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691 results for “vegetation data”
Data from: Changes in Eocene plant diversity and composition of the vegetation: the lacustrine archive of Messel (Germany)
Based on high resolution palynological analysis of 680 samples from a core, short-term changes in plant diversity and floristic composition within the Paleogene greenhouse have been detected in the lacustrine succession of a Lower to Middle Eocene maar lake at Messel (Federal State of Hesse, Germany). The microfloristic data show that taxonomic diversity increased rapidly within some decades during recolonization of a volcanically devastated area around the lake. With the establishment of a climax vegetation at the end of recolonization the maximum in palynological diversity was reached in the crater area. During the following 640 Kyr the composition of the palynospectrum changed only gradually. However, different richness and evenness estimations show that alpha and gamma diversity decreased up to 35% which can be related to the establishment of an equilibrium stage within the climax vegetation that led to the dominance of an assemblage of self-replacing species. Nevertheless, time series analysis of alpha diversity changes within the climax vegetation reveals that orbitally controlled climate change of Milankovitch and Sub-Milanovitch order influenced the diversity of the vegetation resulting in a rise of beta diversity. Based on the composition of the vegetation and comparison to modern analogues our analysis now proves that Eocene paratropical plant diversity increased during periods of slightly higher temperature and precipitation. Therefore, both composition and diversity of the vegetation was highly susceptible to minor-scale short-term changes in climate even during equable greenhouse conditions.
Data from: Functional response of plant communities to clearcutting: management impacts differ between forest vegetation zones
1. Understanding of the ecological impacts of logging practices on biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes is essential for developing sustainable forest management approaches. We documented the impacts of clearcutting on the functional structure of tree and herbaceous communities in hemiboreal, cool-temperate, warm-temperate and subtropical forests in the Japanese archipelago and identified forest vegetation that is vulnerable to deterioration of important ecosystem functions. 2. We combined species data for leaf, stem, flower and fruit traits related to productivity, nutrient cycling and habitat quality for wildlife with phytosociological vegetation data from unmanaged and previously-clearcut forests, then calculated functional structure indices (community mean of trait values, functional richness and functional divergence) of plant communities. 3 .For tree species, functional structure indices of specific leaf area (SLA), leaf carbon and nitrogen concentrations, maximum height, wood density and flower size differed between unmanaged and clearcut forests, while for herb species, only maximum height differed between the two forest types. 4. Functional structure indices showed divergent patterns across forest vegetation zones. In hemiboreal, cool-temperate and warm-temperate forests, the community means of SLA and leaf nitrogen concentration were greater and that of leaf carbon concentration was smaller in clearcut than in unmanaged forests. Although clearcut forests had greater species richness than unmanaged forests, functional richness and/or functional divergence of maximum height were smaller in clearcut forests. In hemiboreal and cool-temperate forests, functional richness and functional divergence of SLA were also smaller in clearcut forests. In contrast, subtropical forests showed no differences in species richness and functional structures between unmanaged and clearcut forests. 5. Synthesis and applications. Functional redundancy of plant communities differs among traits and among forest vegetation zones. After intensive logging, hemiboreal, cool-temperate and warm-temperate forests were more vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem functions related to leaf and stem traits of tree species than were subtropical forests, which appeared relatively resilient. Locally adaptive management to maintain multiple ecosystem functions should be developed based on the degree of functional complementarity among plant species in forest communities.
Data from: Linking vital rates of landbirds on a tropical island to rainfall and vegetation greenness
Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique ways. Predicted productivity of rufous fantail was highest when dry and wet season greenness values were high relative to site-specific 5-year seasonal mean values (i.e., relative greenness); while the white-eye species had highest predicted productivity when relative greenness contrasted between wet and dry seasons. Survival of rufous fantail and bridled white eye was positively related to relative dry-season greenness and negatively related to relative wet-season greenness. Bridled white-eye survival also showed evidence of a positive response to overall greenness. Our results highlight the potentially important role of rainfall regimes in affecting population dynamics of species on oceanic tropical islands. Understanding linkages between rainfall, vegetation, and animal population dynamics will be critical for developing effective conservation strategies in this and other regions where the seasonal timing, extent, and variability of rainfall is expected to change in the coming decades.
