14, 2017Among Their Many Impacts, Roads are Driving Rapid Evolutionary Adaptation in Adjacent Populations
Wed., Mar. 15, 2017Roads Have Significant Evolutionary Consequences for Wildlife
Mon., Mar. 6, 2017In Brazil, a Plague of Rats Signals What May Come in a More Urban World - Science Magazine
Thu., May. 19, 2016Backyard Evolution
Thu., May. 21, 2015 - Links