Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Life Sciences
Evolving on two fronts: Oak species and syngameons
Published: 2025-12-16
Subjects: Botany, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
William ‘Bill’ Burger wrote in 1975, “I believe that the classical species-concept in Quercus defines a very real population system and that it evolves on two fronts. One is that of continuing to adapt to a niche that differs slightly from its close relations. The second is in sharing the broader evolutionary advances of these same close relations that together comprise the genetically [...]
Near-exclusive use of non-native grasses by the Variegated Fairy-wren (Malurus lamberti) in a heavily modified habitat
Published: 2025-12-16
Subjects: Life Sciences
Successful breeding is a critical component of a bird’s life-history, but preferred nesting habitats remain little studied in many Australian species. In southeastern Queensland, a revegetated site shows high bird biodiversity and density, despite being dominated by invasive understory plants. Here, we describe the relative cover of grass species present (Poaceae) at our study site and determine [...]
Trends in aquatic environmental DNA research in Alaska
Published: 2025-12-16
Subjects: Life Sciences
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is an emerging tool with significant potential to advance biomonitoring, particularly in remote and logistically challenging environments. To evaluate the state of eDNA research in Alaska, we conducted a literature review and a regional survey. The review identified 22 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2025, while the survey of 54 individuals [...]
Business as usual will commit biodiversity to genetic erosion: parallels from climate change for proactive conservation
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Genetics and Genomics, Life Sciences
Biodiversity and climate resilience are tightly linked. Genetic diversity enables species to adapt in a rapidly changing world, yet its loss (genetic erosion) remains the least visible dimension of the biodiversity crisis. Although climate science has long recognised that past emissions can lock in future climate impacts (“committed climate change”), the idea that biodiversity also faces future, [...]
Deciphering the patterns and drivers of tardigrade diversity along altitudinal gradients
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Biodiversity, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Zoology
Altitudinal gradients offer a unique opportunity to understand the drivers of species richness, as mountain regions cover vast areas and contribute disproportionately to global terrestrial biodiversity. However, most studies have focused on larger organisms, often neglecting microscopic animals such as meiofauna also in mountain biodiversity research. In this study, we investigated patterns of [...]
21st Century Small-scale Fisheries of Belize: A Legacy of Eroding Size-Spectra, Trophic Shifts and Underinvestment in Fishery Management
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Life Sciences
After 100 years of commercial fishing, the coastal waters of the globally significant Belize barrier reef complex are showing signs of overfishing, food web compromise and loss of biodiversity. These challenges are exacerbated by multiple ecosystem stressors including climate change and nutrient enrichment. The Government of Belize has had some success in facilitating ongoing fisheries production [...]
From Business Intelligence to Conservation Intelligence: Operationalising adaptive pest control to protect the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Applied Statistics, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Resilience-Based Management (RBM) is crucial for enhancing outcomes in conservation interventions as the climate changes. To be effective it requires continuous modelling, assessment, evaluation and adjustment. Here, we adapt established Business Intelligence software into Conservation Intelligence tools to provide the near real-time analytics and a decision support system necessary for effective [...]
Machine learning reveals the effect of leaf temperature extremes on shifts in plant photosystem heat tolerance thresholds
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Life Sciences
Plant physiological heat tolerance thresholds can acclimate rapidly in response to changing leaf temperature, which varies considerably across microclimatic space and time. How leaf temperatures trigger shifts in these heat thresholds has not been established. We aimed to determine the influence of temporally proximal leaf temperatures (Tleaf) on leaf photosystem heat tolerance thresholds (Tcrit) [...]
A protocol for biodiversity-informed wildlife disease surveillance
Published: 2025-12-13
Subjects: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Life Sciences
Land use and climate change are increasing the risk of spillover of zoonotic disease into human populations. However, we lack actionable information about the prevalence of pathogens in wildlife populations for most of the globe, challenging our ability to implement strategies to prevent zoonoses. Even when this data exists, it has historically been sampled opportunistically and without guidance [...]
A One Health Sustainability framework for nature-based wellbeing
Published: 2025-12-13
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Mental and Social Health, Public Health
Human health benefits of nature are increasingly documented, yet the ecological conditions underpinning these benefits and the sustainability of nature-based interventions remain poorly measured. We introduce an integrated One Health Sustainability framework that links human health outcomes with ecological integrity, landscape pressures, and sustainability dimensions. This framework provides a [...]
Spatial Correlation Between Soil Phosphorus Distribution and Its Uptake in Bean Roots Using Lagrange, Hermite and IDW Interpolation Methods
Published: 2025-12-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
Phosphorus (P) is a key macronutrient required for plant growth, energy transfer, and root development, yet its mobility and bioavailability in soil are often limited due to fixation in insoluble forms. Understanding the spatial variability of soil phosphorus is therefore essential for optimizing fertilization strategies, particularly in legume crops such as common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), [...]
R for marine ecologists: wrangling Earth System Model outputs
Published: 2025-12-13
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology
This one-day, hands-on workshop introduces marine ecologists to the use and application of Earth System Model (ESM) outputs using R–a free, open-source programming language widely used in marine ecology. Designed for participants with basic or no prior experience in climate modeling, our workshop: 'R for marine ecologists: wrangling Earth System Model outputs' provides a comprehensive foundation [...]
Functional or Dysfunctional? A Refreshed Perspective on Functional Feeding Groups
Published: 2025-12-11
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Functional feeding groups (FFGs), introduced in the 1970s, provided a framework for understanding freshwater ecosystems by classifying macroinvertebrates according to feeding mode and diet. Since then, the FFG approach has been widely applied and has significantly advanced our knowledge of ecosystem processes and functions. However, the framework represents a simplified view of complex trophic [...]
Spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inhabiting inside mossballs of Rigodium implexum
Published: 2025-12-11
Subjects: Life Sciences
The spores of four species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Phylum: Glomeromycota): Acaulospora laevis, Acaulospora sieverdingii, Ambispora gerdemannii, and Dominikia aurea, were found inhabiting inside mosballs formed by Rigodium implexum at two forest sites in southern Chile. These species were identified through morphological keys. R. implexum mossballs are usually 10-20 cm in diameter, [...]
How pesticide exposure and effects match with the intention of European pesticide regulation – a mini review
Published: 2025-12-11
Subjects: Life Sciences
Pesticides are widely used in European agriculture, requiring robust prospective risk assessment of their environmental exposure and effects on non-target species to safeguard biodiversity. We conducted a high-level evaluation to test whether: 1) measured environmental exposure concentrations remain below those established by risk assessment and 2) these concentrations prevent population- or [...]