Find research datasets worth reusing

opennotspecifiedFeb 2021View details →

Figure 3 in Urban fragment of the Atlantic Rainforest as a refuge for cavity-nesting bees and wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata)

Figure 3. Rarefaction curves of species solitary wasps nesting on campus of Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) and in Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas (PZBGV) located in urban fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in city of Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil, from May 2014 to April 2016. Grey portions represent confidence intervals (95%) of diversity (Shannon-Wiener diversity index).

opennotspecifiedFeb 2021View details →

Figure 1 in Urban fragment of the Atlantic Rainforest as a refuge for cavity-nesting bees and wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata)

Figure 1. Urban fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, preserved by Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas (PZBGV) and campus of Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA). A- State of Bahia, Brazil; B- City of Salvador; C- Fragment studied where UFBA and PZBGV are located. Eight sampling sites were established: four (1 to 4) at UFBA campus and four (5 to 8) at PZBGV.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Reproductive phenology of the tomato frog, Dyscophus antongili, in an urban pond of Madagascar's east coast

Based on daily monitoring around an urban pond in the coastal town of Maroantsetra, from 2003-2011, we provide an analysis of the yearly reproductive activity of the tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii), a large-sized and prominent red-coloured microhylid frog from north-eastern Madagascar. Frogs were observed all year round but despite the lack of limited climatic seasonality in the region it was possible to observe a high activity period between January-May and a lower activity period between June-December. Freshly laid eggs were found in all months except November, and with highest incidence between January and May, while calling was heard in all months. We found a positive correlation between daily adult counts and minimum air temperature. On the contrary rainfall did not significantly predict activity, although boosts of calling and egg-laying especially in the austral winter were observed after heavy rainfall events. We define D. antongilii in Maroantsetra as a sporadic wet season breeder that reproduces at irregular intervals following heavy rain events.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2021View details →

Leaf traits Plantago major, urban sidewalk, city park and nature reserve populations

These measurements include the raw data on the petiole and lamina length and width of Plantago major populations growing within city parks, urban sidewalks or nature reserves in the Netherlands. The data was collected between 12-04-2021 and 07-05-2021 by Roman Beukema. The dataset includes both GPS longitude and latitude locations from each sample, as well as the lamina and petiole length and width in millimeters precise.

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Raw data: Local habitat factors and spatial connectivity jointly shape an urban insect community

As the world becomes more and more urbanized, it is increasingly important to understand the impacts of urban landscapes on biodiversity. Urbanization can change local habitat factors and decrease connectivity among local habitats, with major impacts on the structure of natural food webs. However, most studies have focused on single species, or compared rural to urban habitats, which do not inform us on how to design and manage cities to optimize biodiversity. To understand the local and spatial drivers of ecological communities within urban landscapes, we assessed the relative impact of local habitat factors (sunlight exposure and leaf litter) and spatial connectivity on an oak-associated herbivore community within an urban landscape. From the local habitat factors, leaf litter but not sunlight exposure was related to herbivore species richness, with leaf litter contributing to the maintenance of high species richness on isolated trees. Guilds and species differed strongly in their response to local habitat factors and connectivity, resulting in predictable variation in insect community composition among urban oaks. Taken together, our study shows an interactive effect of local and spatial factors on species richness and species composition within an urban context, with guild- and species-specific life histories determining the response of insects to urban landscapes. To maintain biodiversity in the urban landscape, preserving a dense network of local habitats is essential. Moreover, allowing leaf litter to accumulate can be a simple, cost-effective conservation management practice.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →

Urbanization reduces genetic connectivity in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both intra- and inter-population spatial scales

Urbanization is a major factor driving habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss in wildlife. However, the impacts of urbanization on connectivity can vary among species and even populations due to differences in local landscape characteristics, and our ability to detect these relationships may depend on the spatial scale at which they are measured. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are relatively sensitive to urbanization and the status of bobcat populations is an important indicator of connectivity in urban coastal southern California. We genotyped 271 bobcats at 13,520 SNP loci to conduct a replicated landscape resistance analysis in five genetically distinct populations. We tested urban and natural factors potentially influencing individual connectivity in each population separately, as well as study-wide. Overall, landscape genomic effects were most frequently detected at the study-wide spatial scale, with urban land cover (measured as impervious surface) having negative effects and topographic roughness having positive effects on gene flow. The negative effect of urban land cover on connectivity was also evident when populations were analyzed separately despite varying substantially in spatial area and the proportion of urban development, confirming a pervasive impact of urbanization largely independent of spatial scale. The effect of urban development was strongest in one population where stream habitat had been lost to development, suggesting that riparian corridors may help mitigate reduced connectivity in urbanizing areas. Our results demonstrate the importance of replicating landscape genetic analyses across populations and considering how landscape genetic effects may vary with spatial scale and local landscape structure.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →

Urbanization impacts apex predator gene flow but not genetic diversity across an urban-rural divide

Apex predators are important indicators of intact natural ecosystems. They are also sensitive to urbanization because they require broad home ranges and extensive contiguous habitat to support their prey base. Pumas (Puma concolor) can persist near human developed areas, but urbanization may be detrimental to their movement ecology, population structure, and genetic diversity. To investigate potential effects of urbanization in population connectivity of pumas, we performed a landscape genomics study of 130 pumas on the rural Western Slope and more urbanized Front Range of Colorado, USA. Over 12,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using double-digest, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). We investigated patterns of gene flow and genetic diversity, and tested for correlations between key landscape variables and genetic distance to assess the effects of urbanization and other landscape factors on gene flow. Levels of genetic diversity were similar for the Western Slope and Front Range, but effective population sizes were smaller, genetic distances were higher, and there was more admixture in the more urbanized Front Range. Forest cover was strongly positively associated with puma gene flow on the Western Slope, while impervious surfaces restricted gene flow and more open, natural habitats enhanced gene flow on the Front Range. Landscape genomic analyses revealed differences in puma movement and gene flow patterns in rural versus urban settings. Our results highlight the utility of dense, genome-scale markers to document subtle impacts of urbanization on a wide-ranging carnivore living near a large urban center.

opencc-zeroJul 2021View details →

Strolling through a century: replicating historical bird surveys to explore 100 years of change in an urban bird community

In 1898, Herbert and Alice Walter started a 5-year survey of birds in Lincoln Park, – the largest park in Chicago, IL – and summarized their data in an urban birding field guide, 'Wild Birds in City Parks'. Twenty-nine years later, William Dreuth compared the relative frequency of species between the Walter's study to their own 5-year Lincoln Park survey. Between 2012 and 2015, we replicated these surveys to investigate a century of bird diversity and community composition change in urban Chicago. While species richness did not change, community composition did. We found that 1) species with a greater diet breadth and 2) species that increased in statewide occupancy were more likely to increase in frequency over time. We conclude that factors at multiple scales brought temporal changes to Chicago's bird community. Overall, this survey highlights the slow and subtle ways in which species may respond to a century of urban intensification.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

Selection for increased cranial capacity in small mammals during a century of urbanization

Urbanization is a selective force that is known to drive changes in the population dynamics of wildlife. How animals adapt to changing environmental conditions is crucial to their survival in these environments. Brain size, or cranial capacity, is a known proxy of behavioral flexibility, and can be used to assess how well a species has adapted to a particular environment. We examined cranial capacity changes in a time series of small mammal skulls collected from urban and rural populations in south western Pennsylvania. Urban skulls were collected from Allegheny county—an area that experienced rapid urbanization over the past century, and rural skulls from Powdermill Nature Reserve (Carnegie Museum), which has remained relatively unchanged forest over the same period. Our results show that Peromyscus leucopous (white-footed mouse) and Microtus pennsylvanicus (meadow vole) from urban populations had significantly greater cranial capacity than their rural counterparts, but the opposite was true for Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). We found no difference in relative cranial capacity across time in any of the small mammal species. Our results suggest that a larger cranial capacity is selected for in an urban environment and reinforces the hypothesis that behavioral flexibility is important for animals to adapt to novel environments.

Figure 7 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 7. Preferred use of fronds of Selaginella geniculata as substrates for oviposition in Espadarana prosoblepon in a population in the Botanical Garden at Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia. The expected legend refers to the number of clutches that should be found in a given substrate category according to the abundance of these in the habitat; the observed legend refers to the actual number of clutches found per substrate category in this study. The category 'Leaves' refers to leaves of species other than S. geniculata while 'Others' refers to branches, trunks, and rocks.

Figure 6 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 6. (a) Amplexus, (b) oviposition, (c) abandonment of the oviposition site by the male and (d) egg attendance by the female in Espadarana prosoblepon.

Figure 5 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 5. (a) Relationship between the body size of males, and chorus tenure (i.e. number of nights a same male was recorded over the duration of the study or until was recorded in amplexus). (b) Influence of chorus tenure in males and their probability of mating. (c) Lack of assortative mating by body size of individuals in amplexus. (d) Relationship between the body size of the females and the size of their egg clutches. Regression line is showed only for the statistically significant tendency at α = 0.05.

Figure 4 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 4. Variation of (a) rainfall and environmental temperature; (b) number of males and females; and (c) egg clutches in the study area between December 2013 and November 2015. Extensions of the bars in the middle figure indicate standard deviation.

Figure 3 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 3. Frequency of activity (number of nights a same individual was observed) of males (left plot) and females (right plot) of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon between December 2013 and November 2015 in the Botanical Garden at Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Central Andes of Colombia.

Figure 2 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 2. Example of patterns of black and yellow dots observed on the back of adult individuals of Espadarana prosoblepon and used to monitor males and females.

Figure 1 in Reproductive ecology of the glass frog Espadarana prosoblepon (Anura: Centrolenidae) in an urban forest of the Central Andes of Colombia

Figure 1. Geographic location of the study area in the Botanical Garden at Universidad del Quindío Armenia, Central Andes of Colombia (orange dot: La Aldana creek).

Figure 2 in Urbanization impacts on the trophic guild composition of bird communities

Figure 2. Exploratory boxplot showing the richness of trophic guilds (number of trophic guilds per transect) at each urban stratum of the urban gradient. References: urban (CENTER), suburban (SUB), periurban (PERI), forested (PARK) and natural (NAT) sectors.

Figure 5 in Urbanization impacts on the trophic guild composition of bird communities

Figure 5. Biplot of redundancy analysis (RDA) showing the association between trophic guild abundance and significant habitat structure variables along the urban gradient. Arrow length indicates the importance of the variable in the model and arrow orientation, the direction of the variable increase. References: percentage of area covered by herbaceous vegetation (GRASS); pavement (PAVEM); high buildings (BHIGH) and water bodies (WATERB). Guilds: aquatic diving carnivore (AquaDivCar); aquatic diving omnivore (AquaDivOmn); aquatic filter (AquaFil); aquatic striding carnivore (AquaStrCar); aquatic striding omnivore (AquaStrOmn); bark insectivore (BarkIns); coursing aerial insectivore (CourAerIns); foliage granivore (FoliGra); foliage insectivore (FoliIns); foliage omnivore (FoliOmn); generalized granivore (GeneGra); generalized insectivore (GeneIns); generalized omnivore (GeneOmn); hawking aerial carnivore (HawkAerCar); hawking aerial insectivore (HawkAerIns); nectarivore (Nect); terrestrial granivore (TerrGra); terrestrial insectivore (TerrIns); and terrestrial omnivore (TerrOmn).

Figure 1 in Urbanization impacts on the trophic guild composition of bird communities

Figure 1. Santa Fe city and strata of the urban gradient indicated by circles. The urban matrix is represented by white and water bodies and forested areas with shades of grey. References: urban (CEN), suburban (SUB), periurban (PERI), forested (PARK) and natural (NAT) sectors.

Figure 3 in Urbanization impacts on the trophic guild composition of bird communities

Figure 3. Biplot of redundancy analysis (RDA) showing the association between the richness of each trophic guild and significant habitat structure and human disturbance variables along the urban gradient. Arrow length indicates the importance of the variable in the model and arrow orientation, the direction of the variable increase. References: percentage of area covered by trees/shrubs (TREESHRUB); herbaceous vegetation (GRASS); water bodies (WATERB); pavement (PAVEM); pedestrian rate (PEDESR); and vehicle rate (VEHICLR). Guilds: aquatic diving carnivore (AquaDivCar); aquatic diving omnivore (AquaDivOmn); aquatic filter (AquaFil); aquatic striding carnivore (AquaStrCar); aquatic striding omnivore (AquaStrOmn); bark insectivore (BarkIns); coursing aerial insectivore (CourAerIns); foliage granivore (FoliGra); foliage insectivore (FoliIns); foliage omnivore (FoliOmn); generalized granivore (GeneGra); generalized insectivore (GeneIns); generalized omnivore (GeneOmn); hawking aerial carnivore (HawkAerCar); hawking aerial insectivore (HawkAerIns); nectarivore (Nect); terrestrial granivore (TerrGra); terrestrial insectivore (TerrIns); and terrestrial omnivore (TerrOmn).