Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Per-tree leaf area index mapping of Amsterdam’s unrecorded shade canopy
Published: 2026-07-08
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Engineering, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Most of the trees shading Amsterdam are absent from any municipal record. Using the Dutch national LiDAR survey (AHN5), we derive per-tree Leaf Area Index for nearly 850,000 trees across 243km2. Roughly 62% of the canopy is unrecorded, and these unregistered trees carry a disproportionate share (about two-thirds) of the city’s gross shade, so most of this shade-providing canopy lies outside the [...]
Coastal plain retention modulates flashflood chlorophylla anomalies in the Red Sea: a CPRI based multisite analysis
Published: 2026-06-30
Subjects: Biodiversity, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Sciences, Food Science, Life Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Sciences, Research Methods in Life Sciences
The eastern Red Sea coastal margin is among the most oligotrophic large marine ecosystems on Earth, where episodic nutrient pulses from flash floods can transiently fuel phytoplankton blooms. Yet, the extent to which upstream coastal-plain geomorphology modulates the magnitude of these flood-driven chlorophylla (Chla) responses remains poorly quantified. We tested the hypothesis that narrower [...]
Valley forests as ecological bottlenecks: Topography and resource concentration structure herbivore use in the Western Ghats
Published: 2026-06-13
Subjects: Animal Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Forest Sciences, Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
Large-herbivore distributions in the Western Ghats are often interpreted through the perspective of protected areas, forest loss, and human disturbance. This perspective can undermine the ecological role of valley forests and riparian lowlands in steep, human-modified landscapes. Evidence from Asian elephants and other large herbivores indicates that habitat use is shaped by interacting filters [...]
Impacts of Potential Solar Radiation Modification: Systematic Review Reveals Challenges and Opportunities
Published: 2026-06-06
Subjects: Agriculture, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Sciences, Plant Sciences
Solar radiation modification (SRM) is a proposed temporary intervention to limit global warming while mitigation efforts continue. Understanding its potential consequences for human and natural systems is essential for informed deliberations. We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on SRM impacts published through May 2024, identifying 289 studies, including 261 primary [...]
Extreme changes in water level regenerate reed stands and a stable water regime leads to die-off: lessons from the analysis of 40-year satellite time series observations in a shallow lake ecosystem.
Published: 2026-05-30
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Hydrology, Natural Resources and Conservation, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology, Water Resource Management
Reed wetlands are key to the productivity of shallow lakes, and their condition is tightly governed by water level variability. Using long-term satellite observations, we provide the first analysis linking hydrology and reed vitality at Lake Neusiedl, a major climate sensitive wetland system in the Pannonian Basin. We assembled a 40-year record (1985–2025) of Landsat derived Enhanced Vegetation [...]
Drying summers threaten western North American river ecosystems and a keystone migratory fish
Published: 2026-05-14
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Hydrology, Water Resource Management
Climate change threatens river ecosystems by altering the seasonal streamflow patterns to which aquatic species have adapted, including keystone species like Chinook salmon in western North America. Chinook salmon display diverse life-history adaptations to local hydrologic regimes, contributing to their past resilience but leaving locally adapted populations vulnerable to changing conditions. [...]
Reduced geomagnetic shielding increased UV-B radiation at Earth’s surface during the Laschamps Event
Published: 2026-04-30
Subjects: Astrophysics and Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Biochemistry, Biogeochemistry, Biology, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geology, Geophysics and Seismology, Life Sciences, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Other Life Sciences, Paleobiology, Physical and Environmental Geography, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Planetary Geochemistry, Planetary Geology, Planetary Geophysics and Seismology, Planetary Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Statistics and Probability
Exposure to excess UV-B radiation can harm organisms through DNA damage and oxidative stress, and has likely been a key ecological and evolutionary driver throughout Earth’s history. Here, we show UV-B at Earth’s surface was significantly increased during the Laschamps Event, the last major geomagnetic excursion ca. 41ka BP. During the Laschamps, we find significant and prolonged (lasting [...]
Variation in Dissolved Oxygen Levels Between Agricultural and Protected Streams in Loudoun County, Virginia
Published: 2026-04-01
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Agricultural runoff can reduce dissolved oxygen (DO) in streams and increase the risk of hypoxia for aquatic organisms. We monitored four streams in Loudoun County, Virginia for four weeks to compare DO dynamics between two agricultural sites and two protected forested sites, and to observe the response to a 1.3 inch storm event. Sites were sampled twice daily for DO and related water quality [...]
Water Health: Testing and Determining Health of Local Bodies of Water
Published: 2026-03-31
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Ponds and rivers represent distinct aquatic ecosystems characterized by significant differences in size, flow, and water quality metrics through pH, salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), specific gravity, temperature, electric current, and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). While general metrics for assessing pond health are well-established, regional tolerance ranges can vary from commonly [...]
Spatial Patterns in Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen Along a Newly Constructed Stream Corridor in Loudoun County, Virginia
Published: 2026-03-31
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Nutrient enrichment remains a persistent driver of water quality impairment throughout the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watershed, motivating localized stream restoration efforts aimed at reducing downstream nitrogen transport. This study characterized spatial patterns in dissolved inorganic nitrogen along a newly constructed stream corridor in Loudoun County, Virginia, during active [...]
A snag for nutrient fertilization: decoupled production and export
Published: 2026-03-28
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Microbiology, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Interest in nutrient fertilization waned after inconclusive field experiments, but has resurged. Collating Southern Ocean \textit{in-situ} observations and available fertilization simulations, we find phytoplankton primary production and organic carbon export are uncorrelated in the largest high-nutrient-low-chlorophyll (HNLC) region, while model estimates cast doubt on realistic deployments [...]
Nationwide deadwood mapping reveals rising mountain forests vulnerability
Published: 2026-03-12
Subjects: Climate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Forest Sciences
Forest mortality is increasing globally under climate change, making detailed, large-scale monitoring essential for understanding ecosystem responses and guiding adaptive forest management. Here, we present a spatio-temporal assessment of standing deadwood in Switzerland from 2018 to 2023, derived from centimeter-scale high-resolution aerial imagery. We reveal a consistent upslope concentration [...]
crstools 1.0.0: an R package for cartographic analyses
Published: 2026-03-11
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Spatial analyses are central to ecological studies, underpinning applications ranging from species distribution modelling to conservation planning and macroecological inference. However, most of these require translating processes occurring on a spherical surface into a planar map, inevitably introducing distortion biases. Projection choice can therefore influence both visual interpretation and [...]
Misalignments between national mangrove monitoring capacities and climate policy ambitions
Published: 2025-12-13
Subjects: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Forest Sciences, Geography, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ambitious global targets for mangrove conservation have advanced rapidly in recent years, yet the implementation of these commitments depends largely on national monitoring systems and policy processes. Despite widespread reliance on country-reported data for setting and evaluating targets, little is known about how national mangrove statistics are generated or how they interact with climate [...]
Coastal Wetland Restoration and Greenhouse Gas Pathways: A Global Meta-Analysis
Published: 2025-11-14
Subjects: Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Life Sciences, Life Sciences, Marine Biology, Microbiology, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Coastal wetland restoration is widely promoted as a tool for climate change mitigation, but its effect on the carbon cycle is not well constrained. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed field studies that directly contrasted restored with altered sites, covering carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes across mangroves, saltmarshes, seagrass meadows, brackish [...]