Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Comparing mean species abundance and the biodiversity intactness index to guide robust biodiversity investment decisions
Published: 2025-12-16
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
1. Mean species abundance (MSA) and the biodiversity intactness index (BII) are two leading biodiversity metrics used to quantify how species composition differs between a control site and an impacted site. Both are proposed for global biodiversity monitoring, are used by companies to create corporate biodiversity impact accounts, and are being considered by financial institutions seeking to [...]
Ant mutualists as a biotic interaction filter of flowering plant colonization on islands
Published: 2025-12-15
Subjects: Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Aim: Oceanic island floras are well-known for their disharmonic assemblages, with certain taxa and functional groups being over- or underrepresented compared to their source pools, due to effects of dispersal, environmental filtering, and biotic interactions. However, the role of biotic interactions in generating this disharmony remains poorly explored. Location: Global islands. Time Period: [...]
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 [...]
The weak driver conundrum: data archiving and biological phenomena impact macrogenetic findings
Published: 2025-12-10
Subjects: Biodiversity, Evolution, Genetics, Genomics, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Macrogenetics seeks to identify the global drivers and patterns in intraspecific genetic diversity, yet many reported patterns are weak or inconsistent. To achieve multispecies global inference, many macrogenetic studies leverage open sequencing data that can suffer from archiving biases. It remains unclear if macrogenetic inconsistencies are innate genetic phenomena, or are the product of open [...]
POLLEN ANALYSIS AS A REMOTE BIOLOGICAL SENSOR: USING MELISSOPALYNOLOGY AND SURFACE SOIL DATA FOR AN INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE SCALE VEGETATION ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH INDIA
Published: 2025-12-04
Subjects: Botany, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Entomology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Life Sciences, Other Plant Sciences, Plant Sciences
We use pollen assemblages from two sources, surface soil and bee pollen to characterize modern pollen spectra from contrasting landscapes, evaluate their potential as biological proxies complementing each other in reconstructing vegetation comprised of anemophilous and entomophilous plants. The bee pollen assemblages are from honeycombs and corbicular loads from Apis cerana and A. florea. We try [...]
Adaptation or plasticity? Effects of temperature on metabolic rate and life-history traits in the Australian Painted Dragon lizard.
Published: 2025-12-03
Subjects: Desert Ecology, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The roles of adaptation and plasticity in shaping life-history traits have long been a subject of debate in evolutionary ecology, with the relevance of each varying by traits, populations, species, and clades. Ectothermic organisms, which obtain most of their metabolic energy from ambient heat, occupy wide geographic ranges where heat can be unevenly distributed. There is considerable potential [...]
Tagged for life? Retention rates and effects on growth and condition of tagging - a long-term field study on PIT- and Carlin tagging in European eel
Published: 2025-11-28
Subjects: Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Different types of tags and markers are commonly used for various fish monitoring and tracking purposes. Effects of tags and markers on fish and the retention rates can affect the interpretation of mark-recapture data on both the individual (e.g. growth and body condition) and population level (e.g. survival and pro-duction estimates), making studies of this issue important. In this study, we [...]
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: 2025-10-27
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: 2025-10-27
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: 2025-10-08
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 [...]