Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Scale dependence of avian functional rarity reveals mismatches between global and local conservation priorities
Published: 2026-03-25
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Aim. Spatial scale shapes both how rarity is defined and how conservation priorities are derived from it, yet most functional rarity assessments rely on a single (often global) reference pool. We test how the scale dependence of functional rarity affects hotspot identification and the alignment of global versus local conservation priorities in birds. Location. Global. Time period. Contemporary. [...]
Average, variability, and extremes: A framework to quantify microclimate temperature modulation
Published: 2026-03-25
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Microclimate, the climatic conditions experienced by organisms, can differ substantially from the macroclimate measured by weather stations. Microclimate modulation is the modification of the microclimate by environmental conditions. Despite its ecological importance, there is currently no standardized method for quantifying microclimate modulation, which limits comparability across studies. [...]
Spatio-temporal shifts driven by climate change threaten persistence and resilience of honey bee populations
Published: 2026-03-25
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Understanding how climate shapes intraspecific genetic turnover is critical for predicting biodiversity responses to global change, yet such analyses remain limited for systems where natural adaptation and human-mediated dispersal jointly structure diversity. Here, we investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of genetic composition in the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) across Anatolia and [...]
Climate-change-driven shifts in the population dynamics of the invasive tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in the Alps
Published: 2026-03-25
Subjects: Computer Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Entomology
The recent global expansion of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) across tropical and temperate regions provides a clear example of the mobility and adaptability of invasive species. Among multiple drivers influencing the spread of this species, climate change is emerging as a major driver, creating conditions that favour its persistence and expansion into higher latitudes and [...]
Foundational AI could usher in a new era for models of all life on Earth
Published: 2026-03-24
Subjects: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Deep-learned foundational AI could usher in a new era for the simulation of whole ecosystems, argue Joseph Millard and colleagues.
Coexistence of phenotypic plasticity and habitat use in natural populations
Published: 2026-03-23
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences
When studying how individuals adapt to environmental changes, the environment is traditionally viewed as a passive backdrop, with individuals modifying their phenotype in response to environmental conditions (i.e., phenotypic plasticity). However, this perspective overlooks the active role of habitat choice in mediating individual responses to environmental changes. In this paper, we argue for [...]
Direct and biodiversity-mediated effects of climate on grassland productivity across the Alps
Published: 2026-03-23
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Understanding how climate shapes ecosystem productivity through both energetic constraints and biodiversity‑mediated pathways remains a major challenge in global change ecology, particularly in mountain grasslands where rapid warming and strong environmental gradients interact. Here, we disentangle and map direct climatic controls on productivity from indirect effects mediated by canopy [...]
iDeer: A decision-support tool for managing deer alongside woodland creation
Published: 2026-03-19
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Management, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Increasing deer (Cervidae) densities driven by land-use change and climate warming represent a growing challenge to the establishment and management of woodlands across temperate biomes. Targeting deer management is challenging without spatially explicit information on potential impact risks under alternative management scenarios. Here we present the iDeer Tool [...]
The Finite Element method to aid modelling of complex ecological systems
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Predicting how biodiversity responds to environmental change and management interventions remains a major challenge in ecology. Ecological systems are shaped by the interplay of demographic processes, species interactions, dispersal, and spatial heterogeneity across landscapes. Yet, many existing modelling approaches face a trade-off between spatial and ecological complexity, which limits their [...]
The scent of survival in a warming world: how monoterpenes drive thermal adaptation in thyme
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Plant Sciences, Physiology, Plant Biology, Plant Sciences, Population Biology
1 Monoterpenes are key plant secondary metabolites with well known defensive and ecological functions, yet their role in abiotic stress tolerance remains poorly understood. In many Mediterranean plants, monoterpene composition varies markedly within and among species and is associated with climatic gradients, suggesting that these compounds may mediate plant responses to extreme heat. 2 We [...]
Flexibility training does not increase behavioral diversity of Florida scrub-jays
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Human modifications of environments are expanding, causing global changes that other species must adjust to or suffer from. Behavioral flexibility (hereafter 'flexibility') could be key to coping with rapid change. Behavioral research can contribute to conservation by determining which behaviors can predict the ability to adjust to human modified environments and whether these can be manipulated. [...]
Heterogeneity: Meaning and Measurement, Causes and Consequences
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Heterogeneity—the variation within and among collectives whose constituent entities interact and integrate into larger, functioning wholes, distinguished fundamentally from diversity as mere variation within non-interacting populations—has emerged as a central organizing principle across ecology and its allied fields. Yet the term remains ambiguously defined, often conflated with diversity [...]
Evaluating population resilience to anticipated stressors using integrated population modeling: a case study of Peregrine Falcons
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Biodiversity, Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Ornithology, Population Biology
Reliable estimates of demographic parameters are fundamental to understanding population dynamics and guiding conservation efforts. Integrated population models (IPMs) provide a powerful framework for jointly analyzing diverse data sources to estimate demographic rates and population trajectories, evaluate resilience to environmental stressors, and project population dynamics info the future. We [...]
Are earthworms really in decline? Representative data and rigorous models are needed to assess large-scale, long-term trends in earthworm populations
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Declines in aboveground invertebrates have been reported widely but similar assessments belowground are rare. A recent quantitative study aimed to address this gap, presenting findings which suggested alarming long-term declines in earthworm abundance in the UK. Estimating temporal trends in abundance from diverse sources of data presents many challenges and there is a need for rigour toward [...]
Assessing the dual utility of nuptial patterning in the rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
In this study, we assessed the possible dual utility of nuptial color patterns in male rainbow darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) in the context of male-male territorial interactions and female mate choice. Using a cohort of wild-caught male E. caeruleum, we conducted simulated territorial contests between pairs of males in the lab. We scored the “winner” and the “loser” of each contest based on [...]