Preprints
There are 3098 Preprints listed.
Seasonal dynamics of sex ratio, reproduction, and parasite-specific feminization in the hermit crab Pagurus filholi at a fixed coastal site in Chiba, Japan
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Marine Biology
Reproductive output in intertidal crustaceans is reshaped by seasonal changes in host demography and its interaction with parasitic castration, yet parasite–species–resolved time series remain scarce for hermit crabs. We conducted year‐round monitoring of the hermit crab Pagurus filholi at a fixed intertidal site in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, with monthly sampling from January to December 2025. [...]
Global indicator data tracking changes in species-level biodiversity persistence, ecosystem resilience under climate change, and protected-area representativeness and connectedness
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Biodiversity
Motivation Biodiversity indicator data that are transparent, meaningful and up to date are important for tracking progress in achieving biodiversity targets and goals under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and for identifying the degree to which further action is required. Main types of variable contained Output and summary data are provided for four biodiversity indicators: [...]
Evaluating population resilience to anticipated stressors using integrated population modeling: a case study of Peregrine Falcons
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Biodiversity, Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Ornithology, Population Biology
Reliable estimates of demographic parameters are fundamental to understanding population dynamics and guiding conservation efforts. Integrated population models (IPMs) provide a powerful framework for jointly analyzing diverse data sources to estimate demographic rates and population trajectories, evaluate resilience to environmental stressors, and project population dynamics info the future. We [...]
Are earthworms really in decline? Representative data and rigorous models are needed to assess large-scale, long-term trends in earthworm populations
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Declines in aboveground invertebrates have been reported widely but similar assessments belowground are rare. A recent quantitative study aimed to address this gap, presenting findings which suggested alarming long-term declines in earthworm abundance in the UK. Estimating temporal trends in abundance from diverse sources of data presents many challenges and there is a need for rigour toward [...]
A widespread gap in U.S. Endangered Species Act implementation: Risk of genetic erosion within populations
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Biodiversity, Life Sciences
Despite its importance to fitness and population viability, genetic diversity is rarely incorporated into biodiversity assessments. The recent adoption of indicators of intraspecific genetic diversity by the Convention on Biological Diversity has highlighted the importance of evaluating genetic diversity in wild species. Genetic indicators are useful even in the absence of genetic data because [...]
Assessing the dual utility of nuptial patterning in the rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum)
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
In this study, we assessed the possible dual utility of nuptial color patterns in male rainbow darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) in the context of male-male territorial interactions and female mate choice. Using a cohort of wild-caught male E. caeruleum, we conducted simulated territorial contests between pairs of males in the lab. We scored the “winner” and the “loser” of each contest based on [...]
Evaluation of site frequency spectrum-based demographic inference methods for use in conservation contexts
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Evolution, Genomics
Genomic methods for inferring historical effective population size (Nₑ) trajectories offer valuable tools for conservation, yet their reliability under conditions typical of conservation datasets—small sample sizes, reduced-representation SNP data, and recent demographic change—remains poorly characterised. We evaluated the performance of two widely used site frequency spectrum (SFS)–based [...]
Assessing the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions towards organisational biodiversity footprints
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Biology
Organisations play a key role in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, which are closely connected. Biodiversity footprinting has initially suggested that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may contribute to a large proportion of many organisation’s biodiversity impacts. If true, mitigating GHG emissions could help organisations to tackle their climate and biodiversity liabilities in [...]
Impacted Bones: Can extant primates help identify tool-use in early hominins?
Published: 2026-03-15
Subjects: Life Sciences
Despite recent advances pushing back the earliest record of tool use, how and when it first emerged in the hominin lineage, and the extent to which it featured amongst the numerous co-existing hominin species, remain critical questions in palaeoanthropology. In addition to analysing extinct hominin fossils and lithic toolkits, tool-use in extant primates should be studied to help answer this [...]
The use of multi-response models to improve inferences about natural selection
Published: 2026-03-14
Subjects: Life Sciences
Natural selection, the relationship between trait and fitness, is a key determinant of evolutionary change and population adaptation. Therefore, accurate estimation of natural selection is important. In 1983, Lande and Arnold proposed a simple regression-based approach which allows the measurement of selection on a range of traits whilst accounting for confounding variables. However, issues [...]
Drivers of roe deer use in fragmented forest landscapes; implications for management in the context of policy driven forest expansion
Published: 2026-03-13
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Behavior and Ethology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Management, Forest Sciences, Life Sciences, Zoology
Forest expansion is a major current land use change across Europe. How this will affect the forest use of the most common European wild ungulate species, roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and associated forest ecosystem services and disservices is poorly understood. Using a forest-agricultural mosaic landscape in northeast Scotland, we selected forests across a size and connectivity gradient as a [...]
Thermodynamic heterogeneity patterns reveal higher-order soil organization in indigenous agroecosystems of the U.S. Southwest
Published: 2026-03-12
Subjects: Dynamic Systems, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources and Conservation, Numerical Analysis and Computation, Remote Sensing, Science and Technology Studies, Soil Science, Spatial Science, Sustainability
Soil spatial heterogeneity and diversity support the stability and productivity of food systems, yet their multidimensional structure remains difficult to quantify at spatial scales relevant to agricultural resilience. A process-based framework grounded in fundamental physical principles is therefore needed to describe these spatial processes across landscapes. The aim of this study was to [...]
Photographs and observations suggest Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus x Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti hybridisation
Published: 2026-03-12
Subjects: Life Sciences
We observed and photographed an unusual looking male Fairy-wren at Lake Eden, just north of Brisbane, Queensland. The plumage of this individual displays a blend of Superb Fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus and Variegated Fairy-wren Malurus lamberti characteristics, supporting the notion of a novel hybridisation event between these two species. We have observed this likely hybrid on multiple occasions in [...]
An update on the Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon and search for Long-billed Myzomela on Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea
Published: 2026-03-12
Subjects: Life Sciences
Searching for lost species– those without conclusive documentation for a decade or longer– has emerged as a core goal of conservationists during the current extinction crisis. While documenting these species is an important first step, sustained efforts to study and conserve these often data-deficient and rare taxa are necessary to increase prospects for long-term survival. Here we report on an [...]
Understanding Conservation Decision-makers’ Preferences for Evidence
Published: 2026-03-11
Subjects: Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Policy, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Economics, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
1. Effective conservation depends on decisions informed by evidence that is both trustworthy and relevant to specific local contexts. However, little is known about which characteristics of evidence conservation decision-makers prioritise when deciding what information to trust. 2. We explored decision-makers’ preferences for different attributes of evidence using a discrete choice experiment in [...]