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.
308
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
308 results for “Individual variation”
Individual variation explains aging patterns in a cooperatively breeding bird, the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)
<p><span><strong>1</strong>.</span><span> Alloparental care in cooperatively-breeding species may alter breeder age-specific survival and reproduction, and subsequently senescence. The helping behaviour itself might also undergo age-related change, and decisions to help in facultative cooperative breeders are likely to be affected by the individual condition.</span></p> <p><span><strong>2</strong>.</span><span> Helpers in long-tailed</span><span> tits (<em>Aegithalos caudatus</em>) assist relatives after failing to raise their own brood, with offspring from helped nests being more likely to recruit into the breeding population.</span></p> <p><span><strong>3</strong>.</span><span> Using data collected over 25 years, we examined the age-trajectories of survival and reproduction in adult long-tailed tits to determine how these were affected by the presence or absence of helpers, and how helper behaviour changed with age.</span></p> <p><span><strong>4</strong>.</span><span> There was evidence for increased reproductive performance with breeder age, but no effect of age on the probability of survival. We found no evidence of significant senescent decline in survival or reproductive performance, although individuals accrued less inclusive fitness in their last year of life. Lifetime reproductive success was positively related to both reproductive lifespan and body mass. Within a season, breeders that were assisted by helpers enjoyed greater reproductive success through enhanced offspring recruitment in the following year. We found no evidence that age affected an individual's propensity to help, or the amount of indirect fitness accrued through helping.</span></p> <p><span><strong>5</strong>.</span><span> We found a positive correlation between lifespan and multiple components of reproductive success, suggesting that individual variation in quality underpins age-related variation in fitness in this species. Helping decisions are driven by condition, and the lifetime inclusive fitness of immigrants was predicted by body mass. These findings further support individual heterogeneity in quality being a major driver for fitness gains across the life course of long-tailed tits.</span></p>
FIGURE. Umbellules within four populations of Sanicula orthacantha, showing the fruits characters and the variation in numbers of staminate flowers (each line represents a plant individual). The ratio of staminate flowers number/ umbellule number is given for each individual. A. China, Hubei, Xuan'en, Qizimei Mountain, H.M. Li, Y.M. Yi & Y.S. Zhang 1077 (NAS). B. China, Jiangxi, Jiujiang, Lushan, H.M. Li, Y.S. Zhang & Y. Xu 1109 (NAS). C. China, Chongqing, Nanchuan, Jinfo Shan, H.M. Li, Y.S. Zhang & X. Zhang 1141 (NAS). D. China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1157 (NAS). All same scale. in Taxonomic studies on the genus Sanicula (Apiaceae) from China ( ): The clarification of some morphological distinction between S. orthacantha var. orthacantha and S. orthacantha var. brevispina, with the reduction of S. petagnioides to the synonymy of the former, and S. orthacantha var. stolonifera to
FIGURE. Umbellules within four populations of Sanicula orthacantha, showing the fruits characters and the variation in numbers of staminate flowers (each line represents a plant individual). The ratio of staminate flowers number/ umbellule number is given for each individual. A. China, Hubei, Xuan'en, Qizimei Mountain, H.M. Li, Y.M. Yi & Y.S. Zhang 1077 (NAS). B. China, Jiangxi, Jiujiang, Lushan, H.M. Li, Y.S. Zhang & Y. Xu 1109 (NAS). C. China, Chongqing, Nanchuan, Jinfo Shan, H.M. Li, Y.S. Zhang & X. Zhang 1141 (NAS). D. China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1157 (NAS). All same scale.
FIGURE. Umbellules within two populations of Sanicula orthacantha var. brevispina from China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, showing the fruits characters and the variation in numbers of staminate flowers (each line represents a plant individual). The ratio of staminate flowers number/ umbellule number is given for each individual. A. C.H. Li 1122 (NAS). B. H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1151 (NAS). in Taxonomic studies on the genus Sanicula (Apiaceae) from China ( ): The clarification of some morphological distinction between S. orthacantha var. orthacantha and S. orthacantha var. brevispina, with the reduction of S. petagnioides to the synonymy of the former, and S. orthacantha var. stolonifera to
FIGURE. Umbellules within two populations of Sanicula orthacantha var. brevispina from China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, showing the fruits characters and the variation in numbers of staminate flowers (each line represents a plant individual). The ratio of staminate flowers number/ umbellule number is given for each individual. A. C.H. Li 1122 (NAS). B. H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1151 (NAS).
