Preprints
There are 2380 Preprints listed.
A Julia toolkit for species distribution data
Published: 2025-02-18
Subjects: Biodiversity, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
(1) Species distribution modeling requires to handle varied types of data, and benefits from an integrated approach to programming. (2) We introduce SpeciesDistributionToolkit, a Julia package aiming to facilitate the production of species distribution models. It covers various steps of the data collection and analysis process, extending to the development of interfaces for integration of [...]
On the feasibility of nonadaptive, nonsequential abiogenesis
Published: 2025-02-18
Subjects: Biochemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology, Computational Biology, Evolution, Molecular Biology, Molecular Genetics, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology, Systems and Integrative Physiology Life Sciences, Systems Biology
The emergence of life from non-living matter remains one of the most profound unresolved questions in natural philosophy. Classical models derived from the Oparin-Haldane hypothesis assume a gradual (sequential), selective assembly of biological precursors. Yet, for more than a century, all experimental efforts in this direction have failed in their attempt to achieve material abiogenesis. May be [...]
Report on spatial sampling designs for long term biodiversity monitoring of soil biota
Published: 2025-02-18
Subjects: Life Sciences
Soil biota are extremely diverse and spatially heterogeneous. Sampling strategies that target the soil biota through metabarcoding must incorporate existing ecological theory and explicitly consider technical constraints. This report synthesizes empirical research from large-scale projects (SpaceMic, PhytOakMeter) to evaluate how spatial sampling design—specifically sample extent, number, and [...]
Spectral biology across scales in changing environments
Published: 2025-02-18
Subjects: Life Sciences
Understanding ecosystem processes on our rapidly changing planet requires integration across spatial, temporal and biological scales. We propose that spectral biology, using tools that enable near- to far-range sensing by capturing the interaction of energy with matter across domains of the electromagnetic spectrum, will increasingly enable ecological insights across scales from cells to [...]
Assessing UAV direct-seeding for tropical forest restoration: carbon sequestration potential and cost efficiency
Published: 2025-02-14
Subjects: Forest Management, Life Sciences, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences
Introduction: Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) projects are key to global reforestation targets under frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. However, manual planting remains labor-intensive and costly, limiting large-scale restoration. UAV-assisted direct seeding offers a scalable alternative, yet its carbon sequestration and [...]
Community (citizen) science as a tool to support nature’s benefits assessments in the UK: a systematic review and survey of community scientists
Published: 2025-02-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
1) Developing methods for valuing nature aim to address biodiversity and environmental crises caused by nature’s undervaluation in decision-making. However, implementing methods to assess nature’s benefits is challenging for a myriad of reasons. 2) We explored whether community science (CS) could support a more holistic assessment of nature’s benefits on a national scale using a mixed-methods [...]
Northward expansion of the thermal limit for the tick Ixodes ricinus over the past 40 years
Published: 2025-02-14
Subjects: Bioinformatics, Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Entomology, Life Sciences, Population Biology
The tick Ixodes ricinus is the main pathogen vector in Europe. Many speculations have been made about the effect of past climate change on the potential distribution of this ectothermic organism, despite a poor understanding of how climate change has resulted in distribution changes to date. In this study, we used a public cross-sectional dataset of I. ricinus abundance at the northern edge of [...]
The effect of habitat health and environmental change on cultural diversity and richness in animals
Published: 2025-02-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
There is increasing evidence that habitat decline via fragmentation or species loss can lead to loss of cultural diversity, complexity, or richness in non-human animals. For example, a reduction in local bird species richness leads lyrebirds to sing less complex song, while great apes living in fragmented landscapes have smaller cultural repertoires. However, the link between animal culture and [...]
An influential biodiversity market may not direct investment towards habitats of national importance
Published: 2025-02-13
Subjects: Biodiversity
Biodiversity markets are proliferating globally, aiming to increase private investment to address conservation financing gaps. Markets commodify biodiversity to facilitate trade of biodiversity ‘units’ even across heterogeneous ecologies. However, the metric used to commodify biodiversity can strongly influence which habitats become valuable in biodiversity markets, and there has been little [...]
Diversity and Distribution of Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes on Australian Islands
Published: 2025-02-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
Freshwater ecosystems cover less than 3% of the earth’s surface, yet support nearly 10% of all known animal species, majorly represented by freshwater fishes (69%) and amphibians (24%), both of which are highly threatened groups. Geographically isolated freshwater species, such as those inhabiting islands, are at high risk. Australia, with ~9300 islands, is home to diverse island freshwater [...]
Monitoring animal movement diversity as a component of biodiversity
Published: 2025-02-12
Subjects: Life Sciences
Animal movement is increasingly being quantified in novel ways, with high potential for integration in broad-scale efforts to monitor biological diversity. Here, we define movement diversity as a form of biodiversity measuring variation in animal movement from the level of individual animals to communities. We present a framework to develop a common language for movement diversity metrics which [...]
Individual variation in animal communication: from species averages to unique voices
Published: 2025-02-12
Subjects: Life Sciences
The comparative study of the communicative behaviour of non-human animals, especially primates, has yielded crucial insights into the evolution of human language. This research, mostly focused on the species and population level, has helped to understand the various socio-ecological factors that shape communication systems. However, despite the inherent flexibility of human communication, the [...]
Designing epigenetic clocks for wildlife research
Published: 2025-02-12
Subjects: Life Sciences
The applications of epigenetic clocks, statistical models that predict an individual's age based on DNA methylation patterns, are expanding in wildlife conservation and management. This growing interest highlights the need for field-specific design best practices. Here, we provide recommendations for two main applications of wildlife epigenetic clocks: estimating the unknown ages of individuals [...]
A meta-analysis reveals PFAS concentrations double with each trophic level across aquatic and terrestrial food webs
Published: 2025-02-11
Subjects: Other Environmental Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) threaten ecosystems worldwide due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Through a global-scale meta-analysis of 122 aquatic and terrestrial food webs from 64 studies, we analyse 1,009 trophic magnification factors (TMFs) for 72 PFAS and identify key variability drivers. PFAS concentrations systematically doubled with each trophic level [...]
Algorithm selection for optimal ecological monitoring design
Published: 2025-02-11
Subjects: Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Comprehensive monitoring of biodiversity to direct conservation action is foundational to addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis. As integrative monitoring programs increasingly come online in response to multilateral biodiversity agreements, establishing best practices for optimal design is critical. Selecting the appropriate algorithm for identifying sample sites is both necessary for [...]