The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) has successfully invaded cities and islands across the globe, causing major public health risks and conservation concern. Yet despite their close association with humans, we know strikingly little about the ecology and behavior of rats. Useful management strategies for rats require biological context, including an understanding of how they disperse through the environment, how landscape variation influences populations, and how rats across different cities exhibit parallel or divergent outcomes. A combination of genetic approaches, modeling tools, and common sense are used to examine urban rats and their impact on humans and wildlife. Examples from New York City, as well as cities around the world, show how science can improve our understanding of and policy surrounding this pervasive pest species.
Matthew Combs earned his Ph.D. at Fordham University in Bronx, NY, studying the ecology and evolution of brown rats in urban landscapes. His work leverages genetic and modeling tools to understand rat migration dynamics and their influence on zoonotic disease. Matt has worked with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on their rat control efforts and promotes the inclusion of biological context in management strategies. He currently works as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University studying the evolutionary and ecological drivers of Lyme disease.