Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
229
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
229 results for “habitat ecology”
FIGURE 2 in A new genus and two new species of sea stars (Family Asterinidae) from Indonesian marine lakes, with notes on habitat and feeding ecology
FIGURE 2. Internal structures of Limnasterias gen. nov., A–B Limnasterias oinops holotype, MZB.Astr.00040: A. Ray and abactinal surface removed to show absence of superambulacral plates (arrow) B. Appressed superactinal plate at distal edge of interradius (arrow) C. Limnasterias estradivariae paratype, MZB.Astr.00047, abactinal surface and ray removed, showing interradial pillar (arrow) and absence of superambulacral plates D. L. estradivariae paratype, MZB.Astr.00048, superactinal plate (arrow). Note that residual fibers from packaging are present in Fig. 2C.
FIGURE 4 in A new genus and two new species of sea stars (Family Asterinidae) from Indonesian marine lakes, with notes on habitat and feeding ecology
FIGURE 4. Live and in situ observations of Limnasterias gen. nov. A. Limnasterias oinops, paratype, MZB.Astr.00042, live animal. B. Regurgitated remains of cannibalized L. oinops with visible furrow spines (arrow). C. Limnasterias estradivariae, paratype, MZB.Astr.00047, live animal. D. L. oinops on macroalgae. E. L. estradivariae on macroalgae.
Data from: Species-habitat relationships and ecological correlates of butterfly abundance in a transformed tropical landscape
Tropical butterfly conservation strategies often focus on total and/or common species richness to assess the conservation value of a patch or habitat. However, such a strategy overlooks the unique dynamics of rare species. We evaluated the species-habitat relationships of 209 common, intermediate, and rare butterfly species (including morphospecies) across four habitat types (mature, degraded, or fragmented forest, and urban parks) and two patch sizes (<400 ha, ≥400 ha) in Singapore. Common species richness was consistent across habitat types. Intermediate species richness declined by more than 50 percent in urban parks (relative to all forest habitats), and rare species richness was reduced by 50 percent in degraded and fragmented forest and by 90 percent in urban parks (relative to mature forest). Large patches had comparable overall richness to small patches, but they supported more rare species and three times as many habitat-restricted species over a similar area. Importantly, a number of rare species were confined to single small patches. Mixed-effects regression models were constructed to identify habitat and ecological/life history variables associated with butterfly abundance. These models revealed that species with greater habitat specialization, rare larval host plants, few larval host plant genera, and narrow global geographic ranges were more likely to be rare species. Overall, these results demonstrate that the richness of habitat-restricted and rare species do not follow the same spatial distribution patterns as common species. Therefore, while conserving mature forests is key, effective butterfly conservation in a transformed landscape should take into account rare and habitat-restricted species.
Eye size and investment in frogs and toads correlate with adult habitat, activity pattern and breeding ecology
<p></p><p>Frogs and toads (Amphibia: Anura) display diverse ecologies and behaviours, which are often correlated with visual capacity in other vertebrates. Additionally, anurans exhibit a broad range of relative eye sizes, which have not previously been linked to ecological factors in this group. We measured relative investment in eye size and corneal size for 220 species of anurans representing all 55 currently recognized families and tested whether they were correlated with six natural history traits hypothesized to be associated with the evolution of eye size. Anuran eye size was significantly correlated with habitat, with notable decreases in eye investment among fossorial, subfossorial and aquatic species. Relative eye size was also associated with mating habitat and activity pattern. Compared to other vertebrates, anurans have relatively large eyes for their body size, indicating that vision is probably of high importance. Our study reveals the role that ecology and behaviour may have played in the evolution of anuran visual systems and highlights the usefulness of museum specimens, and importance of broad taxonomic sampling, for interpreting macroecological patterns.</p><p></p>
Data from: Physiological, morphological, and ecological tradeoffs influence vertical habitat use of deep-diving toothed-whales in the Bahamas
Dive capacity among toothed whales (suborder: Odontoceti) has been shown to generally increase with body mass in a relationship closely linked to the allometric scaling of metabolic rates. However, two odontocete species tagged in this study, the Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris and the Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris, confounded expectations of a simple allometric relationship, with exceptionally long (mean: 46.1 min & 65.4 min) and deep dives (mean: 1129 m & 1179 m), and comparatively small body masses (med.: 842.9 kg & 1556.7 kg). These two species also exhibited exceptionally long recovery periods between successive deep dives, or inter-deep-dive intervals (M. densirostris: med. 62 min; Z. cavirostris: med. 68 min). We examined competing hypotheses to explain observed patterns of vertical habitat use based on body mass, oxygen binding protein concentrations, and inter-deep-dive intervals in an assemblage of five sympatric toothed whales species in the Bahamas. Hypotheses were evaluated using dive data from satellite tags attached to the two beaked whales (M. densirostris, n = 12; Z. cavirostris, n = 7), as well as melon-headed whales Peponocephala electra (n = 13), short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus (n = 15), and sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus (n = 27). Body mass and myoglobin concentration together explained only 36% of the variance in maximum dive durations. The inclusion of inter-deep-dive intervals, substantially improved model fits (R2 = 0.92). This finding supported a hypothesis that beaked whales extend foraging dives by exceeding aerobic dive limits, with the extension of inter-deep-dive intervals corresponding to metabolism of accumulated lactic acid. This inference points to intriguing tradeoffs between body size, access to prey in different depth strata, and time allocation within dive cycles. These tradeoffs and resulting differences in habitat use have important implications for spatial distribution patterns, and relative vulnerabilities to anthropogenic impacts.
Data from: Social monogamy versus polyandry: ecological factors associated with sex-roles in two closely related birds within the same habitat
Why mainly males compete and females take a larger share in parental care remains an exciting question in evolutionary biology. Role-reversed species are of particular interest, because such exceptions′ help to test the rule. Using mating systems theory as a framework, we compared the reproductive ecology of the two most contrasting coucals with regard to sexual dimorphism and parental care: the black coucal with male-only care and the bi-parental white-browed coucal. Both species occur in the same lush habitat and face similar ecological conditions, but drastically differ in mating system and sexual dimorphism. Black coucals were migratory and occurred at high breeding densities. With females being obligatory polyandrous and almost twice as heavy as males, black coucals belong to the most extreme vertebrates with reversed sexual dimorphism. Higher variance in reproductive success in fiercely competing females suggests that sexual selection is stronger in females than males. In contrast, resident white-browed coucals bred at low densities and invariably in pairs. They were almost monomorphic and the variance in reproductive success was similar between the sexes. Black coucals were more likely to lose nests than white-browed coucals, probably facilitating female emancipation of parental care in black coucals. We propose that a combination of high food abundance, high population density, high degree of nest loss, and male bias in the adult sex ratio are ecological conditions that facilitate role reversal and polyandry in coucals and terrestrial vertebrates in general.
Data from: Floodplains provide important amphibian habitat despite multiple ecological threats
Floodplain ponds and wetlands are productive and biodiverse ecosystems, yet they face multiple threats including altered hydrology, land use change, and non-native species. Protecting and restoring important floodplain ecosystems requires understanding how organisms use these habitats and respond to altered environmental conditions. We developed Bayesian models to evaluate occupancy of six amphibian species across 103 off-channel aquatic habitats in the Chehalis River floodplain, Washington State, USA. The basin has been altered by changes in land use, reduced river-wetland connections, and the establishment of non-native American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana = Lithobates catesbeianus) and centrarchid fishes, all of which we hypothesized could influence native amphibian occupancy. Despite potential threats, the floodplain habitats had relatively high rates of native amphibian occupancy, particularly when compared to studies from non-floodplain habitats within the species' native ranges. The biggest challenge for native amphibians appears to be non-native centrarchid fishes, which strongly reduced occupancy of two native amphibians: the northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and the northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile). Emergent vegetative cover increased occupancy probability for all five native amphibian species, indicating that plant-management may offer a strategy to counter the negative effect of centrarchids by providing refuge from predation. We found that temporary and permanent hydroperiod sites supported different species, hence both should be conserved on the landscape. Lastly, human-created and natural ponds had similar amphibian occupancy patterns, suggesting that pond construction offers a viable strategy for adding habitats to the floodplain landscape. Overall, floodplain ponds and wetlands provide important amphibian habitat, and we offer management strategies that will bolster amphibian occupancy in an altered floodplain landscape.
Data from: Ecological segregation in a small mammal hybrid zone: habitat-specific mating opportunities and selection against hybrids restrict gene flow on a fine spatial scale
The degree to which closely related species interbreed is determined by a complex interaction of ecological, behavioral, and genetic factors. We examine the degree of interbreeding between two woodrat species, Neotoma bryanti and N. lepida, at a sharp ecological transition. We identify the ecological association of each genotypic class, assess the opportunity for mating between these groups, and test whether they have similar patterns of year-to-year persistence on our study site. We find that 13% of individuals have a hybrid signature but that the two parental populations and backcrosses are highly segregated by habitat type and use. Also, we find that adult hybrids are comparable to parental types in terms of year-to-year persistence on our site but that, among juveniles, significantly fewer hybrids reach adulthood on site compared to their purebred counterparts. Our analyses show that this hybrid zone is maintained by occasional nonassortative mating coupled with hybrid fertility, but that these factors are balanced by lower apparent survival of juvenile hybrids and habitat-based preference or selection that limits heterospecific mating while promoting backcrossing to habitat-specific genotypes. This system presents a novel example of the role that sharp resource gradients play in reproductive isolation and the potential for genetic introgression.
Data from: Ecological opportunity and the evolution of habitat preferences in an arid-zone bird: implications for speciation in a climate-modified landscape
Bioclimatic models are widely used to investigate the impacts of climate change on species distributions. Range shifts are expected to occur as species track their current climate niche yet the potential for exploitation of new ecological opportunities that may arise as ecosystems and communities remodel is rarely considered. Here we show that grasswrens of the Amytornis textilis-modestus complex responded to new ecological opportunities in Australia's arid biome through shifts in habitat preference following the development of chenopod shrublands during the late Plio-Pleistocene. We find evidence of spatially explicit responses to climatically driven landscape changes including changes in niche width and patterns of population growth. Conservation of structural and functional aspects of the ancestral niche appear to have facilitated recent habitat shifts, while demographic responses to late Pleistocene climate change provide evidence for the greater resilience of populations inhabiting the recently evolved chenopod shrubland communities. Similar responses could occur under future climate change in species exposed to novel ecological conditions, or those already occupying spatially heterogeneous landscapes. Mechanistic models that consider structural and functional aspects of the niche along with regional hydro-dynamics may be better predictors of future climate responses in Australia's arid biome than bioclimatic models alone.
Data from: Combining human acceptance and habitat suitability in a unified socio-ecological suitability model: a case study of the wolf in Switzerland
Habitat suitability models (HSMs) are commonly used in conservation practise to assess the potential of an area to be occupied and colonised. A major limitation of these models, however, is the omission of spatially explicit understanding of human acceptance towards the focal species. As wildlife is more and more subject to human-dominated landscapes, ignoring the sociological component will result in misrepresentation of the observed processes and inappropriate management. We distributed 10 000 questionnaires across Switzerland and identified key socio-demographical factors correlated with human acceptance of the wolf. We then created a spatially explicit acceptance model based on geo-referenced socio-demographical, social and geographical information. Finally, we combined our acceptance model with a HSM to obtain a unified socio-ecological suitability model, which included human and ecological components. We showed that the key factors associated with human acceptance were perception of how harmful the wolf is, interest in wolf-related issues, need for livestock protection, and fear of the wolf. Perceived harmfulness was in turn correlated with direct and indirect experience with the wolf, and level of education. Our acceptance map predicted decreasing acceptance with increasing altitude of residency and proximity to locations of confirmed wolf presence. This resulted in the overall opposition to the wolf for the Alpine region, albeit substantial regional differences. We found little spatial overlap (6% of Switzerland) between areas where the wolf was accepted and areas of suitable habitat. These areas of socio-ecological suitability were concentrated in the Jura Mountains and in the eastern and southern Alps, and were absent in the western and central Alps. Particularly in the Jura region, which is yet to be colonised, management of human acceptance will be a crucial conservation target. Synthesis and applications. We developed an integrative, socio-ecological approach that allowed us to accurately reproduce recent wolf recolonisation. We anticipate our framework to be a powerful tool to reliably evaluate overall suitable habitats and predict short to medium-term range expansion for species whose distribution is also dependent on human attitudes. Because our approach is sensitive to both the ecological and human component, it is ideally suited to identify key regions where proactive and targeted socio-ecological management plans are needed.
FIGURE 17 in Systematics and ecology of the genus Dendrozetes (Acari: Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from arboreal habitats in Western North America
FIGURE 17. Average abundance (+SE) (# individuals per 100 gm dry weight of substrate) of Dendrozetes jordani n. sp. adults and immatures collected from branch tip and foliose lichens in Abies amabilis and Tsuga heterophylla trees over three seasons of 1996; from the Montane Alternative Silvicultural Systems study area, Vancouver Island.
FIGURES 9 A–D. Dendrozetes jordani n in Systematics and ecology of the genus Dendrozetes (Acari: Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from arboreal habitats in Western North America
FIGURES 9 A–D. Dendrozetes jordani n. sp., legs of adult female, legs I and II adaxial aspect, legs III and IV abaxial aspect, all legs trochanters removed: 9 A, leg I; 9 B, leg II; 9 C, leg III; 9 D, leg IV. Scale bar = 100 um.
FIGURES 1–2. Dendrozetes jordani n in Systematics and ecology of the genus Dendrozetes (Acari: Oribatida: Peloppiidae) from arboreal habitats in Western North America
FIGURES 1–2. Dendrozetes jordani n. sp., adult female. 1, Dorsal aspect; 2, Ventral aspect. Legs removed. Scale bars = 100 µm.
Ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing the habitat use of Bos gaurus and its conservation threats in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
<p>This is the dataset of gaur from chitwan national park on habitat use</p>
Fine-scale ecological and anthropogenic variables predict the habitat use and detectability of sloth bears in the Churia habitat of east Nepal
<p>Once widespread throughout the tropical forests of the Indian Subcontinent, the sloth bears have suffered a rapid range collapse and local extirpations in the recent decades. A significant portion of their current distribution range is situated outside of the protected areas (PAs). These unprotected sloth bear populations are under tremendous human pressures, but little is known about the patterns and determinants of their occurrence in most of these regions. The situation is more prevalent in Nepal where virtually no systematic information is available for sloth bears living outside of the PAs. We undertook a sign survey-based single-season occupancy study intending to overcome this information gap for the sloth bear populations residing in the Trijuga forest of southeast Nepal. Sloth bear sign detection histories and field-based covariates data were collected between 2nd October to 3rd December 2020 at the 74 randomly chosen 4-km^2 grid cells using a varying number of 400m long transects in each grid cell. From our results, the model-averaged estimate of site use probability (ψ ± SE) was estimated to be 0.432 ± 0.039, which is a 13% increase from the naïve estimate (0.297) not accounting for imperfect detections of sloth bear signs. The presence of termite mound and the distance to the nearest water source were the most important variables affecting the habitat use probability of sloth bears. The average site-level detectability (p ± SE) of sloth bear signs was estimated to be 0.195 ± 0.003 and was significantly determined by the index of human disturbances. We recommend considering the importance of fine-scale ecological and anthropogenic factors in predicting the sloth bear-habitat relationships across their range in the Churia habitat of Nepal, and more specifically in the unprotected areas.</p>
Predicting habitat suitability for wild deer in relation to threatened ecological communities in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia
<p><strong>Context.</strong> High density deer populations can cause ecological damage, yet their distribution and impacts are poorly known across much of Australia. As a result, land managers rely on anecdotal reports to make decisions about management and control measures.</p> <p><strong>Aims.</strong> We aimed to model habitat suitability for deer in the South Coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to be used as a baseline for future management and identify which threatened ecological communities (TECs) in the region are at greatest current risk of being occupied by deer.</p> <p><strong>Methods.</strong> We compiled 678 presence-only records of wild deer from online databases, observations made by National Parks and Wildlife Service field staff and field-based surveys. We combined these observations with eight environmental variables to model and map habitat suitability for deer across our study area using maximum entropy. Three spatial models of habitat suitability across our study area were produced: one for all deer species; and two species-specific models for fallow and sambar deer. Key results. Our models indicate that suitable habitat for deer exists throughout much of the South Coast of NSW. Of the TECs examined, Coastal Saltmarsh, Themeda Grassland, and Swamp Sclerophyll Forest had the highest proportion of area likely to be extremely suitable for deer and thus should be prioritised for protection within our study area.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions. </strong>Further systematic field-based surveys are needed to improve the quality of models in this region. Implications. We recommend that areas having high habitat suitability but are not yet occupied by deer be identified as sites where deer occupancy could be prevented.</p>
Supplementary material 1 from: Fernandes N, Ferreira EM, Pita R, Mira A, Santos SM (2022) The effect of habitat reduction by roads on space use and movement patterns of an endangered species, the Cabrera vole Microtus cabrerae. In: Santos S, Grilo C, Shilling F, Bhardwaj M, Papp CR (Eds) Linear Infrastructure Networks with Ecological Solutions. Nature Conservation 47: 177-196. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71864
The effect of habitat encroachment by roads on space use and movement patterns of an endangered vole
Distribution. Known from two localities in SW Ecuador (El Oro Province); more recently, it has been recorded in the Pacific coast of Colombia (Choco and Valle del Cauca departments), and NW Peru (Tumbes Department). Known distribution is changing as existing specimens from NW South America (listed as S. Lilium parvidens) are reidentified as this species; new geographic and ecological information is being gathered in the process, and it could be locally common at some specific habitats. in Phyllostomidae
Distribution. Known from two localities in SW Ecuador (El Oro Province); more recently, it has been recorded in the Pacific coast of Colombia (Choco and Valle del Cauca departments), and NW Peru (Tumbes Department). Known distribution is changing as existing specimens from NW South America (listed as S. Lilium parvidens) are reidentified as this species; new geographic and ecological information is being gathered in the process, and it could be locally common at some specific habitats.
Distribution. NE Bolivia (throughout much of lowland Bolivia E of the Rio Manique) and W Brazil (S Rondonia State at least as far W as the upper Rio Jiparana). S limits are unclear, but it occurs in the vicinity of the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz and may contact or intergrade with the distribution of the Pale Titi (C. pallescens) in SE Bolivia; in Rondonia, it may occur as far N as the Serra dos Pacaas Novos, where there may be a contact zone with the Brown Titi (C. brunneus) or Prince Bernhard's Titi (C. bernhardi); the S and E limits ofits distribution in Brazil are unclear, but they may be ecologically constrained by inappropriate habitats in the Brazilian cerrado savannas to the S, and possible contact zones with Prince Bernhard's Titi (which is now known to occur to the W of the Rio Jiparana) and the Ashy Titi (C. cinerascens) in the E. in Phitheciidae
Distribution. NE Bolivia (throughout much of lowland Bolivia E of the Rio Manique) and W Brazil (S Rondonia State at least as far W as the upper Rio Jiparana). S limits are unclear, but it occurs in the vicinity of the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz and may contact or intergrade with the distribution of the Pale Titi (C. pallescens) in SE Bolivia; in Rondonia, it may occur as far N as the Serra dos Pacaas Novos, where there may be a contact zone with the Brown Titi (C. brunneus) or Prince Bernhard's Titi (C. bernhardi); the S and E limits ofits distribution in Brazil are unclear, but they may be ecologically constrained by inappropriate habitats in the Brazilian cerrado savannas to the S, and possible contact zones with Prince Bernhard's Titi (which is now known to occur to the W of the Rio Jiparana) and the Ashy Titi (C. cinerascens) in the E.
Fig. 1 in Is Phylogeographic Congruence Predicted by Historical Habitat Stability, or Ecological Co-associations?
Fig. 1. Ecological niche models (ENMs) estimated for each of the five species from present-day to Last Glacial Maximum, and climatic stability based on the ENM time series. Color coding uses "warm" colors to indicate areas of highest probability of occurrence, or highest climatic stability. Species names are abbreviated as follows: C.p. (Cryptocercus punctulatus), R.f. (Reticulitermes flavipes), O.d. (Odontotaenius disjunctus), S.s. (Scolopocryptops sexspinosus), and N.a. (Narceus americanus).
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
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.