Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Hall RM, Urban B, Skalova H, Moravcová L, Sölter U, Starfinger U, Kazinczi G, van Valkenburg J, Fenesi A, Konstantinovic B, Uludag A, Lommen S, Karrer G (2021) Seed viability of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is affected by seed origin and age, but also by testing method and laboratory. NeoBiota 70: 193-221. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.70.66915

Supporting tables and figures

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Urbanization buffers seasonal change in composition of bird communities: a multi-continental meta-analysis

Aim: Urbanization buffers the seasonality of climate conditions and food availability and, therefore, may cause a seasonal homogenization of animal communities. However, the global effect of urbanization on the seasonal dynamics of animal communities remains unexplored. Our aim was to study the multi-continental relationship between urbanization and the seasonal change in bird composition and explore the influence of climatic factors on the urban-induced reduction of seasonality of bird composition. Location: Multi-continental Methods: We performed a literature review and a meta-analysis. The risk ratio effect size (here referred to as urban seasonality index, USI) was used, considering the number of species seen either in the breeding (spring and/or summer) or the non-breeding (autumn and/or winter) season, and the number of species seen during both seasons between urban and less urbanized sites. Low USI values indicated a decrease in the seasonal change in bird composition in urban areas. Results: A total of 38 USIs were obtained from 34 cities of six continents. Multi-continentally, there are fewer differences in bird composition between seasons in urban than in less urbanized areas, indicating seasonal homogenization due to urbanization. The USI decreased in areas with the lowest maximum temperature and the highest latitude, suggesting the highest decrease in the seasonality of bird composition in urban areas located in regions near the poles and with high seasonal change in temperature. Moreover, studies in the Northern Hemisphere and those that compared suburban versus natural and urban versus rural habitats had a significant decrease of seasonality of bird community in urban areas. Main conclusions: Urbanization induces a seasonal homogenization of bird composition, and this impact seems more pronounced in temperate areas with broad annual temperature range, and located in the Northern Hemisphere. Results indicate that efforts to restore seasonal dynamics in habitats and resources should be made in urban areas of temperate regions.

opencc-zeroDec 2021View details →

Local plant richness predicts bee abundance and diversity in a study of urban residential yards

Understanding the drivers of biodiversity in cities is a central goal of urban ecology. There is currently intense scientific and public interest in the factors that influence pollinator diversity in cities and their surroundings. Existing studies point to a variety of landscape and local factors as potentially important, including urbanization (often defined as impervious surface cover in the surrounding lands), tree canopy cover and the diversity and abundance of locally flowering plants. However, few studies have sought to weigh the relative importance of these predictors of bee community metrics. Using a set of 27 residential yards chosen to represent a gradient of both urbanization and tree canopy cover at a landscape scale, we used pan trapping and netting to assess the abundance and diversity of local bee communities across the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Surprisingly, the landscape factors (urbanization and tree cover) described only a tiny fraction (< 1%) of the total variance in bee abundance and diversity across sites. This was true regardless of the scale of analysis at which the landscape factors were measured. Instead, a yard's floral richness, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, its floral abundance, emerged as the most important predictors of a yard's bee community abundance and diversity. Our study offers an important counterpoint to a growing body of work emphasizing the impacts of landscape factors on bee communities. Instead, our research suggests that improving bee floral resources by increasing the plant species richness and abundance locally is a powerful tool to support bee conservation, regardless of the level of urbanization or tree cover in the surrounding landscape. Our work highlights that the practice of promoting 'bee-friendly' plantings in private yards, currently being undertaken by a number of non-profits around the world, can play an important role in restoring and maintaining urban pollinator communities.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Data for: Local contributions to beta-diversity in urban pond networks: implications for biodiversity conservation and management

