Preprints

Filtering by Subject: Research Methods in Life Sciences

Intergenerational effects of overfeeding on aversive learning in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Hamza Anwer, Dominic Mason, Susanne Zajitschek, et al.

Published: 2022-02-07
Subjects: Animal Experimentation and Research, Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

The obesity epidemic is among the most serious and rapidly growing public health challenges of the 21st century. This rapid increase is concerning as obesity appears to negatively impact cognition and behaviour. Furthermore, some studies suggest that this negative effect could be carried across generations from both mothers and fathers although evidence is not consistent. Here, we attempt to [...]

The effects of an obesogenic diet on behaviour and cognition in zebrafish (Danio rerio): traits average, variability, repeatability, and behavioural syndromes

Hamza Anwer, Rose E O'Dea, Dominic Mason, et al.

Published: 2022-02-07
Subjects: Animal Experimentation and Research, Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

The obesity epidemic, largely driven by the accessibility of ultra-processed high-energy foods, is one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century. Consequently, there is increasing concern about the impacts of diet-induced obesity on behaviour and cognition. While research on this matter continues, to date, no study has explicitly investigated the effect of obesogenic diet [...]

Preserving avian blood and DNA sampled in the wild: a survey of personal experiences

Irene Di Lecce, Joanna Sudyka, David F Westneat, et al.

Published: 2021-12-21
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

Collecting and storing biological material from wild animals in a way that does not deteriorate data quality for analyses using DNA is instrumental for research in ecology and evolution. Our aims were to collect methods commonly used by researchers for the field collection and long-term storage of blood samples and DNA extracts from wild birds and gather reports on their effectiveness. Personal [...]

Optimizing aerial imagery collection and processing parameters for drone-based individual tree mapping in structurally complex conifer forests

Derek Jon Nies Young, Michael J Koontz, Jonah Weeks

Published: 2021-09-11
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Sciences, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Recent advances in remotely piloted aerial systems (“drones”) and imagery processing enable individual tree mapping in forests across broad areas with low-cost equipment and minimal ground-based data collection. One such method involves collecting many partially overlapping aerial photos, processing them using “structure from motion” (SfM) photogrammetry to create a digital 3D representation, and [...]

Social capital: an independent dimension of healthy ageing

Cédric Sueur, Martin Quque, Alexandre Naud, et al.

Published: 2021-05-24
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences, Physiology, Public Health, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Zoology

Resources that are embedded in social relationships, such as shared knowledge, access to food, services, social support or cooperation, are all examples of social capital. Social capital is recognized as an important age-related mediator of health in humans and of fitness-related traits in animals. A rich social capital in humans can slow senescence and reverse age-related deficits. Animals have [...]

A practical guide to question formation, systematic searching and study screening for literature reviews in ecology and evolution

Yong Zhi Foo, Rose E O'Dea, Julia Koricheva, et al.

Published: 2021-05-12
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Research Methods in Life Sciences

1. Well-conducted systematic reviews are invaluable for synthesizing research findings. The conclusions of a review depend on how the research question was formulated, how relevant studies were found, and how studies were selected for synthesis. 2. Here, we present a practical guide for ecologists and evolutionary biologists on formulating a question for a systematic review, and finding a [...]

Estimating complex ecological variables at high resolution in heterogeneous terrain using multivariate matching algorithms

Rachel Renne, Daniel Schlaepfer, Kyle Palmquist, et al.

Published: 2021-04-16
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Multivariate Analysis, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Statistics and Probability

1. Simulation models are valuable tools for estimating ecosystem structure and function under various climatic and environmental conditions and disturbance regimes, and are particularly relevant for investigating the potential impacts of climate change on ecosystems. However, because computational requirements can restrict the number of feasible simulations, they are often run at coarse scales or [...]

An efficient new assay for measuring zebrafish anxiety: tall tanks that better characterize between-individual differences

Hamza Anwer, Dominic Mason, Susanne Zajitschek, et al.

