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This feed contains articles for bioRxiv Subject Collection "Ecology"
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<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735369v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Application of Machine Learning Tools for Waterbird Colony Monitoring Provides Gains in Precision and Temporal Efficiency 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735369v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Waterbirds serve as important indicators of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem health, making effective monitoring essential for tracking population health and identifying potential causes of decline. Drones have provided opportunities to overcome historic waterbird monitoring challenges, but the expertise and time required for manual image analysis creates a major bottleneck. Recent advances in deep learning-based object detection have enabled rapid, automatic detection of features in complex ecological imagery, though applications have largely been limited to single-species colonies, and practitioners lack quantitative comparisons of annotation time and accuracy across different levels of automation. We systematically compared four waterbird monitoring approaches using identical survey areas from Chester Island, a mixed-species colony in Matagorda Bay, Texas, in 2025: (1) traditional ground-based counts, (2) manual drone imagery-based counts, (3) computer-assisted counts using pre-annotations from an object detector with manual human verification (Human+ML), and (4) fully automated counts using object detector annotations (ML-only). We trained a YOLOv10 object detection model on manually annotated imagery of Chester Island in 2021 and applied it to the 2025 imagery. Manual drone annotation detected 6,530 birds in 40.5 hr and served as the primary reference standard. Human+ML detected 5,826 birds (89% of manual) in 7.7 hr, an 81% reduction in annotation time. ML-only detected 5,679 birds (87% of manual) in approximately 46 min, a 98% reduction. Ground counts recorded 5,868 birds (90% of manual). Detection generalized well across species while classification depended heavily on training data and morphological distinctiveness. The Human+ML workflow emerged as a practical middle ground, providing practitioners with empirical data to evaluate partial versus full automation strategies based on monitoring objectives.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Vallery, A. C., Kabra, K., Gibbons, R., Arnold, H., Minnich, N., Barman, A. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-02</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.07.01.735369</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Application of Machine Learning Tools for Waterbird Colony Monitoring Provides Gains in Precision and Temporal Efficiency]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-02</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735828v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Near-future warming amplifies natural heatwave impacts and reorganizes freshwater communities 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.735828v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Future climate change may reshape ecological communities not only by increasing mean temperature, but also by altering the consequences of increasingly frequent heatwaves. Predicting these effects requires understanding how background warming interacts with short heatwaves in natural communities, where responses can arise through direct thermal stress and species interactions. We tested this using 32 outdoor freshwater mesocosms exposed to sustained near-future warming while capturing a documented natural heatwave. Warming raised temperature maxima that exceeded the thermal threshold of the pond snail, a main grazer in the community. Warmed communities showed lower grazer abundance, increased macrophyte and insect herbivore abundance, reduced phytoplankton biomass, and lower zooplankton density. Complementary assays showed that heatwave-level temperatures promoted macrophyte growth and reduced grazer survival, whereas reduced zooplankton performance mainly reflected indirect warming effects via food-web cascades. Thus, near-future warming can amplify natural heatwave impacts by exceeding consumer thermal thresholds and propagating through species interactions.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Nouere, S., Schaefer, M., Li, G., Lohr, M., Ebert, D., Xu, S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.07.01.735828</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Near-future warming amplifies natural heatwave impacts and reorganizes freshwater communities]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.732092v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Origin of Schooling and Collective Environmental Adaptation in Zebrafish 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.01.732092v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Zebrafish exhibit intricate schooling behaviors when swimming as a group. Such collective motion serves profound ecological functions and continuously inspires the design of highly coordinated artificial systems. Although the features and functions of schooling have been extensively studied, how this behavior originates over the course of individual development remains unknown, limiting a comprehensive understanding of its biological consequences. To address this gap, we developed a cross-scale, multi-modal experimental platform to capture zebrafish schooling and integrated AI-based algorithms to track fine-scale body posture and eye movements. We find that schooling emerges within a discrete developmental window, coinciding with coordinated changes in locomotor architecture and visual perceptual capacity. Specifically, structural remodeling of the caudal fin, enhanced muscle bundling, and an expanded visual perceptual range together provide the physical and sensory basis for the stabilization of polarized group movement. Network analyses under different representational frameworks reveal that the biological function of schooling is a collective group strategy for adapting to the external geometric environment. Our work provides a fundamental explanation of zebrafish schooling from a developmental perspective and elucidates a collective strategy that could inform the design of underwater robot arrays.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Chen, M., Wang, P., Li, B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.07.01.732092</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Origin of Schooling and Collective Environmental Adaptation in Zebrafish]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735485v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Climate change and socioeconomic vulnerability: The Carpathian Basin as a potential hotspot in the dissemination of Dirofilaria repens in Europe 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735485v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Background: Dirofilaria repens is a zoonotic parasite expanding unnoticed across Europe due to climate change. We hypothesised that in this process, the Carpathian Basin has a facilitating effect. Methods: Using 426 georeferenced European cases, the probability of infection occurrence was determined in relation to climatic factors, surface water availability, regional social deprivation, and stray dog population density. To analyse the potential impacts of ecological and social factors (deprivation and stray dog population density), the MaxEnt algorithm, and spatial Empirical Bayes smoothing and Bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association (BiLISA) index calculation were employed, respectively. Results: MaxEnt analysis revealed that the mean warmest month temperature (22.8 - 25.1 oC), winter mean minimum temperature (> -2.1 oC), and summer precipitation (28.6 - 231 mm) have the strongest impact on the probability of the parasite's occurrence in Europe. Social factors have significance in the eastern Balkans and the Carpathian Basin, but not in Western Europe. The Carpathian Basin appears to be a hotspot, similar to Mediterranean coastal areas. Furthermore, the Danube Valley acts as an ecological corridor for subtropical vector-borne parasites. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that summer warmth is the primary ecological driver of the parasite's range expansion, which is facilitated by the Carpathian Basin due to climatic and socioeconomic conditions.