Data from: Complex biotic interactions drive long-term vegetation dynamics in a subarctic ecosystem
Predicting impacts of global warming requires understanding of the extent to which plant biomass and production are controlled by bottom-up and top-down drivers. By annually monitoring community composition in grazed control plots and herbivore-free exclosures at an Arctic location for 15 years, we detected multiple biotic interactions. Regular rodent cycles acted as pulses driving synchronous fluctuations in the biomass of field-layer vegetation; reindeer influenced the biomass of taller shrubs, and the abundance of plant pathogenic fungi increased when densities of their host plants increased in exclosures. Two outbreaks of geometrid moths occurred during the study period, with contrasting effects on the field layer: one in 2004 had marginal effects, while one in 2012 severely reduced biomass in the control plots and eliminated biomass that had accumulated over 15 years in the exclosures. The latter was followed by a dramatic decline of the dominant understory dwarf-shrub Empetrum hermaphroditum, driven by an interaction between moth herbivory on top buds and leaves, and increased disease severity of a pathogenic fungus. We show that the climate has important direct and indirect effects on all these biotic interactions. We conclude that long time series are essential to identify key biotic interactions in ecosystems, since their importance will be influenced by climatic conditions, and that manipulative treatments are needed in order to obtain the mechanistic understanding needed for robust predictions of future ecosystem changes and their feedback effects.
Data from: A comparative study of ancient sedimentary DNA, pollen and macrofossils from permafrost sediments of northern Siberia reveals long-term vegetational stability
Although ancient DNA from sediments (sedaDNA) has been used to investigate past ecosystems, the approach has never been directly compared to the traditional methods of pollen and macrofossil analysis. We conducted a comparative survey of 18 ancient permafrost samples spanning the Late Pleistocene (46–12.5 thousand years ago), from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. The results show that pollen, macrofossils and sedaDNA are complementary rather than overlapping, and in combination reveal more detailed information on plant palaeocommunities than can be achieved by each individual approach. SedaDNA and macrofossils share greater overlap in plant identifications than with pollen, suggesting that sedaDNA is local in origin. These two proxies also permit identification to lower taxonomic levels than pollen, enabling investigation of temporal changes in species composition and the determination of indicator species to describe environmental changes. Combining data from all three proxies, reveals an area continually dominated by a mosaic vegetation of tundra-steppe, pioneer and wet-indicator plants. Such vegetational stability is unexpected, given the severe climate changes taking place in the northern hemisphere during this time, with changes in average annual temperatures of > 22ºC. This may explain the abundance of ice-age mammals such as horse and bison in Taymyr Peninsula during the Pleistocene, and why it acted as a refugium for the last mainland woolly mammoth. Our finding reveals the benefits of combining sedaDNA, pollen and macrofossil for palaeovegetational reconstruction and add to the increasing evidence suggesting large areas of the northern hemisphere remained ecologically stable during the Late Pleistocene.
Data from: How persistent are the impacts of logging roads on Central African forest vegetation?
1. Logging roads can trigger tropical forest degradation by reducing the integrity of the ecosystem and providing access for encroachment. Therefore, road-management is crucial in reconciling selective logging and biodiversity conservation. Most logging roads are abandoned after timber harvesting, however little is known about their long-term impacts on forest vegetation and accessibility, especially in Central Africa. 2. In 11 logging concessions in the Congo Basin we field-sampled a chronosequence of roads that, judged by satellite images, had been abandoned between 1985 and 2015. We assessed recovery of timber resources, tree diversity and above-ground biomass in three zones: the road track, the road edge (where forest had been cleared during road construction) and the adjacent logged forest. 3. The density of commercial timber species ≤ 15 cm DBH was almost three times higher in the road track (327 individuals ha-1) and edge (278) than in the logged adjacent forest (111). Over time, tree species diversity converged to a comparable level between roads and adjacent forests, along with decreasing soil compaction and increasing canopy closure. 4. The average width of forest clearing for road construction was 20 m, covering a total 0.76% of the forest area inside concessions. After 15 years following abandonment, road tracks had recovered 24 Mg ha-1 of above-ground woody biomass, which was 6% of that in the adjacent forest, while road edges had accumulated 167 Mg ha-1 (42%). Ten years after abandonment, roads were no longer penetrable by poachers on motorcycles. Exotic herb species were fully replaced by dominant Marantaceae that have even higher abundance in the adjacent forest. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our evidence of vegetation recovery suggests that logging roads are mostly transient elements in forest landscapes. However, given the slow recovery of biomass on abandoned road tracks, we advocate both reducing the width of forest clearing for road construction and reopening old logging roads for future harvests, rather than building new roads in intact forests. Road edges seem suitable for post-logging silviculture which needs to be assisted by removing dominant herbs during the early years after abandonment while the road track is still accessible