Published: 2020-11-18
Subjects: Animal Experimentation and Research, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are increasingly being used to model anxiety. A common behavioral assay employed for assessing anxiety-like behaviors in zebrafish is the “novel tank test”. We hypothesized that using deeper tanks in this test would result in greater between-individual variation in behavioral responses and a more ‘repeatable’ assay. After mapping the literature and identifying common [...]

Workflow for constructing social networks from automated telemetry systems

Daizaburo Shizuka, Sahas Barve, Allison E. Johnson, et al.

Published: 2020-11-02
Subjects: Animal Experimentation and Research, Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

1. Advances in datalogging technologies have provided a way to monitor the movement of individual animals at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales, both large and small. When used in conjunction with social network analyses, these data can provide insight into fine scale associative behaviors. The variety of technologies demand continuous progress in workflows to translate data streams from [...]

Participatory mapping of aquatic invasive species: a demonstration in a coastal lagoon

Jacopo Cerri, Ernesto Azzurro

Published: 2020-10-16
Subjects: Biodiversity, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Other Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

Aquatic Invasive species (AIS) are a growing driver of change across marine and freshwater ecosystems but spatially-explicit information is seldom available for supporting management actions and decision making. Here we conceived and tested a new participatory method to map the distribution of three invasive species (Callinectes sapidus, Procambarus clarkii and Oreochromis niloticus) in the [...]

Insights from regional and short-term biodiversity monitoring datasets are valuable. A Reply to Daskalova et al. 2020 EcoEvoRxiv doi:10.32942/osf.io/cg3zs

Sebastian Seibold, Torsten Hothorn, Martin M. Gossner, et al.

Published: 2020-10-16
Subjects: Biodiversity, Biology, Entomology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

Reports of major losses in biodiversity have stimulated an increasing interest in temporal population changes, particularly in insects, which had received little attention in the past. Existing long-term datasets are often limited to a small number of study sites, few points in time, a narrow range of land-use intensities and only some taxonomic groups, or they lack standardized sampling. While [...]

A fine balance: specialized questioning techniques and their use in conservation

Jacopo Cerri, Elizabeth Davis, Diogo Veríssimo, et al.

Published: 2020-10-01
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Life Sciences, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Conservationists measuring noncompliance with rules about the exploitation of natural resources often need to ask sensitive questions. However, respondents can introduce bias through distorting their answers to direct questions, due to social norms and/or the risk of legal sanctions. Specialized Questioning Techniques (SQTs) are often a more suitable approach to counteracting respondent bias, as [...]

Assessing Raspberry Shake and Boom sensors for recording African elephant acoustic vocalizations

Oliver Lamb, Michael Shore, Jonathan M Lees, et al.

Published: 2020-05-07
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Animal Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Research Methods in Life Sciences

In this work we assess the performance of the Raspberry Shake and Boom (RS&B) sensor package for detecting and monitoring African elephants (Loxodonta africana). This is the first documented test of this particular unit for recording animal behaviour; the unit was originally designed for detecting tectonic earthquakes and low frequency (<50 Hz) atmospheric acoustics. During a four day [...]

A Beginner’s Guide to Conducting Reproducible Research

Jesse Alston, Jessica Rick

Published: 2020-05-03
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences

Reproducible research is widely acknowledged as an important tool for improving science and reducing harm from the "replication crisis", yet research in most fields within biology remains largely irreproducible. In this article, we make the case for why all research should be reproducible, explain why research is often not reproducible, and offer a simple framework that researchers can use to [...]

COVID-19 has led to a global increase in web searches for bats: a risk for conservation ?

Jacopo Cerri, Emiliano Mori, Leonardo Ancillotto, et al.

Published: 2020-04-29
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Other Life Sciences, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused COVID-19 pandemic, is genomically similar to a SARS-like beta-coronavirus found in Chinese rhinolophids. This evolutionary relationship impressed global media, which emphasized bats as key actors in the spillover during the pandemic outbreak. In this study we highlight qualitative and quantitative changes about bats in the media coverage, and Internet search [...]

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