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Csivincsik, A., Nagy, E., Zam, I., Tari, T., Kucsera, I., Nagy, G., Sreter, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735485</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Climate change and socioeconomic vulnerability: The Carpathian Basin as a potential hotspot in the dissemination of Dirofilaria repens in Europe]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735453v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Ecosystem service gradients at protected area borders reveal multiple patterns and prevalent management conflicts 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735453v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Protected areas cannot halt biodiversity loss in isolation; integrating them with surrounding human-dominated landscapes is critical. However, this integration is challenged by substantial landscape heterogeneity at their borders, hindering our understanding of cross-border changes in ecosystem service provision. We introduce a novel framework for characterizing these dynamics by analyzing ecosystem service gradients along protected area borders. For 16 protected areas in the French Alps, we assessed 12 ecosystem services using a mix of established biophysical models and novel connectivity-based models for mobile species. These were aggregated into three stakeholder-driven domains reflecting respectively rural, cultural, and urban management priorities. Automated polynomial regression analysis classified borders into five gradient types. The most common were 'Decreasing Gradients', representing a decline in ecosystem services outside the protected area, and 'Increasing Gradients', with the opposite pattern. Our analysis reveals these patterns are driven by specific landscape configurations, uncovering frequent trade-offs between the three management priorities, where, for instance, landscapes supporting rural priorities often degrade cultural and urban ones. We also identify key opportunities for synergies, by identifying areas where ecosystem services for all three priority domains increase simultaneously outside the protected area. This spatially explicit typology provides a powerful diagnostic tool for designing targeted interventions, such as prioritizing habitat restoration where ecosystem services decline or managing agricultural landscapes to mitigate conflicts across management priorities, supporting a more effective integration of protected areas into the wider landscape.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Gonzalez-Garcia, A., Neyret, M., Lopez-Tejedor, A., Prima, M. C., Si-Moussi, S., Renaud, J., Gueguen, M., Lavorel, S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735453</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Ecosystem service gradients at protected area borders reveal multiple patterns and prevalent management conflicts]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735460v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Heat tolerance and canopy temperatures of Larix sibirica under highly continental climate in Mongolia's boreal forest 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735460v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Direct heat damage has been considered secondary as a cause of climate change-induced tree mortality and productivity declines in forests compared with climate change effects on tree water relations. However, evidence from temperate and tropical forests is accumulating that direct heat damage in the photosystem II (PS II) that is independent of water relations is also a realistic scenario under climate change. We analyzed PS II heat tolerance in Larix sibirica, which represents a dominant boreal tree species in Siberia and northern Central Asia in cold environments with subzero or near-zero mean annual temperatures, but nevertheless warm summers. Thermal imaging was applied to relate heat thresholds found in the laboratory to canopy temperatures in forests on north-facing mountain slopes, which are the main habitat of L. sibirica. L. sibirica showed slight decreases of the maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm) at 35{degrees}C and 40{degrees}C after up to 4 h, but strong reductions at [&ge;]45{degrees}C and minor increases in Fv/Fm in late summer, which could be interpretation as heat acclimation. Canopy temperatures in the study year did not reach the thresholds for serious PS II heat damage. However, L. sibirica was more strongly sensitive to heat than temperate conifers. This first combined study of heat tolerance and canopy temperatures from boreal forests points to the possibility of low heat tolerance of boreal tree species, but such conclusion would require the study of more tree species.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Dulamsuren, C., Abbas, J. T., Csapek, G., Naranbayar, E., Uitumen, T., Amarjargal, D., Byamba-Yondon, G., Saindovdon, D., Munkhzul, T., Batsaikhan, G., Hauck, M. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735460</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Heat tolerance and canopy temperatures of Larix sibirica under highly continental climate in Mongolia's boreal forest]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735551v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Drought and Herbivory Shape Growth and Chemical Traits in Black Poplar (Populus nigra) 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735551v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Due to climate change, extreme weather events such as droughts are becoming more frequent and intense. This has a profound impact on plant performance and ecological interactions, including those involving herbivorous insects. The combined impact of drought stress and insect herbivory on plant metabolism has rarely been studied, particularly in woody plants. In this study, we investigated the influence of varying degrees of drought, both alone and in combination with herbivory by the leaf beetle Chrysomela tremulae, on the morphological and chemical characteristics of black poplar (Populus nigra) trees using a full factorial experimental design. We quantified morphological traits, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, phytohormone and amino acid concentrations, and phenolic profiles. Drought conditions increased the concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA), while feeding induced ABA and SA. Amino acid profiles shifted significantly under drought conditions, particularly in beetle-infested plants. In contrast, salicinoids, which are the most important phenolic defense compounds in poplars, remained relatively stable. We also observed significant compound-specific effects on both constitutive and herbivore-induced VOC emissions. Our results demonstrate that drought and insect herbivory exert a joint influence on the chemical responses of P. nigra across multiple metabolic pathways. These findings highlight how the interaction between abiotic and biotic stresses can influence the defense chemistry of trees, which will consequently affect ecological interactions in forest ecosystems in the face of climate change.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Weirauch, S. K., Gressmann, H., Reichelt, M., Kaltenegger, E., Schnitzler, J. P., Unsicker, S. B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735551</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Drought and Herbivory Shape Growth and Chemical Traits in Black Poplar (Populus nigra)]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735471v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Small scale habitat components as key drivers of biodiversity in urban park design 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735471v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Urban green spaces are increasingly recognised as important refuges for biodiversity, yet their ecological value depends strongly on design and management. Here, we investigate how fine-scale structural and microhabitat components shape urban ant assemblages, using ants as indicators of broader arthropod responses to urbanisation. Ant communities were sampled in twelve urban green spaces in Cordoba (southern Spain) over a ten-year period (2004 to 2013) using pitfall traps, alongside detailed characterisation of vegetation structure and ground-layer microhabitats. In total, 38 species and 25,578 individuals were recorded. Microhabitat variables explained 58% of the variation in species occurrence. Community differences among microhabitats were driven primarily by nestedness, with dense herbaceous cover acting as a core habitat and edge-related components contributing disproportionately to beta diversity. Tree abundance showed a unimodal relationship with species richness, with maximum diversity at intermediate densities, while shrub and lawn cover had weak or inconsistent effects. Fine-scale elements such as leaf litter, stones, woody debris, and small bare-ground patches strongly influenced species occurrence by providing thermal refugia, nesting substrates, and foraging opportunities. The invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) exhibited strong but spatially restricted dominance and species-specific negative effects on native ants, emphasising the role of habitat context in mediating invasion impacts. Our results demonstrate that urban biodiversity is maximised by enhancing fine-scale habitat heterogeneity rather than increasing green cover alone. We highlight practical design principles for urban green infrastructure that prioritise structural diversity and ground-layer complexity to support resilient arthropod communities.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Trigos-Peral, G., Reyes Lopez, J. L. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.735471</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Small scale habitat components as key drivers of biodiversity in urban park design]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.730850v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