Aim: An understanding of how biotic communities are spatially organised is necessary to identify and prioritize habitats within landscape-scale biodiversity conservation. Local Contribution to Beta diversity (LCBD) identifies individual habitats that make a significant contribution to beta-diversity and may have important practical implications, particularly for conservation of habitat networks. In this study, we develop and apply a conservation prioritisation approach based on LCBD in aquatic invertebrate communities from 132 ponds. Location: Five urban settlements in the UK: Halton, Loughborough, Stockport, Birmingham, Huddersfield. Methods: We partition LCBD into richness difference (nestedness: RichDiffLCBD) and species replacement (turnover: ReplLCBD) and identify key environmental variables driving LCBD. We examine LCBD at two scales relevant to conservation planning: within urban settlements and nationally across the UK. Results: Significant differences in LCBD values were recorded among the five settlements. In four of the five urban settlements studied, pond sites with the greatest LCBD values typically showed high replacement values. Significant LCBD sites and sites with high taxonomic diversity together supported more of the regional species pool (70%-97%) than sites with high taxonomic diversity alone (54% to 94%) or what could be protected by the random selection of sites. LCBD was significantly associated with vegetation shading, surface area, altitude and macrophyte cover. Main conclusions: Conservation prioritisation that incorporates LCBD and sites with high taxonomic diversity improves the effectiveness of conservation actions within pond habitat networks, ensures site supporting high biodiversity are protected, and provides a method to define a spatial network of protected sites. Identifying new, effective conservation approaches, particularly in urban areas where resources may be scarce and conflicts regarding land use exist, is essential to ensure biodiversity is fully supported and detrimental anthropogenic effects are reduced.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Island biogeography theory and the urban landscape: stopover site selection by the silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)

Many migratory bats require forested sites for roosting and foraging along their migration path, but increased urbanization and intensive agricultural practices may reduce the availability of stopover sites. Urban forests may provide important stopover habitat, maintaining landscape connectivity in regions where the majority of natural habitat has been cleared for development. Island biogeography theory can be applied to urbanized temperate forest biomes where small urban forests represent islands separated from the larger "mainland" forest. We used acoustic monitoring during the fall migration period to investigate the use of urban forest habitat by the migratory species Lasionycteris noctivagans (Le Conte 1831). We predicted that recorded activity would have a positive relationship with forest patch area and shape and a negative relationship with isolation from other forest patches, as suggested by island biogeography theory. We observed greater activity at larger forest patches, and although relationships for shape and isolation were not statistically supported the observed patterns were consistent with predictions. Our results demonstrate the need for more in-depth research on the habitat requirements for both migratory and resident bat species and the impact that ongoing urbanization has on local bat populations.

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Cryptosporidium and Blastocystis sp infections in wild primates from urban and peri-urban centres in Kenya

Evidence of pathogen cross transmission between humans and primates has raised concerns about the potential impact of zoonotic pathogen transmission on primate and human health, and primate conservation. Cryptosporidium infection has been recorded in many primate species, indicating that they are likely to serve as potential reservoirs for human infections. We conducted molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium species infecting wild primates for insights into the little-known zoonotic transmission cycles in urban and peri-urban centres in Kenya. Rectal swabs were collected from a total of 65 primates, DNA extracted and screened by nested polymerase chain reaction. Overall, 43.08% of all the primates sampled were found positive for Cryptosporidium species with most infections occurring in adults. Positive cases of Cryptosporidium sp infection were distributed across all the study sites. Three of four sampled primate species (Papio anubis, Chlorocebus aethiops, Cercopithecus mitis) were positive for Cryptosporidium infections; one (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidts) was not. Sequencing results further revealed the presence of Blastocystis species. <a name="_Hlk93488975">Strong bootstrap support showed a clear clustering of both </a>Cryptosporidium and Blastocystis species obtained from this study with human isolates. In conclusion, both parasites have zoonotic potential and our findings highlight the importance of periodic surveillance of wild primate populations for zoonoses.