FIGURE. Individuals in two Populations of Sanicula orthacantha var. brevispina from China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, showing the variation in plant size and rhizome character (each line represents a population). A. C.H. Li 1122 (NAS). B. H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1151 (NAS). in Taxonomic studies on the genus Sanicula (Apiaceae) from China ( ): The clarification of some morphological distinction between S. orthacantha var. orthacantha and S. orthacantha var. brevispina, with the reduction of S. petagnioides to the synonymy of the former, and S. orthacantha var. stolonifera to
FIGURE. Individuals in two Populations of Sanicula orthacantha var. brevispina from China, Sichuan, Emei Shan, showing the variation in plant size and rhizome character (each line represents a population). A. C.H. Li 1122 (NAS). B. H.M. Li & Y.S. Zhang 1151 (NAS).
Drivers of within- and among-individual variation in risk-taking behaviour during reproduction in a long-lived bird
Plastic and selective mechanisms govern parental investment adjustments to predation threat. We investigated the relative importance of plasticity and selection in risk-taking propensity of incubating female common eiders <i>Somateria mollissima</i> facing unprecedented predation in SW Finland, Baltic Sea. Using a 12-year individual-based dataset, we examined within- and among-individual variation in flight initiation distance (FID), in relation to predation risk, nest detectability, individual traits and reproductive investment (N<sub>FID</sub> = 1009; N<sub>individual</sub> = 559). We expected females nesting in riskier environments (higher predation risk, lower nest concealment) to mitigate environmentally-imposed risk by exhibiting longer FIDs, and females investing more in current reproduction (older, in better condition or laying large clutches) to display shorter FIDs. The target of predation - adult or offspring - affected the mechanisms adapting risk-taking propensity; females plastically increased their FID under higher adult predation risk, while risk-avoiding breeders were predominant on islands with higher nest predation risk. Risk-taking females selected thicker nest cover, consistent with personality-matching habitat choice. Females plastically attenuated their antipredator response (shorter FIDs) with advancing age, and females in better body condition were more risk-taking, a result explained by selection processes. Future research should consider predator type when investigating the fitness consequences of risk-taking strategies.
Individual-level leaf trait variation and correlation across biological and spatial scales
<p>Even with increasing interest in the ecological importance of intraspecific trait variation (ITV) for better understanding ecological processes, few studies have quantified ITV in seedlings and assessed constraints imposed by trade-offs and correlations among individual-level leaf traits. Estimating the amount and role of ITV in seedlings is important to understand tree recruitment and long-term forest dynamics. We measured ten different size, economic, and whole leaf traits (lamina and petiole) for more than 2800 seedlings (height ≥ 10 cm and diameter at breast height < 1 cm) in 283 seedling plots, and then quantified the amount of ITV and trait correlations across two biological (intraspecific and interspecific) and spatial (within and among plots) scales. Finally, we explored the effects of trait variance and sample size on the strength of trait correlations. We found about 40% (6~63%) variation in leaf-level traits was explained by ITV across all traits. Lamina and petiole traits were correlated across biological and spatial scales, whereas leaf size traits (e.g., lamina area) were weakly correlated with economics traits (e.g., specific lamina area); <a name="_Hlk61031779">lamina mass ratio was strongly related to the petiole length</a>. Trait correlations varied among species, plots, and different scales but there was no evidence that the strength of trait relationships was stronger at broader than finer biological and spatial scales. While larger trait variance increased the strength of correlations, the sample size was the most important factor that was negatively related to the strength of trait correlations. Our results showed that a large amount of trait variation was explained by ITV, which highlighted the importance of considering ITV when using trait-based approaches in seedling ecology. In addition, sample size was an important factor that influenced the strength of trait correlations, which suggests that comparing trait correlations across studies should consider the differences in sample size.</p>
Mechanisms of individual variation in large herbivore diets: Roles of spatial heterogeneity and state-dependent foraging