How well is Italian biodiversity represented in red lists and conservation legislation? Taxonomic biases, coverage gaps and the assessment-to-legislation bottleneck 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.730850v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Italy, one of Europe's most biodiverse countries, is expected to undergo landscape-wide nature recovery thanks to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. National red lists represent critical instruments for informing conservation strategies at finer geographic resolutions and prioritizing taxa of national importance; yet the taxonomic completeness of Italian red lists remains unquantified in relation to national biodiversity. Equally, no systematic evaluation has been conducted on the representation of threatened and endemic Italian taxa within European and international conservation directives and treaties. We present the first comprehensive review of threat status and policy inclusion of Italian biodiversity, encompassing animals, plants, fungi, lichens, and algae. We cross-referenced national species checklists with Italian, European, Mediterranean, and global IUCN red lists, alongside policy annexes from the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Bern and Barcelona Conventions, and CITES. Our dataset comprised 76,845 taxa, of which 8,389 are endemic; yet red list assessments exist for only 10% of this total (7,349 taxa, including 1,700 endemics). Conservation policy coverage is even more restrictive: only 1,346 taxa are listed under at least one legislative instrument, with only half of these classified as threatened. This constitutes a compounding double bottleneck with most of the Italian biodiversity remaining both unassessed and unprotected and systematically biasing conservation policy toward an unrepresentative fraction of national biodiversity. We recommend accelerated national assessments and urgent establishment of a national biodiversity priority list founded on transparent prioritization protocols. This would complement ecosystem-based interventions mandated by the Nature Restoration Regulation while correcting for vertebrate-centred biases.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Miccolis, E., Rasotto, M. B., De Pascale, F., Pievani, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-07-01</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.30.730850</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[How well is Italian biodiversity represented in red lists and conservation legislation? Taxonomic biases, coverage gaps and the assessment-to-legislation bottleneck]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-07-01</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734863v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Latitude, not geography, globally structures Oscheius tipulae into three deeply divergent lineages 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734863v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Free-living nematodes are among the most abundant animals on Earth and play critical ecological roles in soil ecosystems. However, the global population structure and evolutionary history of most species remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed genome-wide variation in Oscheius tipulae using whole-genome sequence data from 31 isolates, including 28 publicly available genomes and three newly collected strains from Korea. Population structure analyses, phylogenomic inference, and ancestry estimation consistently identified three deeply divergent lineages. These analyses did not detect admixture among lineages and collectively supported a predominantly tree-like evolutionary history. Notably, the lineages were structured by latitude rather than geographic proximity. Isolates from similar latitudinal zones clustered together regardless of continental origin, forming three major groups: northern mid-latitude (NML), low-latitude (LL), and southern mid-latitude (SML). This pattern indicates that the lineages have maintained largely independent evolutionary trajectories over extended timescales despite the potential for long-distance dispersal. Furthermore, environmentally associated variants showed significant differentiation among lineages, indicating that environmental selection may contribute to the maintenance of this latitudinally structured diversity. Our results reveal unexpectedly deep global divergence within O. tipulae, and highlight the importance of ecological divergence and long-term lineage retention in shaping the global diversity of this group.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Lee, J., Lim, D. S., Byeon, D. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-30</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734863</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Latitude, not geography, globally structures Oscheius tipulae into three deeply divergent lineages]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-30</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.733531v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
From field naturalism to Bayesian models: fog-frost interaction shapes growth form partitioning along Himalayan gradient 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.733531v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWMountain gradients facilitate our understanding of species range limits, competition dynamics, stress-resilience trade-offs, and determinants of vegetation zone boundaries. Forest compositional models often use altitude as the main predictor, a proxy for temperature that is defensible where floristic transitions are gradual and climate relationships are linear. However, mountains with distinct assemblages, representing tropical gradients or areas with complex biogeographic history, require a modeling framework that reflects non-linear dynamics or interactions between environmental factors, including outlier events (rather than mean conditions). Our study system encompasses both tropical and temperate forests along a broad ([~]3000 m) altitudinal gradient, positioned within a narrow latitudinal band (< 1{degrees}) and composed of mature, continuous forest in the Bhutan Himalaya. To represent the breadth of climatic conditions experienced over a trees lifetime, we used a Bayesian modeling paradigm and integrated multi-generational field knowledge to develop a priori hypotheses and informed priors, with consideration of monsoon seasonality and possible ecophysiological thresholds. Our approach followed three stages (the Pattern, the Mechanism, the Test). Specifically, we interpolated microclimate data and derived custom metrics based on thermodynamics, propagating uncertainty into subsequent models to test whether climate posteriors outperformed altitude in explaining growth form partitioning. For spatial patterns, we identified six distinct vegetation zones (encompassing 145 species from 57 families), with a mid-gradient peak in richness at the tropical-temperate transition zone, and convergence of deciduousness at either end of the gradient. For individual growth forms, abundance was tied to different ecological mechanisms, explained by adaptations to climatic stressors and competition trade-offs. For instance, evergreen broad-leaved dominance was linked to ephemeral cloud immersion, whereas tropical deciduous species were affiliated with higher vapor pressure deficit at lower altitudes. Most importantly, compositional (between-group) models showed that the interaction between frost events and fog probability (air saturation prior to the dry season) governed growth form partitioning more than any single factor; temperate deciduous species, confined to a narrow altitudinal band, exemplified this finding. Our methodological approach is transferable to other data-sparse mountain systems, and our results highlight the vulnerability of unique habitat types and montane endemics under climate change scenarios that alter the fog-frost dynamics.

