Preprints
There are 3198 Preprints listed.
A Substrate-Driven Plasticity Hypothesis for the Monterey Ensatina Salamander (Ensatina eschscholtzii)
Published: 2026-04-30
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology
Abstract.—Phenotypic plasticity allows many amphibians, including several salamander species, to adjust skin luminance in response to background brightness. In habitats with heterogeneous substrates in color and brightness, such plasticity may generate substantial individual variation within a population. In a population of the terrestrial salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii, a recent study [...]
Learning, motivation, and social interaction in modern dolphin training
Published: 2026-04-30
Subjects: Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Dolphin training is widely practiced in zoological facilities for performance, husbandry, research, and daily management, yet many of its practical principles remain insufficiently formalized in the scientific literature. This Perspective aims to provide a citable academic framework for modern dolphin training by synthesizing trainer-based practical knowledge within established concepts from [...]
aae.pop: Flexible population dynamics simulations in R
Published: 2026-04-30
Subjects: Applied Mathematics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
1. Matrix population models (MPMs) are commonly used to address fundamental ecological questions and guide real-world management decisions. Several open-source software packages support the fundamental analysis of MPMs, but few options exist to simulate from models that include realistic ecological complexity, such as density dependence, covariate effects, and interspecific interactions. 2. The [...]
Spatial Behavior and Long-Term Decline of Radiocesium in Green Pheasants (Phasianus versicolor) in Fukushima: A Left-Censored Regression Approach
Published: 2026-04-30
Subjects: Life Sciences
Long-term monitoring of radiocesium (137Cs) in wildlife is important for assessing environmental recovery after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. We integrated GPS telemetry data with muscle 137Cs concentrations in green pheasants (Phasianus versicolor) to evaluate whether observed declines in radiocesium are consistent with reduced local environmental availability. Winter [...]
Reindeer habitat selection and movement changes with cumulative impacts from mining and wind power development
Published: 2026-04-29
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Management, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Zoology
Industrial expansion often occurs in landscapes already affected by multiple disturbances, leading to cumulative impacts on biodiversity and local communities. With the societal pressure for an rapid ‘green transition’, land-use changes intensifies, yet most impact assessments remain local and project-based, disregarding cumulative impacts. We conceptualized and disentangled key dimensions of [...]
Re-imagining Urban Infrastructure for Biodiversity: Can Railway and Utility Easements Enhance Ecological Connectivity in Cities?
Published: 2026-04-29
Subjects: Environmental Studies, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Urban Studies and Planning
Urban biodiversity is increasingly recognised as essential for ecological and social outcomes in cities. At the same time, urban densification is reducing the land available for biodiversity interventions, creating a need to make better use of existing spaces. This study examines the existing and potential value of railway and utility easements in contributing to habitat connectivity for a range [...]
Daytime songbird migrants at sea: the influence of coastal proximity on abundance
Published: 2026-04-29
Subjects: Ornithology
Human activities at sea, including offshore energy development, along with environmental changes, are altering marine ecosystems. Their impact on land-based migratory species crossing marine areas remains poorly understood. Songbirds frequently traverse even remote ocean areas, facing risks such as drowning at sea and interactions with man-made structures. Yet, their spatial distribution at sea, [...]
Opportunities, Enablers and Requirements in Advancing Earth Observation for Scaling Nature Finance
Published: 2026-04-29
Subjects: Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Leveraging Earth Observation for Nature Finance (LEON) project, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), seeks to transform the use of Earth Observation (EO) data in enabling, mobilising and scaling nature-positive finance globally. This report builds upon six months of structured research, landscape analysis and multi-stakeholder engagement to map the opportunities and requirements for [...]
Earth Observation to Scale Nature Finance: Survey 2025
Published: 2026-04-29
Subjects: Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
This report presents the results of the LEON User Requirements Survey conducted in summer 2025 to understand how Earth Observation (EO) data can support the mobilisation and scaling of nature finance. The survey targeted financial institutions, data providers, and other stakeholders engaged in nature-related investment, risk management, and policy. A total of 27 organisations responded to the [...]
A National Application of the Species Habitat Index for Ethiopia Reveals Uneven Habitat Change Across Plant Groups and Ecosystems
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Life Sciences
Accelerating delivery of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) requires indicators that can detect species-level habitat change at policy-relevant scales. The Species Habitat Index (SHI) offers a method to optimise resource allocation and enhance national biodiversity reporting, but its broader utilisation has been constrained by significant data gaps, particularly for taxa [...]
Parasite species identity reshapes geographic patterns of morphology in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi across Japan
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Life Sciences, Marine Biology
Geographic variation in morphological traits of marine invertebrates is commonly attributed to local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, yet such interpretations can be confounded when parasite assemblages — and their morphological effects on hosts — differ systematically among localities. Here, we tested whether the identity of five parasite species—rhizocephalans Peltogaster postica and [...]
The Positive Influence of Compost and Cover Crops on Key Soil Health Indicators in Nut Orchards
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Life Sciences
Sustainable management practices in nut orchards are crucial for enhancing soil health and minimizing environmental impacts associated with conventional production. Over three years, this study evaluated the effects of stacked soil health practices in five nut orchards (almonds and walnuts) in California. Experimental plots received annual applications of 19 Mg/ha of yard waste and manure [...]
Toward repurposing global passive air sampling networks for insect monitoring: Promises and pitfalls of airborne eDNA
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Entomology, Life Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Zoology
1. Polyurethane foam passive air samplers (PUF-PAS) are widely deployed to monitor environmental pollutants, yet their capacity to capture biological signals such as environmental DNA (eDNA) remains largely unexplored. Recent advances in airborne eDNA research create a timely opportunity to evaluate PUF-PAS as a tool for biodiversity monitoring and to leverage existing global sampling networks [...]
Functional diversity of tundra vascular plants over space and time
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Biodiversity
Aim: Rapid warming across the tundra biome is driving widespread changes in vascular plant community composition. While species turnover is well-documented, the ramifications for tundra functional diversity are unknown. Here, we quantify biome-scale spatial gradients and temporal trends in the functional diversity of tundra vegetation for the first time. Location: A biome-scale synthesis of in [...]
Representational limits in detecting ecological change
Published: 2026-04-28
Subjects: Agriculture, Animal Sciences, Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology, Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biology, Biotechnology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Entomology, Food Science, Forest Sciences, Genetics and Genomics, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Laboratory and Basic Science Research Life Sciences, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Microbiology, Neuroscience and Neurobiology, Other Life Sciences, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health, Physiology, Plant Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Systems Biology
Detecting ecological change remains a persistent challenge, even in systems with extensive monitoring data and increasingly sophisticated analytical tools. Uncertainty is usually attributed to stochasticity, limited observations, or imperfect models. Here, I argue that an additional and largely overlooked constraint arises from representational limits: systematic ways in which graphs, indicators, [...]