Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
A theoretical framework for multispecies coexistence in large herbivores based on functional traits and dietary data
Published: 2025-10-30
Subjects: Biodiversity, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Modern Coexistence Theory (MCT) has long aimed to predict community structure, but empirical support remains scattered across unconnected case-studies from a narrow subset of systems where it is possible to quantify niche and fitness differences (e.g., pairwise interactions between fast-growing plants or protists). We sought a framework to apply MCT to a broader range of ecological scenarios by [...]
Why do birds use green nest material? A systematic review and meta-analysis of experiments
Published: 2025-10-30
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Many animals construct nests. Nests are often considered extended phenotypes that shape survival and reproduction beyond the builder’s body. Birds are key examples of nest builders, and many add fresh green plant material to their nests. Yet, the adaptive value of this behaviour remains debated. Non-mutually exclusive hypotheses propose roles in courtship signalling, parasite defence, or direct [...]
First Photographic and Video Documentation of the Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata) in Egypt Since Its First Record in 1993
Published: 2025-10-28
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Evolution, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
The Booted Warbler (Iduna caligata) is a small migratory passerine breeding across Central Asia and wintering mainly in the Indian subcontinent. It is regarded as a rare vagrant in the Middle East and North Africa, with very few confirmed records from Egypt. This study presents the first verified photographic and video documentation of I. caligata in Egypt, recorded on 11 October 2025 at [...]
Host specificity and activity synchronization drive frog-biting midge incidence on torrent frogs (Hylodidae) in southeastern Brazil
Published: 2025-10-28
Subjects: Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Frog-bitting midges (Corethrellidae) are widespread micropredators that feed on the blood of frogs. Furthermore, frog-biting midges carry pathogens such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), an important cause of worldwide amphibian declines. Female midges usually target calling male frogs by using acoustic cues. However, how midges target frogs that use conspicuous visual cues, especially [...]
Seasonal warming drives epidermal shedding in northern bottlenose whales
Published: 2025-10-24
Subjects: Integrative Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Animals move for access to better conditions, resources, or mating opportunities. However, evidence from cetaceans suggests that some long-distance travel to warmer waters may be primarily related to physiological maintenance, specifically the shedding of epidermal diatoms and parasites. Here we test this “physiological maintenance hypothesis” for cetacean movement from a new angle, asking [...]
Invasive mosquitofish become more aggressive in the presence of native pike young-of-year: implications for native predator recruitment
Published: 2025-10-14
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology
Invasive species often exhibit aggressive behaviour, boldness, and high foraging activity, which contribute to their establishment success and impact on native ecosystems. The mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), one of the world’s most invasive fish species, is known for its aggressive nature, which threatens the survival of native species. Lake littoral zones, critical for juvenile fish [...]
Legumes of the Koffler Scientific Reserve and Their Rhizobia
Published: 2025-10-09
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
In this document, we have consolidated information on the legumes of the Koffler Scientific Reserve (KSR, the University of Toronto’s biological research station, 44° 01' N, 79° 31' W; King Township, ON, Canada) and their associated rhizobia. The list of associated rhizobia was originally compiled in 2020 by J. Wang under the supervision of J.R. Stinchcombe, J.A. Boyle, and T.L. Harrison, and [...]
Epigenetic changes associated with reproductive investment and life-history trade-offs in lekking male black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)
Published: 2025-10-05
Subjects: Genomics, Molecular Genetics, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Life-history trade-offs are a central concept in evolutionary biology, yet their underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Whilst much research has focused on genetic variation, epigenetic mechanisms, which regulate gene regulation, may be equally important. To investigate this, we collected blood samples from 50 male black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) before and after the [...]
Narrative-Movement Framework (NMF): A socio-ecological systems (SES) approach to human narratives, animal movement, and coexistence in shared landscapes
Published: 2025-10-05
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Life Sciences, Other Arts and Humanities, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Life Sciences
1. Managing human-wildlife coexistence is essential for biodiversity conservation in places where humans and nonhumans compete for access to ecosystems. Viewing human-wildlife conflict as part of a complex web of positive and negative connections that exist between humans and nature is essential. 2. The field of socio-ecological systems (SES) seeks to understand these connections between [...]
Spatial networks of habitats, populations, and communities: connecting approaches to keep cutting edges
Published: 2025-09-23
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Purpose of review: Spatial networks are extensively used in ecology to represent exchanges among landscape features (e.g., habitat patches, river segments) or biological entities (e.g., individuals, populations, communities). I reviewed the literature produced in the past 25 years using these networks. Distinct types of spatial networks have emerged in several subfields of ecology. I aimed to [...]
A high-resolution physiological timeseries uncovers strong but variable seasonal acclimation of thermal limits in a copepod community
Published: 2025-09-23
Subjects: Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
How a community responds to warming depends on both intra-specific variation in thermal limits and variation in acclimation capacity across community members. These factors, however, are often overlooked, leading to uncertainties about how climate change affects biodiversity. In temperate regions, communities are exposed to large seasonal temperature fluctuations, providing an opportunity to [...]
Trends of ungulate species in Europe: not all stories are equal
Published: 2025-09-17
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology, Zoology
Wild ungulates have deep impacts on socio-ecological systems, and analyzing large-scale population trends in a multispecies set can identify their environmental and socio-economic drivers. We collected annual hunting bags (n = 11,046, period 1975-2018) of 7 wild ungulates of high management interest across 25 European countries. We identified different temporal trends in hunting bags and for roe [...]
Lateralisation shapes spatial learning in lizards
Published: 2025-08-31
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Biology, Evolution, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Spatial memory is fundamental cognitive process that allows animals to navigate and interact with their environment effectively. While extensively studied in mammals and birds, the mechanisms underlying spatial cognition in reptiles remain less understood. In this study, we investigated spatial learning and the potential influence of behavioural lateralisation in the common wall lizard (Podarcis [...]
Herbarium specimens reveal long-term decline in pollination services since in the 1970s
Published: 2025-08-22
Subjects: Biodiversity, Botany, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Monitoring, Natural Resources and Conservation, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Plant Biology, Plant Sciences
Anthropogenic change has resulted in pollinator decline and altered plant-pollinator interactions. This may drive widespread declines in pollination and reproductive success of plants, yet few datasets allow us to track changes in pollination services over time. Herbaria provide a unique opportunity to assess pollination services across broad spatial and temporal scales, and the associated [...]
Moving from the Dilution Effect to Dilution Landscapes: Effects of Natural Vegetation Cover and Fragmentation on Host-parasite Eco-evolutionary Dynamics
Published: 2025-08-21
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The conversion and fragmentation of natural landscapes are key drivers of biodiversity loss and the erosion of ecosystem services, including disease regulation. Although habitat degradation is linked to higher zoonotic disease risk, the mechanisms by which landscape structure shapes host-parasite eco-evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we combine a spatially explicit [...]