Second abstract in DzongkhaTo see the second abstract in Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan, please visit our Zenodo site: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19081441.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Wangda, P., Whitman, M., Ohsawa, M., Ashton, P. S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-30</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.25.733531</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[From field naturalism to Bayesian models: fog-frost interaction shapes growth form partitioning along Himalayan gradient]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-30</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735240v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
DATRASextra: An R package for streamlined workflows with ICES DATRAS bottom-trawl survey data 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735240v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Scientific bottom-trawl surveys provide essential fisheries-independent data for fisheries and ecosystem research. In the Northeast Atlantic, the ICES Database of Trawl Surveys (DATRAS) compiles haul-level information, species- and length-specific catch data, and individual biological observations across multiple long-term surveys. However, reproducible workflows for processing and integrating these relational datasets remain challenging. We present DATRASextra, an open-source R package that provides modular end-to-end workflows for accessing, cleaning, harmonising, quality-controlling, and analysing DATRAS survey data. The package supports derivation of standardised haul-level survey variables, integration of multiple surveys, and generation of analysis-ready datasets for downstream applications including stock assessment, biodiversity analyses, and large-scale synthesis efforts such as Fish-Glob.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Mildenberger, T. K., Maioli, F., Berg, C. W. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-30</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735240</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[DATRASextra: An R package for streamlined workflows with ICES DATRAS bottom-trawl survey data]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-30</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735157v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Latitudinal effects on weight and age-dependent survival of red fox Vulpes vulpes 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735157v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Age-dependent survival is central to understanding population dynamics and life-history evolution. We analysed carcass weight and age-at-harvest data from 6022 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) collected across Sweden between 1967 and 1971 to evaluate latitudinal effects on body mass and age-dependent survival. Carcass weights decreased from south to north in both adults and sub-adults, contrary to Bergmann's rule, with southern foxes weighing approximately 1.27 times more than northern foxes. The latitudinal weight gradient exceeded the sex difference in both age classes, and no sex x region interaction was detected. The decrease in weight with latitude is consistent with reduced prey availability and harsher winter conditions in the north, which limit growth and body size during development. Using a Bayesian age-at-harvest model with region-specific population growth rates (lambda), we estimated age-dependent survival probabilities for four latitudinal regions and both sexes. Despite the strong latitudinal gradient in weight, survival did not show a corresponding pattern - regional differences were uncertain, with all credible intervals spanning zero. Regional population growth rates were consistent with slight decline in the north and near-stability in the south-central region, which suggests that body condition and population dynamics are coupled at the regional scale despite no survival gradient. The decoupling of body condition and survival across regions suggests that mortality patterns are similar across the latitudinal gradient. We discuss these patterns in terms of latitudinal productivity gradients, prey availability, and life-history trade-offs in a widely distributed carnivore.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Willebrand, T., Odden, M., Ostbye, K., Samelius, G., Walton, Z., Spong, G., Englund, J. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735157</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Latitudinal effects on weight and age-dependent survival of red fox Vulpes vulpes]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.734957v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Interspecific variation in reproductive and foraging traits for raptors breeding in Norway 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.734957v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Arctic and Boreal raptor communities will continue to be affected by borealization and other climate change related processes, providing a challenge for ecologists predicting future sates. However, by using community assembly theory and species traits, future communities may be predictable. In this study, we analyzed variation in reproduction traits as a consequence of diet specialization for 29 raptors, 2 skuas and 3 corvids. We assessed and implemented foraging traits for specialists and generalists into predator-prey models from which successful invasion conditions were derived. Specialist raptors produced larger clutch sizes, had a higher proportion of fledged per clutch and also expressed more variation compared to generalist raptors. These results suggest a relationship between diet specialization and reproductive traits which was also observed within phylogenetic orders. Specialist owls (Strigiformes) produced higher clutch sizes with a larger clutch range compared to generalist owls. The same pattern was observed for falcons (Falconiformes). No clear difference in reproduction was observed for specialist and generalist hawks, kites and eagles (Accipitriformes). Corvids expressed clutch sizes similar to that of specialist raptors while having the lowest proportion of fledged per clutch. Differences in foraging traits between specialists and generalists could be distinguished using functional response curves. A predator-prey model parameterized with foraging trait data showed that a generalist can coexist with a resident specialist if it has access to prey unavailable to the resident specialist. Otherwise, the native specialist outcompetes the invading generalist due to foraging efficiency. The combined empirical and theoretical findings in this study show how diet specialization affects both reproduction and the potential invasion success of raptors.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sandvik Halgunset, E., Mellard, J. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.734957</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Interspecific variation in reproductive and foraging traits for raptors breeding in Norway]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735228v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Associations of waterbirds with harvesting and ploughing events in rice fields: increasing foraging opportunities or just gathering for the feast? 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.29.735228v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Surges in food availability create localized but intense foraging opportunities, often attracting multi-species consumer groups. Agricultural practices can trigger these surges, prompting bird associations. However, the strength and duration of the association, as well as its drivers, remain unclear. This study examines waterbird association with harvesting and ploughing events in rice fields. The duration and magnitude of these associations were determined and three hypotheses addressed to explain them: (1) increased food availability, (2) enhanced foraging success and (3) reduced time allocated to vigilance. Waterbird counts and GPS tracking revealed strong associations with management events. Bird numbers spiked during events but declined within one to two days. Food availability (and soil penetrability) increased significantly during events - crayfish and rice during harvesting, worms and soil penetrability during ploughing - supporting Hypothesis 1. However, this did not improve foraging performance (intake rate, foraging success), rejecting Hypothesis 2. Higher competition, interference or kleptoparasitism in these large mixed-species flocks may offset increased food availability benefits. Alternatively, functional responses of target species may limit prey intake due to physiological or behavioural constraints. Hypothesis 3 was also unsupported, as birds did not reduce vigilance. It is plausible that birds may be drawn to events by the perception of a feast, not actual benefits. Gregariousness and foraging behaviour by local enhancement may explain such associations. Results highlight the complexity of bird responses to food surges while suggesting waterbirds in rice fields maintain stable foraging performance during agricultural management events and otherwise, indicating resilience to agricultural timing shifts.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Paulino, J., Granadeiro, J. P., Correia, E., Catry, T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.29.735228</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Associations of waterbirds with harvesting and ploughing events in rice fields: increasing foraging opportunities or just gathering for the feast?]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.735019v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Diverse root fungal endophytes mediate plant access to soil nutrients 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.735019v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Plant roots are broadly colonized by endophytic fungi with saprotrophic capabilities, but our understanding of whether they function in ways that are beneficial or detrimental to the host remains limited to model organisms. We hypothesized that endophytic fungi broadly affect plant access to soil nutrients, particularly organic forms that are typically not directly available to the plant. To address this, we paired 41 fungal endophytes with switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and provided either inorganic or organic forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). We evaluated how the fungi affected plant tissue N and P as well as plant growth. We also examined if these outcomes could be predicted from fungal phylogenetic relationships, in vitro traits of the fungi, or characteristics of the habitat from which fungi were isolated. There was substantial variation in both plant N (0.05-0.63%) and P (0.02-0.10%) acquisition that depended on the interaction of fungus and nutrient treatment. More fungi were beneficial for plant N than for P and shoot nutrients generally increased more than root nutrients from fungal associations. However, fungal effects on plant nutrients were not predicted by fungal traits, habitat traits, or fungal phylogenetic relationships. This unpredictability highlights a key challenge for incorporating endophytes into nutrient management strategies. Improving our ability to predict endophyte impacts on host nutrient acquisition will require identifying the mechanisms underlying observed beneficial effects and scaling up to realistic, diverse root microbial communities.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Hammer, R. A., Lee, M. R., Yang, N., Kan, M., Luecke, N., Wilson, M., Stuart, R. K., Hawkes, C. V. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.27.735019</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Diverse root fungal endophytes mediate plant access to soil nutrients]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734880v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
