Preprints
There are 3123 Preprints listed.
The Finite Element method to aid modelling of complex ecological systems
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Predicting how biodiversity responds to environmental change and management interventions remains a major challenge in ecology. Ecological systems are shaped by the interplay of demographic processes, species interactions, dispersal, and spatial heterogeneity across landscapes. Yet, many existing modelling approaches face a trade-off between spatial and ecological complexity, which limits their [...]
The scent of survival in a warming world: how monoterpenes drive thermal adaptation in thyme
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Life Sciences, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Other Plant Sciences, Physiology, Plant Biology, Plant Sciences, Population Biology
1 Monoterpenes are key plant secondary metabolites with well known defensive and ecological functions, yet their role in abiotic stress tolerance remains poorly understood. In many Mediterranean plants, monoterpene composition varies markedly within and among species and is associated with climatic gradients, suggesting that these compounds may mediate plant responses to extreme heat. 2 We [...]
Adaptive strategies for biodiversity monitoring integrating Indigenous ecological calendars and community science data
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Life Sciences
Integrating Indigenous and Western ecological knowledge can strengthen understanding of phenological patterns, yet this integration is often constrained by epistemological differences, power asymmetries, and histories of exclusion. We evaluated the potential of the Two-Eye Seeing guiding principle, which integrates the strengths of both knowledge systems, in ongoing biocultural conservation [...]
Flexibility training does not increase behavioral diversity of Florida scrub-jays
Published: 2026-03-18
Subjects: Behavior and Ethology, Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Human modifications of environments are expanding, causing global changes that other species must adjust to or suffer from. Behavioral flexibility (hereafter 'flexibility') could be key to coping with rapid change. Behavioral research can contribute to conservation by determining which behaviors can predict the ability to adjust to human modified environments and whether these can be manipulated. [...]
Habitat disturbance interacts with Bd infection to shape the skin bacterial communities of an Amazonian frog
Published: 2026-03-17
Subjects: Life Sciences
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class globally, with habitat alteration and the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) representing two major and often co-occurring drivers of decline. However, how these stressors interact to shape host-microbiome-pathogen dynamics remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether variation in anthropogenic habitat disturbance, [...]
From Trading Genes to Crafting New Tricks: How Horizontal Gene Transfer Potentiates the Emergence of Novel Functions
Published: 2026-03-17
Subjects: Evolution, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the set of processes by which genetic information is transferred between individuals, has shaped life’s evolution. It is particularly frequent in microbial organisms, where it has driven numerous remarkable adaptations to extreme conditions, anti-microbial agents, or biotic interactions. Its role in spreading novel functions is now documented by countless examples [...]
Calendario ecológico sobre las aves desde la cosmovisión Pamiwã (Cubeo) en el departamento del Vaupés, Amazonía colombiana
Published: 2026-03-17
Subjects: Life Sciences
Los calendarios ecológicos son marcos ecoculturales que vinculan escalas temporales y espaciales con el uso, el manejo y la comprensión del entorno. A partir de diálogos de saberes con las comunidades indígenas Pamiwã (familia lingüística Tukano oriental) principalmente entre 2016 y 2021, presentamos un calendario ecológico que vincula la estacionalidad de la diversidad ornitológica en Mitú, [...]
Rendimiento de la producción de biocarbón en chacras tradicionales amazónicas
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Other Environmental Sciences
La elaboración y enmienda al suelo de biocarbón, utilizando como materia prima la biomasa leñosa de los árboles de barbecho en la agricultura itinerante, ha sido anteriormente identificada como una técnica prometedora para la eliminación de carbono (C) de la atmósfera. Realizamos ensayos en campos de agricultura itinerante tradicional de la nacionalidad indígena Kichwa en la Amazonía ecuatoriana. [...]
Guidelines and best practices for the scientific use of global iNaturalist data
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Life Sciences
Participatory science platforms are undoubtedly changing how biodiversity research is being conducted. Among these, iNaturalist has emerged as the largest and most widely used global infrastructure for biodiversity observation data, generating millions of new records each year and contributing substantially to global biodiversity repositories such as GBIF. As a result, iNaturalist data are [...]
Heterogeneity: Meaning and Measurement, Causes and Consequences
Published: 2026-03-16
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences
Heterogeneity—the variation within and among collectives whose constituent entities interact and integrate into larger, functioning wholes, distinguished fundamentally from diversity as mere variation within non-interacting populations—has emerged as a central organizing principle across ecology and its allied fields. Yet the term remains ambiguously defined, often conflated with diversity [...]
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 [...]