Preprints
There are 1649 Preprints listed.
Recent human-bear conflicts in Northern Italy: a review, with considerations of future perspectives
Published: 2023-07-17
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Behavior and Ethology, Biodiversity, Biology, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Population Biology, Zoology
The killing of a runner in Northern Italy by a brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) and the subsequent investigation of such matter highlighted a Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) that has been present in Trentino since the introduction of bears for conservation during the Life Ursus Project. Such conflict may be exacerbated as both human and bear populations get bigger. In this paper, I summarize the [...]
Shall we all adopt, with no worries, the ‘within a configuration’ approach in geometric morphometrics? A comment on claims that the effect of the superimposition and sliding on shape data is “not an obstacle to analyses of integration and modularity”
Published: 2023-07-17
Subjects: Life Sciences
The study of modularity and integration using Procrustes geometric morphometrics has become a prominent approach in evolutionary developmental biology. A most popular method is the ‘within a configuration’ approach, often used in combination with ‘high density’ morphometric data (i.e., large numbers of landmarks and semilandmarks). In 2019, I realized that this approach violates a basic [...]
Fixation probability and fixation time under strong recurrent mutation
Published: 2023-07-16
Subjects: Evolution, Life Sciences
When the mutation rate is high and/or the population size is large, recurrent mutation can lead to multiple, independently generated copies of the same beneficial allele spreading through the population. However, classical analyses of fixation probability and time assume that the mutation rate is low and therefore, that fixation and extinction of a beneficial allele occur faster than the [...]
When indices disagree: facing conceptual and practical challenges
Published: 2023-07-16
Subjects: Life Sciences
Hypothesis testing requires meaningful ways to quantify relevant biological phenomena and account for alternative mechanisms that could explain the same pattern. Researchers combine experiments, statistics, and indices to account for these confounding mechanisms. Key concepts in ecology and evolution, like niche breadth or fitness, can be represented by several indices, which often provide [...]
Amplitude Increases of Vocalizations are Associated with Body Accelerations in Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
Published: 2023-07-15
Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), one of the few singing apes, vocalize loudly, often while they move. We hypothesize that movement and vocalization coordinate, possibly due to vigorous thorax-loading movements such as brachiation affecting vocal-respiratory dynamics. To assess this vocal-motor coordination we recorded more than a hundred stereotypical vocalizations combined with movement from [...]
Application of crime theory in urban ecology, evolution and planning: factors influencing the disappearance of field equipment
Published: 2023-07-15
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences, Urban Studies and Planning
1. Research in urban ecology and evolution relies on the use of deployable scientific equipment. If left unattended in the field, it may be prone to vandalism and theft, especially in the urban space. We empirically applied crime theory, specifically the Routine Activity Theory (RAT), to predict disappearance rates of scientific equipment in an on-going urban ecology research project. 2. [...]
The History and Development of Small Mammal Control on China’s Grasslands and Potential Implications for Conservation
Published: 2023-07-15
Subjects: Biodiversity
Grasslands make up 40% of China’s territory and are important ecological and economic areas. The native small mammals that inhabit these grasslands are often seen as pests competing with livestock and are subjected to population control. At the same time, several species are functionally important ecosystem engineers, and their removal can have far-reaching consequences for grassland health. We [...]
Implications of adult sex ratios on natal dispersal in a cooperative breeder
Published: 2023-07-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
In cooperatively breeding species, sexually mature individuals may delay natal dispersal and become subordinates, helping a dominant pair raise offspring. To understand how cooperative breeding evolved, it is important to determine the mechanisms leading to delayed dispersal. Adult sex ratio (ASR) variation may affect dispersal through limiting breeding vacancies available to the more abundant [...]
The sugar kelp Saccharina latissima I: Recent advances in a changing climate
Published: 2023-07-13
Subjects: Life Sciences
Building a Portuguese Coalition for Biodiversity Genomics
Published: 2023-07-10
Subjects: Genomics
The diverse physiography of the Portuguese land and marine territory, spanning from continental Europe to the Atlantic archipelagos, has made it an important repository of biodiversity throughout the Pleistocene glacial cycles, leading to a remarkable diversity of species and ecosystems. This rich biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, such as climate change, invasive species, [...]
Shifts in internal stem damage along a tropical precipitation gradient and implications for forest biomass estimation
Published: 2023-07-10
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Woody biomass is a large carbon store in terrestrial ecosystems. In calculating biomass, tree stems are assumed to be solid structures. However, decomposer agents such as microbes and insects target stem heartwood, causing internal wood decay which is poorly quantified. We investigated internal stem damage across five sites in tropical Australia along a precipitation gradient. We estimated the [...]
When to monitor or control; informed invasive species management using a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) framework
Published: 2023-07-10
Subjects: Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
For invasive species management, the trade-off between monitoring and control has high stakes, and existing decision-making methods are limited in this area. In particular, most current approaches are limited to a specific case study, or ignore the uncertainty and interaction between monitoring and control in the system. Hence, the field is missing an effective and general framework. We propose [...]
Reviewing the role of urbanisation in facilitating the introduction and establishment of Invasive Animal Species
Published: 2023-07-09
Subjects: Life Sciences
While urbanisation is often associated to a loss of biodiversity, non-native invasive animal species are strikingly successful in urban landscapes. As biological invasions are recognised to have detrimental environmental, social and economic impacts, extensive understanding of the interactions between invasive species and the abiotic and biotic environment is necessary for effective prevention [...]
Precipitation predictability drives evolution of drought tolerance in Papaver rhoeas
Published: 2023-07-06
Subjects: Life Sciences
Current climate change leads to an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and to a decreased precipitation predictability. The few studies investigating plant evolutionary responses to contrasting predictability regimes showed that intrinsic precipitation predictability shapes plant phenotypic variation, drives evolution of phenotypic plasticity, and can vary in strength and [...]
Habitat suitability maps for Australian flora and fauna under CMIP6 climate scenarios
Published: 2023-07-05
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Background: Spatial information about the location and suitability of areas for native plant and animal species under different climate futures is an important input to land use and conservation planning and management. Australia, renowned for its abundant species diversity and endemism, often relies on modelled data to assess species distributions due to the country's vast size and the [...]