A winding road to coexistence: Interdependence of niche and fitness differences in E. coli with targeted resource uptake gene deletions 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734880v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Resource competition theory typically assumes static traits and continuous supply of resources. Yet microbial communities often experience feast-famine cycles and rapid trait change. To investigate coexistence under these nonequilibrium conditions, we integrate modern coexistence theory (MCT) with a genome-scale metabolic model that explicitly links resource use (traits) to metabolic fluxes and growth. MCT partitions competitive interactions into niche and fitness differences, to predict when trait-driven departures from neutrality result in coexistence or exclusion. Using dynamic flux balance analysis, we define a function that maps trait-resource matching to niche and fitness differences between species in a two-species two-resource system. This mapping shows that niche and fitness differences are not independently tunable under resource competition: changes in transporter-mediated resource uptake and changes in resource concentration ratios generate constrained trajectories through coexistence space. Specifically, we show that the minimum niche difference required for coexistence increases linearly with the absolute difference in maximal growth rates on limiting resources, showing how limiting similarity between species can emerge from intracellular metabolic constraints. Furthermore, we find that in batch culture simulations, initial conditions (inoculum size, total resource concentration) determine the timescale of the transient growth phase, with niche differences saturating and fitness differences increasing as the timescale grows, thereby governing competition outcomes. Finally, we test these predictions experimentally using E. coli strains with targeted resource transporter knockouts under both equal and skewed resource concentrations. Our results confirm that transporter-mediated trait changes and resource concentration ratio modulation can be harnessed to engineer coexistence. Together, our work demonstrates that trait-resource matching imposes structured constraints on the joint evolution of niche and fitness differences, thereby shaping biodiversity maintenance in microbial communities under nonequilibrium conditions.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ McGuinness, B., Guichard, F., Weber, S. C. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734880</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[A winding road to coexistence: Interdependence of niche and fitness differences in E. coli with targeted resource uptake gene deletions]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735040v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Color polymorphism in the saddleback clownfish, Amphiprion polymnus: species or complex? 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.735040v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Color polymorphism can facilitate local adaptation, maintain intraspecific diversity, or reflect early stages of speciation. Clownfishes (Amphiprion spp.) typically display a simple black, orange, and white pattern, but the saddleback clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus) shows striking variation in melanism and the number of vertical bars, which are thought to play a role in species recognition. In 2024, a revision on iNaturalist split A. polymnus into multiple species based solely on color pattern and geographic range. This raises the question of whether these morphs represent true species or intraspecific polymorphism, which we tested using genomic and image-based data. We sampled 97 individuals from seven populations across the species range and quantified color patterns from standardized photographs. Phenotypic and genomic analyses reveal a complex pattern of divergence. Image analysis identified three distinct phenotypic clusters, with A. polymnus, A. annamensis, and A. laticlavius each showing consistent differences in saddle shape and vertical bar extent. ADMIXTURE resolved three distinct genetic groups corresponding to the morphs. Pairwise FST (0.54-0.71) and dxy indicate extremely high differentiation between A. polymnus and A. annamensis, consistent with species-level divergence, whereas A. laticlavius shows much lower differentiation from A. polymnus (FST 0.09-0.18) and higher differentiation from A. annamensis (FST 0.64-0.66). Overall, phenotypic and genomic data show structured variation, but the status of A. laticlavius remains ambiguous. Our study reveals clear and structured divergence across the full range, yet the taxonomic interpretation of this variation remains inherently challenging. The key question remains: do these patterns reflect a single polymorphic species or a complex of closely related species?
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Fitzgerald, L. M., Coulmance, F., Marcionetti, A., Gaboriau, T., Garcia Jimenez, A., Apag, P. T., Versteeg, M., Noble, F. J., Gaffney, K., Mercader, M., Diola, A. G., Geraldino, P. J., Rueger, T., Laudet, V., Salamin, N. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.735040</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Color polymorphism in the saddleback clownfish, Amphiprion polymnus: species or complex?]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.734640v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
The impact of phenological mismatch varies across woodland food-web interactions 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.28.734640v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Climate warming is altering the timing of seasonal events across ecosystems, impacting the temporal synchrony of interactions among species1,2. For trophic interactions, the match-mismatch hypothesis predicts that when consumers become phenologically asynchronous with key ephemeral resources their fitness will decline3-5. Most studies of mismatch focus on single resource-consumer species pairs, and implicitly assume trophic specialisation. However, many consumers exploit more than one resource species, giving rise to several mechanisms whereby the negative impacts of mismatch on individuals and populations could be buffered6. Here we experimentally manipulate phenological asynchrony across 48 plant-caterpillar interactions in a spring woodland food-web system and assay caterpillar performance. As asynchrony increases, we find strong evidence for a decline in survival that generalises across host-caterpillar interactions, whereas caterpillar growth and development are largely unaffected. We also show that focus in the literature on a single model interaction (Oak-Winter Moth)7,8 has likely overestimated the general impact asynchrony in this system. The strength of the effect of mismatch varies markedly among host-plants, caterpillars, and their interactions--with a small number of interactions showing little or no decline in consumer performance despite substantial asynchrony. Our results demonstrate that the fitness consequences of phenological mismatch are widespread but interaction-specific, revealing substantial heterogeneity in how trophic interactions are expected to respond to climate-driven shifts in seasonal timing. This variation in response could allow resource diversity and resource switching to buffer consumer guilds against the phenological impacts of ongoing climate change, stabilising the abundance of caterpillars for higher trophic levels.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Weir, J. C., Phillimore, A. B. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.28.734640</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[The impact of phenological mismatch varies across woodland food-web interactions]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734620v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Heatwaves rescue a mosquito host from parasitism across a large geographic gradient 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734620v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
The impacts of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves on parasitism are an important frontier for understanding disease risk under climate change. These impacts are complex because parasitism arises from multiple interacting host and parasite traits that can vary in thermal sensitivity and among populations adapted to different temperature regimes. Here, we used a lab microcosm experiment to investigate the effects of heatwaves occurring during two different phases of a winter-adapted mosquito host - ciliate parasite interaction, for six pairs of sympatric host and parasite populations sourced from two geographic regions with differing histories of winter heat. We found that because heatwaves allowed mosquito larvae to evade infection, they reduced parasitism and increased survival. An early heatwave during initial parasite attack had stronger effects than a later heatwave occurring after infections had established. We did not find evidence of local adaptation to heatwaves: impacts were consistent regardless of population, and were mechanistically predictable from previously measured thermal performance curves that described lower infection and stronger host defenses at warm constant temperatures. The results suggest that increasingly frequent heatwaves may accelerate geographic shifts in parasitism, and demonstrate how fundamental host - parasite thermal biology links to the impacts of extreme temperature events.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Farner, J. E., Riley, I. M., Singh, A. H., Mordecai, E. A. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-29</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734620</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Heatwaves rescue a mosquito host from parasitism across a large geographic gradient]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-29</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734801v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
West Nile virus response to mosquito and avian biodiversity in rural environments 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734801v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
ContextThe relationship between biodiversity and zoonotic disease risk is a central topic in community ecology, yet empirical evidence in Europe remains scarce and often contradictory compared to North American studies. Addressing this gap is fundamental to better anticipate zoonotic disease dynamics.