Data from: Are landscape attributes a useful shortcut for classifying vegetation in the tropics? A case study of La Amistad International Park
Effective vegetation classification schemes identify the processes determining species assemblages and support the management of protected areas. They can also provide a framework for ecological research. In the tropics, elevation-based classifications dominate over alternatives such as river catchments. Given the existence of floristic data for many localities, we ask how useful floristic data are for developing classification schemes in species-rich tropical landscapes and whether floristic data provide support for classification by river catchment. We analyzed the distribution of vascular plant species within 141 plots across an elevation gradient of 130 to 3200 m asl within La Amistad National Park. We tested the hypothesis that river catchment, combined with elevation, explains much of the variation in species composition. We found that annual mean temperature, elevation, and river catchment variables best explained the variation within local species communities. However, only plots in high-elevation oak forest and Páramo were distinct from those in low- and mid-elevation zones. Beta diversity did not significantly differ in plots grouped by elevation zones, except for low-elevation forest, although it did differ between river catchments. None of the analyses identified discrete vegetation assemblages within mid-elevation (700–2600 m asl) plots. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that river catchment can be an alternative means for classifying tropical forest assemblages in conservation settings.
Data from: How the litter-feeding bioturbator Orchestia gammarellus promotes late successional salt marsh vegetation
1.Traditionally, studies on vegetation succession have focused either on plant-plant interactions, or on interactions between plants and their physical environment, e.g. through organic matter build-up and increased nutrient cycling. These interactions can change conditions for macrodetritivores that feed on plant litter, but their role in vegetation succession is rarely studied. In this paper we explore whether the bioturbating crustacean macrodetritivore Orchestia gammarellus alters soil conditions in a salt marsh ecosystem in such a way that it promotes late successional, less stress-tolerant plant species at the expense of early successional species. 2.To answer this, we performed a field and a laboratory experiment in which we manipulated abundances of O. gammarellus, and studied the consequences for soil physical and chemical parameters and for vegetation community composition. 3.Our field experiment showed that O. gammarellus stimulated nitrogen mineralization, likely resulting from the positive effect of this macrodetritivore on soil aeration and litter decomposition. Moreover, results from the laboratory experiment showed that O. gammarellus negatively affected dicot seedling survival of mainly early successional plant species, likely through grazing, thus affecting plant community composition. 4.The experiments together provided evidence that O. gammarellus promotes late successional plant species in multiple ways: by alleviation of anoxic conditions, by promoting nutrient cycling and by selective herbivory on early successional species. 5.Synthesis: By demonstrating that a species traditionally considered as part of the detrital ('brown') food web is thus an important accelerator of vegetation succession, this study documents an important but often overlooked link in food web and ecosystem ecology.
Data from: Increase in light interception cost and metabolic mass component of leaves are coupled for efficient resource use in the high altitude vegetation
Global syntheses of leaf trait scaling relationships report an increase in light interception costs or 'diminishing returns' with increase in leaf area. However, variation in light interception costs across ecological gradients and plant strategies to cope up with these costs are not adequately understood. We analyzed leaf area (A) - leaf dry mass (M), leaf water mass (W) - M and W - A scaling relationships in plants occurring in a high altitude region of western Himalaya across environmental gradients to understand changes in light interception cost and metabolic mass component. M represents light interception cost, whereas, W is considered as a proxy of metabolic mass component for liquid phase being the ultimate source of metabolic activity. Trait values were measured from 9278 leaves belonging to 136 dominant species occurring at different sites, slope aspects, elevations and habitat types. Overall, light interception cost increased with increasing A (scaling exponent (α) <1 in A-M relationship) and metabolic mass component increased disproportionately high with increasing M and A. We found significant differences in scaling exponents of leaf trait relationship between sites, elevations, slope aspects and habitat types, indicating that increase in light interception cost was more evident at higher elevations, southern slopes and open habitats. Further, with increase in light interception cost, metabolic mass component also increased (α>1 in W-M and W-A relationships). The changes in scaling exponents of various leaf trait relationships across ecological gradients indicated that vegetation of different regions have differences in light interception cost and metabolic mass component. Moreover, increasing light interception cost (increase in mechanical and hydraulic tissues) with increasing A and increasing metabolic mass (leaf thickness) with increasing A and M are favored in high altitude vegetation. This could be a key strategy of high altitude plants for efficient resource capture and use in harsh environments.