Supplementary material 3 from: Zulian G, Marando F, Mentaschi L, Alzetta C, Wilk B, Maes J (2022) Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application. One Ecosystem 7: e72685. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.7.e72685

Setting the context at local level

Supplementary material 1 from: Zulian G, Marando F, Mentaschi L, Alzetta C, Wilk B, Maes J (2022) Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application. One Ecosystem 7: e72685. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.7.e72685

Tutorial

Supplementary material 4 from: Zulian G, Marando F, Mentaschi L, Alzetta C, Wilk B, Maes J (2022) Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application. One Ecosystem 7: e72685. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.7.e72685

Greenness and changes in vegetation cover in not densely built areas

Supplementary material 2 from: Zulian G, Marando F, Mentaschi L, Alzetta C, Wilk B, Maes J (2022) Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application. One Ecosystem 7: e72685. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.7.e72685

Setting the context at European Level

Urban rooftop-nesting Common Nighthawk chicks tolerate high temperatures by hyperthermia with relatively low rates of evaporative water loss

Heat tolerance for many birds under climate and land use change scenarios could be compromised in the future. Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) belong to the Caprimulgiformes, a generally heat-tolerant order, but few studies have assessed heat tolerance in Caprimulgiform chicks, which might be particularly susceptible to heat stress. In the Midwestern U.S., nighthawks primarily nest on flat graveled rooftops in urban areas, as natural nesting habitats are limited. Urban rooftop-nesting nighthawks are likely exposed to higher environmental temperatures than birds nesting at more thermally buffered natural sites and evaporative cooling might be impeded by the typically high summer humidity in their Midwest breeding range. This combination of heat and humidity might negatively impact heat tolerance of nighthawk chicks. We exposed 7 to 14 day-old nighthawk chicks (n = 15) from rooftop nests to ambient temperatures up to 51° C at typical summer dew points. Chicks initiated gular flutter at a mean air temperature of 42.4 ± 3.4 (SE) °C. Evaporative water loss (EWL) rates increased significantly with increasing temperature above 44.0 ± 1.5 (SE) °C. Chicks showed little evidence of lower and upper bounds of the thermal neutral zone over the range of temperatures (30-44 °C) for which we measured oxygen consumption. Body mass loss was significantly positively correlated with temperature during heat exposure trials. Chicks tolerated ambient temperatures up to 51 °C and body temperatures up to 48 °C, which, along with the high temperatures at which gular flutter and high rates of EWL were initiated, suggest that nighthawk chicks are tolerant of high air temperatures, even with relatively high humidity. Given the high rates of mass loss and high body temperatures at hot air temperatures, chick heat tolerance mechanisms could be detrimental for rooftop-nesting nighthawks given projected increasing trends for both heat and humidity in the Midwestern U.S.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2022View details →

Urban Ventilation Planning and Its Associated Benefits based on Numerical Experiments : A case study in Beijing, China

dataset for Figures 1-7

An urban synthetic electricity distribution network from Spain, third version

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about the third version of a synthetic Distribution network from Spain built using a Reference Network Model. It models three high to medium voltage substations, high and medium voltage power lines. Includes a network model (MatPower format) with a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. Furthermore, it also comprises 5 auxiliary text files with detailed information about buses, branches, switching devices, coordinates and power lines. Besides that, a graphical representation of the synthetic distribution network is also provided along with a “readme” help file.

An urban synthetic electricity distribution network from Spain, first version

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about the first version of a synthetic Distribution network from Spain built using a Reference Network Model. It models three high to medium voltage substations, 387 distribution transformers and high, medium and low voltage power lines. Includes a network model (MatPower format) with a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. Furthermore, it also comprises 5 auxiliary text files with detailed information about buses, branches, switching devices, coordinates and power lines. Besides that, a graphical representation of the synthetic distribution network is also provided along with a “readme” help file.

An urban synthetic electricity distribution network from Spain, second version- ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about the second version of a synthetic Distribution network from Spain built using a Reference Network Model. It models three high to medium voltage substations, 387 distribution transformers and high and medium voltage power lines. Includes a network model (MatPower format) with a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. Furthermore, it also comprises 5 auxiliary text files with detailed information about buses, branches, switching devices, coordinates and power lines. Besides that, a graphical representation of the synthetic distribution network is also provided along with a “readme” help file.