ObjectivesWe investigated the transmission dynamics of West Nile virus (WNV) in Veneto (Italy), a major European hotspot. Because this vector-borne pathogen is primarily transmitted by Culex mosquitoes and maintained by several avian hosts, we analysed how multiple facets of both avian and mosquito biodiversity influence its transmission.

MethodsUsing Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) trained on longitudinal entomological and ornithological surveillance data, we modelled the probability of WNV presence in mosquito pools as a function of host and vector community structure. To isolate the effects of biodiversity, we explicitly controlled for climatic and landscape covariates.

ResultsIn agricultural landscapes, we found that higher avian diversity leads to higher viral presence, driven by the dominance of highly competent synanthropic hosts. Conversely, a dilution effect emerges across the broader regional landscape where areas of higher ecological integrity allow for more complex and functionally diverse avian communities. Furthermore, we identified significant vector-mediated regulation, where high abundances of mammophilic vectors effectively suppress viral prevalence through larval competition.

ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the dilution effect is a property of intact ecosystems which can be lost, or even locally reversed, in anthropogenically altered environments. Because such habitat degradation fundamentally alters zoonotic transmission dynamics, landscape planning must prioritize ecological restoration. Ultimately, embedding these practices into One Health strategies represents a proactive approach to mitigating disease emergence.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Marcolin, L., Ceci, N., Gobbo, F., Montarsi, F., Chiarello, G., Dorigatti, I., Di Marco, M. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734801</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[West Nile virus response to mosquito and avian biodiversity in rural environments]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.734684v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Limited horizontal transmission of an obligate, free-living bacterial symbiont 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.734684v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Nutritional symbionts can be essential for their animal hosts. The bacterial symbiont of the leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus zonatus, Caballeronia, is acquired from the environment each generation in the 2nd instar. The symbiont is critical for L. zonatus: aposymbiotic bugs are unable to reproduce. We hypothesized that symbiotic bugs excrete Caballeronia where juveniles might find and consume them. We inoculated L. zonatus with GFP-labelled Caballeronia and examined feces of each life stage. We found that Caballeronia is excreted almost exclusively in the adult stage. We then asked if 2nd instar nymphs could acquire Caballeronia from feces. Nymphs were provided with a) feces from adults fed GFP-labelled Caballeronia, b) GFP-Caballeronia in culture, or c) water only. We found that feces-fed bugs had similar rates of symbiont acquisition to those fed Caballeronia in culture, indicating that feces can be a source of Caballeronia for L. zonatus. However, compared to culture-fed individuals, bugs fed feces had reduced survivorship and required longer to develop, and surviving adults had reduced mass. Bacterial motility assays showed that in contrast to cultured Caballeronia cells, Caballeronia in feces were non-motile. These results suggest that feces can be a source of Caballeronia, at least in some environments. However, transmission mode can influence the success of the offspring.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sullivan, L., Kelly, S. E., Hunter, M. S. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.25.734684</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Limited horizontal transmission of an obligate, free-living bacterial symbiont]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734794v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Rapid shallow-water saturation and deep-water expansion of an invasive freshwater ecosystem engineer in a deep European lake 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734794v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are ecosystem engineers that can alter nutrient cycling, benthic-pelagic coupling, and food-web structure in deep lakes. Although their invasion trajectories are well documented in the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America, depth-specific population dynamics remain poorly resolved in recently invaded European perialpine lakes. We analyzed five annual lake-wide surveys (2021-2025) from 54 stations spanning 2.4-253 m depth in Lake Constance to quantify changes in quagga mussel density, biomass, and shell-length distribution. Contrary to expectations of lake-wide exponential growth, shallow-water populations (< 20 m) showed no significant increase during the study period and appear to have reached carrying capacity before monitoring began. In contrast, densities increased monotonically at intermediate depths (40-125 m), indicating ongoing expansion into deeper strata. Mean shell length declined with depth, and size distributions in shallow waters shifted toward larger individuals, consistent with a transition from active recruitment to somatic growth of established mussels. Compared with the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Constance already has substantially higher shallow-water biomass, whereas deeper invasion trajectories are broadly similar. These results show that quagga mussel invasion in deep European lakes can combine rapid littoral saturation with slower profundal expansion, complicating direct transfer of predictions from the Great Lakes. Continued depth-stratified monitoring will be essential for anticipating future ecosystem effects in perialpine lakes.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Hofstetter, L., Mueller, T. M., Bourqui, M., Burlakova, L. E., Cristante, Z. C., Karatayev, A. Y., Kessler, S., Narwani, A., Santos, J. L., Sturm, L., Wellauer, N., Spaak, P., Weber, A. A.-T. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734794</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Rapid shallow-water saturation and deep-water expansion of an invasive freshwater ecosystem engineer in a deep European lake]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734835v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Trait-dependent species responses weaken the effects of response diversity on community stability 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734835v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
The diversity of species responses to environmental change (response diversity) is a key mechanism of ecological stability. However, anticipating where strong or weak stabilizing responses emerge is challenging because species responses can depend on the local community and the specific stability metric. Whether species traits can consistently inform on how species respond to disturbances - enabling less context-dependent predictions - remains an open question. To address this gap, we use microcosm experiments on marine phytoplankton to test how response diversity supports multiple aspects of community stability under pulse temperature changes, testing both an increase (heatwave) and a decrease in temperature (coldspell). We then map species traits to their responses in a community to identify which traits modulate and predict species sensitivities. Fundamental response diversity, based on the diversity of species responses to temperature measured in isolation, was a weak predictor of community stability, and relationships differed between disturbances (i.e., heatwave and coldspell). Instead, species traits were consistent predictors of species responses in communities. Small, fast-growing species were more tolerant and benefited from the disturbance, while large, slow-growing species were less tolerant and decreased in proportion - these patterns were consistent across disturbances and community compositions. These results suggest that strong trait-performance relationships might reduce the importance of response diversity for stability. But these findings also show that general species traits, such as size and growth rate, can predict which species, and how, contribute to community responses, providing an empirical basis to relate species traits to stability outcomes under climate change.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Heinrichs, A. L., Polazzo, F., Kunze, C., Ghedini, G. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734835</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Trait-dependent species responses weaken the effects of response diversity on community stability]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734780v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Environmental tolerance, species interaction, and the link between the fundamental and realized niches: Insights from a hypersaline planktonic system 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734780v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