Data from: The utility of normalized difference vegetation index for predicting African buffalo forage quality
Many studies of mammalian herbivores have employed remotely sensed vegetation greenness, in the form of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy for forage quality. The assumption that reflected greenness represents forage quality often goes untested, and limited data exist on the relationships between remotely sensed and traditional forage nutrient indicators. We provide the first study connecting NDVI and forage nutrient indicators within a free-ranging African herbivore ecosystem. We examined the relationships between fecal nutrient levels (nitrogen and phosphorus), forage nutrient levels, body condition, and NDVI for African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in a South African savanna ecosystem over a 2-year period (2001 and 2002). We used an information-theoretic approach to rank models of fecal nitrogen (Nf) and phosphorus (Pf) as functions of geology, season, and NDVI in each year separately. For each year, the highest ranked models for Nf accounted for 61% and 65% of the observed variance, and these models included geology, season, and NDVI. The top-ranked model for Pf in 2001, although capturing 54% of the variability, did not include NDVI. In 2002, we could not identify a top ranking model for phosphorus (i.e., all models were within 2 AICc of each other). Body condition was most highly correlated (equation image; P ≤ 0.001) with NDVI at a 1 month time lag and with Nf at a 3 months time lag (equation image; P ≤ 0.001), but was not significantly correlated with Pf. Our findings suggest that NDVI can be used to index nitrogen content of forage and is correlated with improved body condition in African buffalo. Thus, NDVI provides a useful means to assess forage quality where crude protein is a limiting resource. We found that NDVI accounted for more than a seasonal effect, and in a system where standing biomass may be high but of low quality, understanding available nutrients is useful for management.
Data from: Fallow management increases habitat suitability for endangered steppe bird species through changes in vegetation structure
In the face of the dramatic worldwide decline of farmland bird populations, the preservation of fallow fields is a conservation measure encouraged through subsidies (e.g. agri‐environmental schemes, AES). Beyond the general benefits of increasing fallow availability for endangered steppe bird populations, there is a lack of knowledge on how fallow management can contribute to meeting species‐specific habitat requirements. We used occurrence data from three steppe bird species protected at the EU level (Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax, and Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra), framed in a quasi‐experimental approach covering an unprecedented spatio‐temporal scale that included 612 fallow fields over a three‐year study period in an agricultural Mediterranean landscape (Spain). We used path analysis to explore the mechanisms by which common agricultural practices affected species‐specific occurrence. We examined partial effects of agricultural practices on vegetation structure and food availability, and the partial effect of these variables on bird occurrence compared to control fields (no agricultural practices applied). Agricultural practices had a significant effect on the presence of the three studied species. Through changes in the vegetation structure, Shredding + Herbicide and Tillage increased the occurrence of the Stone Curlew and Shredding increased the occurrence of the Little Bustard. The occurrence of Calandra Lark was mostly affected by landscape variables. Synthesis and applications. Our study highlights that, in addition to the acknowledged positive role of fallow availability, applying a limited number of specific agricultural practices before the breeding season can further increase bird occurrence by changing the vegetation structure. Using path analysis, we explored the mechanisms driving the occurrence of three steppe bird species under different agricultural practices. Such information is key to providing specific recommendations for future conservation management of endangered species within agri‐environmental schemes.
Data from: Multi-decadal vegetation transformations of a New Mexico ponderosa pine landscape after severe fires and aerial seeding
<p>Wildfires and climate change are having transformative effects on vegetation composition and structure, and post-fire management may have long-lasting impacts on ecosystem reorganization. Post-fire aerial seeding treatments are commonly used to reduce runoff and soil erosion, but little is known about how seeding treatments affect native vegetation recovery over long periods of time, particularly in type-converted forests which have been dramatically transformed by the effects of repeated, high-severity fire. In this study, we analyze and report on a rare long-term (23-year) dataset that documents vegetation dynamics following a 1996 post-fire aerial seed treatment and subsequent 2011 high-severity reburn in a dry conifer forest of northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. Repeated surveys between 1997 – 2019 of 49 permanent transects were used to test for differences in vegetation cover, richness, and diversity between seeded and unseeded areas, and to characterize the development of seeded and unseeded vegetation communities through time and across gradients of burn severity, elevation, and soil-available water capacity. Post-fire seeding led to a clear and sustained divergence in herbaceous community composition. Seeded plots had much higher cover of non-native graminoids, primarily Bromus inermis, a likely contaminant in the seed mix. High-severity reburning in all plots in 2011 reduced native graminoid cover by half at seeded plots compared to both pre-fire levels and to plots that were unseeded following the initial 1996 fire. In addition, increased fire severity was associated with increased non-native graminoid cover and reduced native graminoid cover, native species richness, and species diversity. This study documents a fire-driven ecosystem transformation from a former conifer forest into a shrub-grass system, reinforced by aerial seeding of grasses and high-severity reburning. This unique long-term dataset illustrates that post-fire seeding carries significant risk of unwanted non-native species invasions that persist through subsequent fires – indicating that alternative post-fire management actions merit consideration to better support native ecosystem resilience in the face of emergent climate change and increasing disturbance. Lastly, this study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring of post-fire vegetation dynamics, as short-term assessments will miss key elements of the full complexity of ecosystem responses to fire and post-fire management actions.</p>
Data needed to reproduce analysis from "Frost matters: Incorporating late-spring frost in a dynamic vegetation model regulates regional productivity dynamics in European beech forests"
<p>Data to reproduce analysis from "Frost matters: Incorporating late-spring frost in a dynamic vegetation model regulates regional productivity dynamics in European beech forests".</p> <p>This includes:</p> <ol> <li>Tree ring data (meyer, bdn, principe, dittmar)</li> <li>LPJ-GUESS model output (frost_validation, frost_sensitivity, runs_22012024_revision)</li> <li>Data used for plotting</li> </ol>
Data and code for "Topography and climate drive recent shifts in vegetation productivity dynamics"
<p>This zip file includes data and code for manuscript "<span><span>Topography and climate drive recent shifts in vegetation productivity dynamics</span></span>".</p>
Data and code for 'Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth'
<p>The 'stepwisefit' requires Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox installed in the MATLAB to run the code. The import data are attached.</p>
Data for "Modeling the short-term fire effects on vegetation dynamics and surface energy in southern Africa"
<p>This is the data used for "Modeling the short-term fire effects on vegetation dynamics and surface energy in southern Africa using the improved SSiB4/TRIFFID-Fire model". The data includes two folders: fireon and fireoff representing the scenarios with the fire model turned on and off. Each folder includes 14 years of data from 2000-2013.</p>
Characterization of Site-Specific Vegetation Activity in Alaskan Wet and Dry Tundra as Related to Climate and Soil State DATA
<p>We present discrete (2-hour resolution) multi-year (2008 – 2017) <em>in situ </em>measurements of seasonal vegetation growth and soil biophysical properties from two sites on Alaska’s North Slope, USA, representing dry and wet sedge tundra. We examine measurements of vertical active soil layer temperature and soil moisture profiles (freeze/thaw status), woody shrub vegetation physiological activity, and meteorological site data to assess interrelationships within (and between) these two study sites.</p> <p>Vegetation phenophases (cold de-hardening start, physiological function start, stem growth start, stem growth end, physiological function end, cold hardening completion) were found to have greater inter-annual Day-Of-Year (DOY) occurrence variability at the dry site compared to the wet site. At the dry site, vegetation activity begins on average ~ 7 days earlier and ends ~ 11 days earlier. The mean active stem growth window lasts ~ 54 days for the dry site and ~51 days for the wet site. Vegetation, in both tundra environments, began cold de-hardening functions (warm season prep) prior to atmospheric temperatures warming above 0°C. Similar results were found related to the critical soil freeze/thaw/transition dates; the dry site had a DOY phenophase occurrence range that was 8 days larger than that of the wet site. A longer continuous summer thaw period was captured at the wet site by ~ 26 days throughout the active layer. In addition, the dry site was measured to have longer spring and fall soil isothermal conditions than the wet site by ~ 9 and 5 days throughout the active layer. These results show that the dry site’s willow shrub vegetation physiology and soil condition phenology is more variable than the wet site.</p> <p>Alongside the <em>in situ</em> data, a remote sensing product from NASA’s MEaSUREs program was utilized; our research indicates that the AMSR derived satellite product is more precise over the wet tundra site with critical date alignment between remote sensing observations and <em>in situ</em> measurements ranging from ~ 4 to 11 days. Furthermore, the AMSR product was shown to preemptively estimate land surface condition change during the spring transition for both tundra types while lagging during the fall transition and freeze-up periods.</p>
Data for Matsala et al. (2021) paper in Applied Vegetation Science journal
<p>Data to run models described in Matsala et al. (2021) paper in Applied Vegetation Science journal.</p>
Data from: Insect visual sensitivity to long wavelengths enhances colour contrast against vegetation
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The sensitivity of animal photoreceptors to different wavelengths of light strongly influence the perceived visual contrast of objects in the environment. Outside of the human visual wavelength range, ultraviolet sensitivity in many species provides important and behaviourally relevant visual contrast between objects. However, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the potential advantage of red sensitivity remains unclear. We investigated the potential benefit of long wavelength sensitivity by modelling the visual contrast of a wide range of jewel beetle colours against flowers and leaves of their host plants to hypothetical insect visual systems. We find that the presence of a long wavelength sensitive photoreceptor increases estimated colour contrast, particularly of beetles against leaves. Moreover, under our model parameters, a trichromatic visual system with ultraviolet (λ<sub>max</sub> = 355 nm), short (λ<sub>max</sub> = 445 nm) and long (λ<sub>max</sub> = 600 nm) wavelength photoreceptors performed as well as a tetrachromatic visual system, which had an additional medium wavelength photoreceptor (λ<sub>max</sub> = 530 nm). When we varied λ<sub>max</sub> for the long wavelength sensitive receptor in a tetrachromatic system, contrast values between beetles, flowers and leaves were all enhanced with increasing λ<sub>max</sub> from 580 nm to at least 640 nm. These results suggest a potential advantage of red sensitivity in visual discrimination of insect colours against vegetation and highlight the potential adaptive value of long wavelength sensitivity in insects.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Submerged aquatic vegetation, water quality (pH, salinity, and turbidity) and waterfowl abundance data from 1991-2017 in Back Bay, Virginia
<p><span>Back Bay, Virginia, has been documented as an important foraging area for waterfowl since at least the mid-1800s. Expansive submerged plant beds historically supported diverse assemblages of non-breeding waterfowl, however coastal development and other anthropogenic influences have since led to fluctuations in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and an associated decline in waterfowl abundance in the bay. To gain insight into the effects of environmental drivers on waterfowl foraging guilds, our study explores the effects of SAV frequency and water quality on the abundance of dabbling ducks, diving ducks, and swans and geese in Back Bay. We use 8 years of SAV, water quality, and waterfowl monitoring data collected by state and federal agencies to model the effects of salinity, turbidity, pH, and percent frequency of SAV on the relative abundance of waterfowl by foraging guild in Back Bay. The appropriateness of the data and reasonability of the preliminary results were then evaluated through semi-structured interviews with 11 local informants representing state, federal, and non-governmental organizations. Quantitative results indicated that dabbling ducks are affected differently than other guilds by water quality and percent frequency of SAV. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed a number of potential explanations for the model results, as well as highlighted areas of uncertainty in need of further research. In a test of face validity, participants demonstrated a significant degree of belief in turbidity, salinity, and SAV as drivers of waterfowl abundance, but were not convinced by the potential effects of pH as demonstrated by the model. This mixed methods study provides insights that could potentially influence the management and conservation of non-breeding waterfowl populations by challenging the assumption that particular environmental conditions serve all foraging groups equally.</span></p>
ScienceDex guides
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These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.