Daily profiles (2020) of load of an urban synthetic electricity distribution network from UK – ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about a synthetic UK Distribution network located in an urban area (Green Lane – Altrincham) as in 2020. A network file (including grid topology, nodes, generators, consumption, all of which connected by power lines or transformers) and auxiliary files are provided. The network file (MatPower format) includes a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. The grid, which is operated at 11 kV, has 30 nodes and 30 branches. The auxiliary load data comprises 1  typical winter day gathering the active and reactive consumption at each node of the network in intervals of 1 hour.

Daily profiles (2020) of load and flexibility of a semi-urban electricity distribution network from Portugal – ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about a real Portuguese Distribution test network, totally anonymized, located in a semi-urban area as in 2020. A network file (including grid topology, nodes, generators, consumption, all of which connected by power lines or transformers) and auxiliary files are provided. The network file (MatPower format) includes a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. The grid, which is operated at 30 kV and 60 kV, has 191 nodes (100 with consumption) and 190 branches. The auxiliary load data comprises 12  typical days representing the combination of each season and the type of day (business day, Saturday, Sunday) gathering the active and reactive consumption at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. The auxiliary flexibility files comprises 4 typical days (business day of summer, Sunday of summer, business day of winter and Sunday of winter) gathering the upward and downward active power of flexibility at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. In addition, a “read me” file  called “Manual” includes technical detailed information about how to read the data properly. For the sake of coherence, each flexibility file should be used together with the respective load data file.

Daily profiles (2040) of load and flexibility of a semi-urban electricity distribution network from Portugal – ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about a real Portuguese Distribution test network, totally anonymized, located in a semi-urban area as in 2040. A network file (including grid topology, nodes, generators, consumption, all of which connected by power lines or transformers) and auxiliary files are provided. The network file (MatPower format) includes a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. The grid, which is operated at 30 kV and 60 kV, has 191 nodes (100 with consumption) and 190 branches. The auxiliary load data comprises 12  typical days representing the combination of each season and the type of day (business day, Saturday, Sunday) gathering the active and reactive consumption at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. The auxiliary flexibility files comprises 4 typical days (business day of summer, Sunday of summer, business day of winter and Sunday of winter) gathering the upward and downward active power of flexibility at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. In addition, a “read me” file  called “Manual” includes technical detailed information about how to read the data properly. For the sake of coherence, each flexibility file should be used together with the respective load data file.

Daily profiles (2040) of load of an urban electricity distribution network from Portugal – ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about a real Portuguese Distribution test network, totally anonymized, located in an urban area as in 2040. A network file (including grid topology, nodes, generators, consumption, all of which connected by power lines or transformers) and auxiliary files are provided. The network file (MatPower format) includes a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. The grid, which is operated at 10 kV and 60 kV, has 207 nodes (99 with consumption) and 206 branches. The auxiliary load data comprises 12  typical days representing the combination of each season and the type of day (business day, Saturday, Sunday) gathering the active and reactive consumption at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. In addition, a “read me” file  called “Manual” includes technical detailed information about how to read the data properly.

Daily profiles (2040) of load and flexibility of an urban electricity distribution network from Portugal – ATTEST project

This dataset was prepared under the framework of the ATTEST project, financed by the European Commission with grant number 864298. The dataset contains information about a real Portuguese Distribution test network, totally anonymized, located in an urban area as in 2040. A network file (including grid topology, nodes, generators, consumption, all of which connected by power lines or transformers) and auxiliary files are provided. The network file (MatPower format) includes a “snapshot” or “steady-state” at a given time with a converged power flow solution. The grid, which is operated at 10 kV and 60 kV, has 221 nodes (104 with consumption) and 220 branches. The auxiliary load data comprises 12  typical days representing the combination of each season and the type of day (business day, Saturday, Sunday) gathering the active and reactive consumption at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. The auxiliary flexibility files comprise 4 typical days (business day of summer, Sunday of summer, business day of winter and Sunday of winter) gathering the upward and downward active power of flexibility at each node of the network in intervals of 15 minutes. In addition, a “read me” file  called “Manual” includes technical detailed information about how to read the data properly. For the sake of coherence, each flexibility file should be used together with the respective load data file.