The impacts of a changing abiotic environment on fitness and performance arise not only from low tolerance to new environmental conditions, but also from changes in the abundance and interaction intensity with other species. The strength of the interaction may itself depend on how well each species performs across environments, but there is a dearth of studies investigating how intrinsic fitness and interaction intensity covary across an abiotic environmental gradient. We addressed this question in a hypersaline consumer-resource system: the microalga Dunaliella spp. grazed by the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. We exposed four Dunaliella strains to a range of salinities above seawater, with or without brine shrimps, and tracked their population sizes over time and the survival of their predators, to estimate basic parameters of a Lotka-Volterra model. We found that the intrinsic growth rate of algae, the survival rate of predators, and the per-capita predation rate, all varied with salinity and algal strain. Significant interactions between strain and salinity further revealed that these ecological responses to salinity are evolvable. Together with correlations between demographic parameters across salinity, this suggests that predation may influence the evolution of salinity tolerance curves, blurring the line between the fundamental and realized niches.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Guyot, L., Fereol, S., Jabbour-Zahab, R., Chevin, L.-M. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734780</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Environmental tolerance, species interaction, and the link between the fundamental and realized niches: Insights from a hypersaline planktonic system]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734746v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Biochar reduces soil thermal conductivity, diffusivity and volumetric heat storage: A global meta-analysis 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734746v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Biochar amendments are increasingly applied to improve soil physical functioning and support carbon dioxide removal, but their effects on intrinsic soil thermal properties remain poorly characterised. We conducted the first global systematic meta-analysis of 19 independent studies, 231 control-biochar comparisons, and 529 property-specific effect sizes to test how biochar changes soil heat transfer and storage. Biochar reduced thermal conductivity by 17.6% (95% CI, -22.7 to -12.2), thermal diffusivity by 11.0% (-14.5 to -7.3), and volumetric heat capacity by 8.3% (-12.3 to -4.1). Gravimetric heat capacity showed no significant overall response (+3.3%; -7.6 to 15.4) but was supported by fewer studies. Negative responses were directionally consistent for thermal conductivity, diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity. Moderator analyses showed that responses were most consistently associated with post-application bulk density and changes in bulk density, while application rate modulated response magnitude and soil texture constrained context dependence. Co-variation among thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity matched expected physical dependencies, indicating coordinated structural reorganisation rather than independent shifts in isolated parameters. These estimates describe intrinsic conductive and storage properties; field-scale soil temperature responses may also be modified by albedo, evaporation, vegetation, and surface energy balance. Improved integration of soil thermal measurements with moisture dynamics, structural changes, and carbon cycling is essential to accurately represent biochar effects in soil and land-surface models.

Significance StatementBiochar is increasingly used to store carbon while improving soils, but its effects on how soils conduct, transmit, and store heat remain poorly understood. By synthesising 19 studies and 529 property-specific effect sizes, we show that biochar consistently reduces soil thermal conductivity, diffusivity, and volumetric heat capacity, primarily through structural changes in bulk density and pore architecture. These findings identify soil thermal behaviour as an overlooked component of biochar-soil interactions, with implications for soil temperature buffering, water-energy coupling, plant and microbial processes, and land-surface and carbon-cycle modelling.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Gholamahmadi, B., Beillouin, D., Weber, K., Trakal, L., Masek, O. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734746</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Biochar reduces soil thermal conductivity, diffusivity and volumetric heat storage: A global meta-analysis]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734748v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
One scale does not fit all: invasive predator identity determines the impact on native prey 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.26.734748v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
O_LIWhen eradication is unfeasible, invasive predator control should evaluate how removal affects ecological responses by native species. Assessments often use total invasive predator abundance to evaluate prey responses, yet intraspecific variation in diet and space use means that some subgroups cause disproportionate impacts. Identifying these  problem individuals, and the spatial scales over which their impacts operate, can enable targeted spatially explicit removal to maximise impact reduction. However, despite individual-level information is often already collected during trapping operations it is seldom included when analysing predator impacts, potentially biasing the conservation outcomes expected under blanket removal.
C_LIO_LIWe use a novel framework and two decades of invasive predator control data to estimate how individual variation in residency status influences the distance-dependent impacts of invasive American mink Neogale vison on water vole Arvicola amphibius occupancy across two prey surveys. We also develop a sub-model to predict mink residency status for individuals with missing age data.
C_LIO_LIThe probability of capturing adult mink decreased with elevation and years of control, indicating that long-term control altered the resident population and demographic composition of mink around water vole sites.
C_LIO_LIDistance-dependent negative impacts of mink varied by residency status, becoming negligible at approximately 20 km from water vole sites for resident mink and 2 km for transient. The spatial scale of mink impacts was largest during the first vole survey when resident mink were more abundant, and declined rapidly for the second survey, when mink were less abundant and spatially clustered. Our results suggest that water voles have benefited mostly from reducing resident mink rather than the total population, especially in early control phases.
C_LIO_LIManagers can use our framework to develop spatially explicit and impact-based strategies, not restricted to invasive species control, to construct empirically informed management buffers around populations of conservation concern. Long-term efforts will change the landscape and invasive predator contexts, and thus we recommend iteratively updating and re-evaluating management outcome evaluations. We argue that incorporating individual heterogeneity improves our understanding of ecological mechanisms influencing management success but that the suitability of targeted strategies should be evaluated for target socioecological contexts.
C_LI
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Bonet Bigata, A., Sutherland, C., Lambin, X. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-27</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.26.734748</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[One scale does not fit all: invasive predator identity determines the impact on native prey]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-27</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.22.733798v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Discovery and implications of a novel, visual-attracting trap for wood-boring beetles (Curculionidae: Scolyidini): beetle response behaviors and underlying mechanisms 
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</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.22.733798v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), the granulate ambrosia beetle, was one of the first highly-destructive ambrosia beetles introduced into the southern U.S in the 1970s where it was found in South Carolina (Kovach 1986). The Redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, was first detected in the U.S. in South Georgia in 2002. This beetle and its associated fungi, the laurel wilt fungus Raffaelea laurelensis and others have caused substantial destruction to native redbay (Persea borbonia) in GA, SC, FL and elsewhere. This beetle-pathogen complex also poses a threat to commercial avocado production in the U.S., Central and South America as well as to valuable other Persea spp. and related plants (Laureacea) that are known hosts. As an addition here, 10 years of the spring appearances (Fig.1) of X. crassiusculus in North Florida is offered for future comparisons. A second unusual appearance is the finding and working with UV mulch and ethanol, as a surprising attraction of X. crassiusculus and other ambrosia beetles including X. glabratus. It was also found that the ambrosia beetles do not respond to yellow and green as expected by most. Also, adding burlap was found to be attractive (increases dead and dying appearing trees) as is silver metallic like UV mulch, while camouflage (camo) was found to work like yellow and green. These occurrences led to the invention and development of UV mulch with new traps to better monitor ambrosia beetles. New traps led to new uses for yellow, green and camo to monitor and decrease damage and losses from ambrosia beetles. The data are presented as evaluated and appear in the figures, discussion and a supplemental section.

O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=139 SRC="FIGDIR/small/733798v1_fig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1">
View larger version (30K):
org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12ce8c0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@164a436org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@590e5corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bdd6ea_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP  M_FIG O_FLOATNOFigure 1:C_FLOATNO Relative timing of annual emergence of Xylosandrus crassiusculus in north Florida. Collected over 10 years using 5 Baker traps with a 10% ethanol/water solution. Data are from years as marked. Note: data from year 2003 was not collected.

C_FIG
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Mizell, R. F. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-26</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.22.733798</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Discovery and implications of a novel, visual-attracting trap for wood-boring beetles (Curculionidae: Scolyidini): beetle response behaviors and underlying mechanisms]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-26</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.24.734419v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Crop-specific agricultural land use and Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Uganda: a longitudinal compositional analysis 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.24.734419v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause severe illness and death in both humans and livestock. Since 2016, Uganda has experienced recurrent but localized RVF outbreaks concentrated in the countrys southwestern region. The ecological drivers of this emergence remain unclear, as outbreaks have occurred throughout the year and show little association with meteorological patterns. We evaluated whether crop cultivation, particularly banana cultivation, is associated with RVF outbreak occurrence after controlling for likely confounders. We conducted a longitudinal study of human-inhabited 5 x 5 km grid cells across southwestern Uganda from 2016-2024. Annual Sentinel-2 satellite imagery composites were used to classify land cover into banana, coffee, ground crops, and non-crop categories, and the proportion of each land type was calculated for every grid-cell year. Because land cover proportions are compositional, isometric log-ratio transformations were used to estimate the independent effects of each land type. Confounding was addressed through propensity weighting, and crop substitution effects were estimated using g-computation. Banana land cover was the only land type consistently associated with increased RVF outbreak likelihood. In grid-cell years with low baseline banana cover, a 10-percentage point substitution from other land classes into banana was associated with a 1.64-fold increase in the odds of an RVF outbreak (95% CI: 1.17-2.29). In a simplified banana-only model, each 10-percentage point increase in banana cover was associated with a 1.21-fold increase in outbreak odds (95% CI: 1.02-1.43). Holding banana cover constant, substitutions among coffee, ground crop, and non-crop land showed weak or null associations. These findings suggest that banana cultivation may be an important ecological feature influencing RVF transmission dynamics and outbreak risk in southwestern Uganda.

Author SummaryRift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne disease that affects both humans and livestock and has caused repeated outbreaks in southwestern Uganda since 2016. While rainfall and flooding are often linked to RVF outbreaks elsewhere, Ugandas recent outbreaks have occurred across seasons and are not well explained by weather patterns alone. We investigated whether agricultural land use could help explain where outbreaks occur. Using satellite imagery from 2016-2024, we measured the amount of banana cultivation, coffee cultivation, ground crops, and non-crop land across southwestern Uganda and evaluated their association with RVF outbreak occurrence. We found that areas with greater banana cultivation were consistently more likely to experience RVF outbreaks, even after accounting for environmental and demographic factors. In contrast, coffee, ground crops, and non-crop land showed little evidence of an independent association with outbreak risk. These findings suggest that banana cultivation may create ecological conditions that favor RVF transmission. Rather than indicating that bananas themselves cause disease, the results point to banana-growing landscapes as potential environments where interactions among mosquitoes, livestock, and humans may increase transmission opportunities. Understanding these local ecological drivers could help improve surveillance, risk assessment, and prevention strategies for RVF in Uganda and other endemic regions.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Telford, C., Nyakarahuka, L., Baluku, J., Mutesi, J., Song, C., Boyce, R., Emch, M., Edwards, J., Shoemaker, T., Lessler, J. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-26</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.24.734419</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Crop-specific agricultural land use and Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Uganda: a longitudinal compositional analysis]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-26</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
<item rdf:about="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.22.733916v1?rss=1">
<title>
<![CDATA[
Mosquito collection method assessments for xenomonitoring in two cross-bordering villages with different ecosystems, Yanfolila, Mali, 2022-2023 
]]>
</title>
<link>
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.22.733916v1?rss=1
</link>
<description><![CDATA[
Entomological surveillance is essential for the control of lymphatic filariasis (LF). This xenomonitoring study, conducted in 2022-2023, evaluated the effectiveness of three mosquito trapping methods to identify the most suitable tool for surveillance following the discontinuation of mass drug administration. The surveys took place in two Malian villages: Konfra (seasonal watercourse) and Siradjouba (permanent watercourse). Three techniques were compared: Pyrethrum spray catch (PSC) conducted at the end of each visit inside 30 randomly selected houses, and different collection points were chosen based on the characteristics of the study area to place the Ifakara Type C tent (Ifakara) and the gravid trap (GT). Collections were conducted simultaneously at both sites. All Anopheles gambiae and Culex spp. collected in 2022-2023 were morphologically identified and then analyzed in the laboratory for their infectious status. Data was processed using SPSS v25; Fishers exact test was used to compare proportions, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. A total of 4,732 mosquitoes were captured (95.05% in 2022). In 2022, the Anopheles were predominant in Konfra (91.38%), while Culex predominated in Siradjouba (63.41%). In 2023, Anopheles was found only in Konfra (3 specimens), while Culex was predominant in Siradjouba (64.07%). In 2022, PSC collected 90.57% of Anopheles, Ifakara 9.43%, and GT 0%. For Culex, GT collected 53.67%, PSC 36.62%, and Ifakara 9.71%. In 2023, the few Anopheles (3) came from PSC; Culex were mainly collected by the Ifakara tent (43.29%). For FL xenomonitoring, the combination of PSC and the GT appear to be effective collection methods.
]]></description>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Soumaoro, L., Coulibaly, M. E., Diallo, A. A., Sangare, M., Diabate, A. F., Coulibaly, S. Y., Doumbia, S. S., Koureichi, M. M., Kone, A. K., Dembele, K., Dolo, H., Yaro, A. S., Coulibaly, Y. I. ]]></dc:creator>
<dc:date>2026-06-26</dc:date>
<dc:identifier>doi:10.64898/2026.06.22.733916</dc:identifier>
<dc:title><![CDATA[Mosquito collection method assessments for xenomonitoring in two cross-bordering villages with different ecosystems, Yanfolila, Mali, 2022-2023]]></dc:title>
<dc:publisher>Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</dc:publisher>
<prism:publicationDate>2026-06-26</prism:publicationDate>
<prism:section></prism:section>
</item>
</rdf:RDF>