<p>Many populations of consumers consist of relatively specialized individuals that eat only a subset of the foods consumed by the population at large. Although the ecological significance of individual specialization is recognized, it is difficult to document and its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Optimal foraging theory provides a useful framework for predicting how individuals might select different diets, positing that animals balance the 'opportunity cost' of stopping to eat an available food item against the cost of searching for something more nutritious; diet composition should be contingent on the distribution of food, and foragers should be more specialized when individuals have high energy reserves to spend searching for high-quality foods. We tested these predicted mechanisms of individual niche differences by quantifying environmental (resource heterogeneity) and organismal (nutritional condition) determinants of diet in a widespread browsing antelope (bushbuck, <em>Tragelaphus sylvaticus</em>) in an African floodplain-savanna ecosystem. We quantified individual diet breadth and composition using DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples collected repeatedly from 15 GPS-collared animals (6–14 samples per individual, median 12). Bushbuck diets were structured by spatial heterogeneity and constrained by individual conditions. We observed significant individual-level partitioning of food plants by bushbuck both within and between two adjacent habitat types (floodplain and woodland). Individuals with home ranges that were closer together and/or had similar vegetation structures (measured using LiDAR) ate more similar diets, supporting the prediction that heterogeneous resource distribution promotes individual differentiation. Individuals in good nutritional condition had significantly narrower diets (fewer plant taxa), searched their home ranges more intensively (intensity-of-use index), and had higher-quality diets (percent digestible protein) than those in poor condition, supporting the prediction that animals with greater endogenous reserves are more specialized because they can invest time in searching for nutritious foods. Our results support predictions from optimal foraging theory about the energetic basis of individual specialization and provide a potentially generalizable framework for understanding how individual niche width is governed by animal behavior and physiology in heterogeneous landscapes.</p>
Data from: Individual and temporal variation in habitat association of an alien carnivore at its invasion front
Gathering information on how invasive species utilize the habitat is important, in order to better aim actions to reduce their negative impact. We studied habitat use and selection of 55 GPS-marked raccoon dogs (30 males, 25 females) at their invasion front in Northern Sweden, with particular focus on differences between males and females, between movement states, and between seasons and times of the day. Daily movement pattern was used to classify GPS-locations into dispersing and settled. We focused on both anthropogenic and natural landscape characteristics. Since we did not have any a priori knowledge about the spatial scale of raccoon dog habitat selection, we first assessed how landscape characteristics of random points changed with distance from the GPS-location they were paired to. Because changes in habitat use became less pronounced at approximately 5 km for all variables, we focused on habitat use at two spatial scales: fine (500 m) and coarse (5 km). Habitat selection was strongest at the coarse scale, and reflected the results found for habitat use. Raccoon dogs selected agricultural areas and wetlands, lower altitudes, and shallow slopes, and avoided forests, open natural areas, and areas close to water and roads. There were no differences in habitat selection between males and females, or between movement states. This lack of sexual segregation increases the probability of encountering potential mates during dispersal, and therefore the likelihood for reproduction in new areas. The seasonal and diurnal pattern of habitat use may provide guidance for where and when to aim management efforts.
FIGURE. Euphorbia nutans (Toscana, Pistoia province, Montecatini Terme, railway station, ballast along rail tracks): A) individual, B) detail of stem with hair band, C) detail of glomerule, D) detail of cyathia and capsules. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia nutans (Toscana, Pistoia province, Montecatini Terme, railway station, ballast along rail tracks): A) individual, B) detail of stem with hair band, C) detail of glomerule, D) detail of cyathia and capsules.
FIGURE. Euphorbia hyssopifolia (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of cymes (scale bar = 1 cm), C) detail of cyathium and capsule (scale bar = 1 mm), D) detail of stipule (scale bar = 1 mm). in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia hyssopifolia (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of cymes (scale bar = 1 cm), C) detail of cyathium and capsule (scale bar = 1 mm), D) detail of stipule (scale bar = 1 mm).
FIGURE. Euphorbia hirta (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves and position of glomerules, B) detail of stem hairiness, C) detail of glomerule. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia hirta (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves and position of glomerules, B) detail of stem hairiness, C) detail of glomerule.
FIGURE. