Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Life Sciences
Integrating Morphological and Molecular Data for Resolving Lucinidae (Bivalvia) Phylogenies: Implications for Taxonomy and Fossil Inclusion
Published: 2025-01-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
Lucinidae, an ancient clade of chemosymbiotic bivalves dating back to the Late Jurassic, have undergone changing taxonomic classifications. Older morphology-based classifications conflict with recent molecular phylogenies. Current taxonomies rely on molecular data, limiting phylogenetic placement to extant taxa with available molecular data. To better understand lucinid evolutionary history, a [...]
Strategies to transform natural resource extension with iNaturalist and engage the public in biodiversity conservation
Published: 2025-01-14
Subjects: Biodiversity, Education, Life Sciences
Participatory citizen science is an increasingly popular tool which provides non-formal education and learning activities. iNaturalist—a free open-access—participatory citizen science platform provides a place to engage the public in natural resource programming. Here, we explore practical applications for integrating iNaturalist into extension programming. We highlight two approaches: (1) [...]
The implementation of network meta-analysis in Ecology; a case study using crop yield data
Published: 2025-01-13
Subjects: Agriculture, Biodiversity, Life Sciences, Natural Resources and Conservation, Natural Resources Management and Policy
Network meta-analysis (NMA) is a method commonly used in medical research that allows for the comparison of multiple interventions in a single, coherent analysis. In this study, we explore how NMA can be applied in ecological studies – specifically, in comparing the effectiveness of multiple interventions in field experiments. Our study aims to provide a general and non-technical introduction of [...]
The origin of life; the first self-replicating molecules were RNA nucleotides.
Published: 2025-01-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
Difficulty to efficiently synthesize RNA nucleotides by joining their subunits in modern labs under simulated prebiotic Earth environments leads us to propose an alternative process by cross complimentary self-replication with help of abiotic catalysts such as minerals which are known to be good catalysts and certainly existed on prebiotic Earth. The process took place in areas with cyclic [...]
Biocultural Families and Leaders: New Metaphors, Methods and Members for Environmental Connectivity in Unama'ki
Published: 2025-01-09
Subjects: Arts and Humanities, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
In this community inquiry into the importance of connectivity to the newly established Kluskap Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) in Unama'ki (Cape Breton), our team partnered with local knowledge-holders to develop locally appropriate definitions and metaphors for connectivity along with methodologies for understanding and visualizing its concrete manifestations, including by [...]
Biodiversity research requires more rotors and wheels on and above ground, as well as below water
Published: 2025-01-09
Subjects: Life Sciences
Human activities have caused rapid decline in biodiversity, with accelerating species extinction. Simultaneously, recent advancements in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems offer transformative potential for biodiversity research. Unmanned vehicles—such as drones, ground robots, and underwater robots—equipped with high-resolution sensors enhance our ability to monitor ecosystems with [...]
Population structure plays a key role in community stability
Published: 2025-01-09
Subjects: Applied Mathematics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The relationship between ecosystem complexity and stability remains unresolved and a mechanistic explanation for the stunning levels of biodiversity observed in communities and ecosystems is still lacking. Recent work has shown that differences in the foraging capacity and predation risk of juveniles versus adults within populations result in larger, more complex communities than predicted by [...]
OSEA, a deep learning-based bird classification tool, with pre-trained model, mobile and command line applications
Published: 2025-01-07
Subjects: Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Ornithology
In response to the challenges of traditional biodiversity monitoring methods, we introduce OSEA (Open Species Estimation for Avians), a multi-platform, offline tool for bird species identification. Designed to recognize over 10,000 bird species, OSEA includes both a mobile application and a command-line interface (CLI), facilitating efficient bird species identification. The mobile app, developed [...]
Phenological Plasticity and Its Thermal Determinants in Common Songbirds across Europe
Published: 2025-01-07
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Phenological plasticity—the ability of organisms to adjust breeding timing in response to environmental variability —is the primary mechanism for seasonal organisms as it enables to synchronize their life cycles with seasonal resource availability. Theory predicts that phenological plasticity should vary among populations because of environmental heterogeneity, and among species because of [...]
AI and Big Data for invasion biology: finding, modelling and forecasting the population dynamics of invaders
Published: 2025-01-07
Subjects: Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Population Biology
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the study and management of invasive species through analytical and predictive tools that optimize detection, monitoring, and automated eradication. In this work, we reviewed the fundamental principles of machine learning and deep learning, illustrated with recent case studies on invasive species. We also present the first systematic review of [...]
Improving our understanding of adaptive evolution by addressing multi-generational non-genetic responses
Published: 2025-01-06
Subjects: Life Sciences
Populations that face abrupt environmental change reducing their fitness can recover by adaptive genetic evolution over tens to hundreds of generations, but their immediate responses often involve non-genetic mechanisms. When such non-genetic responses span multiple generations, their dynamics may be difficult to distinguish from those of genetic evolution. We here argue that focusing research on [...]
No, ecosystems do not have intrinsic value! A response to the Conguillío Statement
Published: 2025-01-06
Subjects: Life Sciences
1. The Conguillío Statement on the alleged values and responsibilities of ecologists claims that ecosystems are intrinsically valuable. This is a common claim by ecologists and the authors of the Conguillío Statement probably view it as uncontroversial. 2. Ecologists want to invoke the concept of intrinsic value because it seems to cover more of nature than instrumental value. However, [...]
Impacts of plant invasions on tick-borne disease risk
Published: 2025-01-06
Subjects: Life Sciences
Under global change, plant invasions may alter tick-borne disease (TBD) transmission. The direction and magnitude of changes in TBD risk resulting from invasions remain poorly understood because research has often been species-specific or insufficient to quantify mechanisms. In this overview, we describe how invasive plant functional traits can mediate microclimates, how tick survival and [...]
Does post-natal parental care influence cognitive development in a social gecko?
Published: 2025-01-06
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences
How cognition evolved remains a debated “hot-topic” in the field of animal cognition. Current hypotheses link variation in sociality, ecology, and more generally, environmental challenges to differences in cognitive development, both between as well as within species. Research supporting the Social Intelligence Hypothesis, which states that cognition evolved to deal with social challenges, is [...]
Communities and Ecosystems
Published: 2025-01-03
Subjects: Life Sciences
Communities and ecosystems are two related and contested concepts in ecology. Despite their longevity, three unanswered philosophical questions apply to both concepts. First, "what are they?" Both concepts have multiple definitions and little agreement among ecologists about which is correct or which is most useful. Second, "how are they individuated?" Working from any particular definition, how [...]