Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Life Sciences
Drought and parental effects shape plant responses to decreased precipitation predictability
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
Current climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and to decreased precipitation predictability, both potentially affecting the persistence of plant populations. Precipitation predictability has been shown to shape plant phenotypic variation and drive the evolution of phenotypic plasticity, yet whether differences in precipitation predictability also [...]
Mathematically similar movement kernels yield contrasting ecological outcomes in insect trapping
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Insect movement is often described using random-walk models but comparing ecological outcomes of short- and long-distance movement can depend on how their underlying movement kernels are related. Here, thin- and heavy-tailed step-length distributions are linked through a common survival probability and then optimally compared using a similarity measure, providing an objective comparison when an [...]
Effects of interannual weather on understory plant traits in old-growth beech forests
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Biology, Forest Sciences, Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
We aimed to estimate the effects of annual mean temperature and precipitation on understory plant traits and trait diversity in old-growth beech forests. We combined sub-canopy and open-field measurements from local weather stations with data on aboveground and belowground traits. Relationships and potential confounding effects within the system were analysed using a causal model. The resulting [...]
Muscle Cs-137 in Fukushima wildlife from rescue and wildlife-control programmes
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
We analysed opportunistic muscle Cs-137 records of wild mammals and birds from rescue and wildlife-control programmes in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in 2017–2025. Bayesian hierarchical models, with species random intercepts and left-censored non-detects, related concentrations to a fixed baseline contamination index, the 2012 air dose rate at capture locations. In 182 records of 38 species, a [...]
Mycorrhizal evolution restructures forest ecosystems
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
Mutualisms are key drivers of species diversification and biodiversity, yet their comprehensive role in shaping contemporary ecosystems remains poorly understood. Mycorrhizal symbioses (Arbuscular mycorrhiza [AM] and Ectomycorrhizal [EcM]) are among the most ecologically important interactions on Earth, driving the origin and maintenance of terrestrial biodiversity. Nearly all tree species [...]
Recording session leakage inflates accuracy in marine mammal call classification
Published: 2026-11-14
Subjects: Computational Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Zoology
Splitting clips at random overstated the accuracy of a marine mammal call classifier by up to 23 percentage points, because clips from the same recording tape landed in both training and test data. I classified 4,761 recordings of nine Arctic and subarctic marine mammal species from the Watkins Marine Mammal Sound Database, recorded on 148 tapes between 1949 and 1997, at two levels: species and [...]
Widespread human alteration of natural barriers threatens Pacific salmon biodiversity
Published: 2026-11-13
Subjects: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Anthropogenic barriers such as dams are a pervasive threat to freshwater diversity, yet human-mediated increases in aquatic connectivity can also have unintended consequences. Natural, flow-dependent barriers such as waterfalls structure the upstream limits of Pacific salmon and steelhead by completely or partially obstructing passage. Across the Pacific Northwest, natural barriers were modified [...]
Can climate change studies guide primate conservation in Africa? A systematic review of observed and projected impacts
Published: 2026-11-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
Climate change is a growing threat, but its impact on species often remains poorly quantified which hampers conservation decisions. African primates are a conservation priority taxon, with 90% of species experiencing population decline. Yet, climate change impacts on this group remain comparatively understudied. We reviewed the peer-reviewed literature (n=58 studies, 2016-2025) to assess whether [...]
The cost of a promise – the species conservation expenditure needed to meet Australia’s zero extinction target in the marine environment
Published: 2026-11-13
Subjects: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Natural Resources and Conservation, Natural Resources Management and Policy
The Global Biodiversity Framework has the goal of halting the human-induced extinction of species. An immense number of species are threatened with extinction, the task confronting nations is great, and the cost highly uncertain. We collated cost data for marine species recovery programs in the United States where there have been some successful threatened species recoveries. Based on the [...]
Methodological Issues in Resolving Deer, Wolf, and People Avoidance from Camera Records: from One Home Ground to County and then a Statewide Volunteer Network
Published: 2026-11-13
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Camera records are increasingly used to measure how wildlife respond to people and to predators, but the measures are sensitive to choices that are rarely stated: these include what counts as one event, what the delay is divided by, to which species a return-time measure can justifiably be applied, and against what null a directional test is compared. This paper reports those choices as informed [...]
Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi recover from nitrogen additions in a dry heathland experiment in southern England
Published: 2026-11-12
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Life Sciences, Life Sciences, Microbiology
1. Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi are fundamental for heathlands’ establishment and functioning and contribute to the essential ecosystem services these endangered habitats provide, yet they are overlooked by environmental monitoring policies. As nitrogen pollution declines across Europe, policymakers need measurable indicators of habitat recovery encompassing above- and below-ground parts of the [...]
A consumer-facing application for radiance field-based 3D reconstruction enables accessible measurement of urban tree structure
Published: 2026-11-11
Subjects: Life Sciences
Urban forests are key in mitigating the effects of climate change and urbanisation on human well-being. Yet, evaluating and managing these benefits requires accurate, scalable monitoring of trees. Laser scanners operated from ground-based and airborne platforms have enabled urban trees to be monitored in unprecedented structural detail and across large spatial extents, respectively. However, [...]
Evaluating Cittarium pica for reef restoration: From grazing effects to post-release retention
Published: 2026-11-11
Subjects: Life Sciences
Caribbean coral reefs have experienced extensive coral loss, accompanied by increased algal cover which inhibits coral recovery. Enhancing native herbivore populations is being explored as a means of controlling excessive algal growth. The gastropod Cittarium pica (C. pica) may represent an option, but its suitability for reef restoration is unknown. We therefore evaluated its grazing, survival, [...]
Integrating the concept of acoustic diversity into the functional ecology framework
Published: 2026-11-11
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
The ecological relevance of sounds in ecosystems has gained increasing attention in the recent decade. While ecoacoustics seeks to study these roles, a majority of studies to date have focused on using Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) for species monitoring or calculating integrative ecoacoustic indices as rapid proxies for biological diversity. This paper proposes an ecological perspective on [...]
Which camera-trap images to review? Estimating occupancy from a small part of a survey
Published: 2026-11-11
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Context. Camera-trap surveys produce more images than people can review. Computer-vision classifiers such as SpeciesNet label animals but miss some species, so people still review images. Aims. To find how many and which images should be reviewed to reliably estimate species occupancy, and how a project can tell when it has reviewed enough. Methods. On four fully labeled camera-trap surveys (in [...]