Category: Online extras

Methods papers, Online extras

Satellite Data Fusion for Ecologists and Conservation Scientists

What is satellite data fusion, and how can it benefit ecologists and conservation scientists? In a new Methods in Ecology and Evolution video, Henrike Schulte-to-Bühne answers this question using whiteboards and questionable drawing skills. The availability and accessibility of multispectral and radar satellite remote sensing (SRS) imagery are at an unprecedented high. However, despite the benefits of combining multispectral and radar SRS data, data fusion techniques, including image … Continue reading Satellite Data Fusion for Ecologists and Conservation Scientists

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Methods papers, Online extras

How Can We Quantify the Strength of Migratory Connectivity?

Technological advancements in the past 20 years or so have spurred rapid growth in the study of migratory connectivity (the linkage of individuals and populations between seasons of the annual cycle). A new article in Methods in Ecology and Evolution provides methods to help make quantitative comparisons of migratory connectivity across studies, data types, and taxa to better understand the causes and consequences of the seasonal distributions … Continue reading How Can We Quantify the Strength of Migratory Connectivity?

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Methods papers, Online extras

Improved and Harmless Demethylation Method for Ecological Epigenetic Experiments

In a new Methods in Ecology and Evolution video, Javier Puy outlines a new method of experimental plant DNA demethylation for ecological epigenetic experiments. While the traditionally-used approach causes underdeveloped root systems and high mortality of treated plants, this new one overcomes the unwanted effects while maintaining the demethylation efficiency. The authors demonstrate its application for ecological epigenetic experiments: testing transgenerational effects of plant–plant competition. … Continue reading Improved and Harmless Demethylation Method for Ecological Epigenetic Experiments

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Methods papers, Online extras

Animal Behaviour through a Virtual Lens

Motion vision is an important source of information for many animals. It facilitates an animal’s movement through an environment, as well as being essential for locating prey and detecting predators. However, information on the conditions for motion vision in natural environments is limited. To address this, Bian et al. have developed an innovative approach that combines novel field techniques with tools from 3D animation to … Continue reading Animal Behaviour through a Virtual Lens

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Methods papers, Online extras

In Situ Measurements of Wildlife

Measurements of morphological features are important for ecological studies, especially on free-ranging wild animal species. Conventionally, specimens either dead or in captivity are used for morphometric studies, which is difficult in the case of wild species for several reasons.‘In situ measurements of animal morphological features: a non-invasive method’ presents a new way to estimate an individual’s morphometric measurements using metadata from digital photographs. Dr. Mylswamy Mahendiran and … Continue reading In Situ Measurements of Wildlife

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Methods papers, Online extras, Practical Tools

A New Way to Study Bee Cognition in the Wild

Understanding how animals perceive, learn and remember stimuli is critical for understanding both how cognition is shaped by natural selection, and how ecological factors impact behaviour.Unfortunately, the limited number of protocols currently available for studying insect cognition has restricted research to a few commercially available bee species, in almost exclusively laboratory settings. In a new video Felicity Muth describes a simple method she developed with Trenton Cooper, Rene … Continue reading A New Way to Study Bee Cognition in the Wild

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Methods papers, Online extras

Conditional Occupancy Design Explained

Occupancy surveys are widely used in ecology to study wildlife and plant habitat use. To account for imperfect detection probability many researchers use occupancy models. But occupancy probability estimates for rare species tend to be biased because we’re unlikely to observe the animals at all and as a result, the data aren’t very informative. In their new article – ‘Occupancy surveys with conditional replicates: An … Continue reading Conditional Occupancy Design Explained

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Methods papers, Online extras

Why Soft Sweeps from Standing Genetic Variation are More Likely than You May Think

We coined the term “soft sweeps” in 2005. The term has since become widely used, though not everyone uses the term in the same way. As part of the ‘How to Measure Natural Selection‘ Special Feature in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, we attempt to clarify what “soft sweep” means and doesn’t mean. For example, not every sweep from standing genetic variation is necessarily a … Continue reading Why Soft Sweeps from Standing Genetic Variation are More Likely than You May Think

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Methods papers, Online extras

‘Size’ and ‘Shape’ in the Measurement of Multivariate Proximity

Ordination and clustering methods are widely applied to ecological data that are non-negative (like species abundances or biomasses). These methods rely on a measure of multivariate proximity that quantifies differences between the sampling units (e.g. individuals, stations, time points), leading to results such as: Ordinations of the units, where interpoint distances optimally display the measured differences Clustering the units into homogeneous clusters Assessing differences between … Continue reading ‘Size’ and ‘Shape’ in the Measurement of Multivariate Proximity

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Methods papers, Online extras

Assessment of Stream Health with DNA Metabarcoding

Following on from last week’s press release ‘How Clean are Finnish Rivers?’, Vasco Elbrecht et al. have produced a video to explain the methods in ‘Assessing strengths and weaknesses of DNA metabarcoding-based macroinvertebrate identification for routine stream monitoring‘. In this video, the authors explore the potential of DNA metabarcoding to access stream health using macroinvertebrates. They compared DNA and morphology-based identification of bulk monitoring samples from … Continue reading Assessment of Stream Health with DNA Metabarcoding

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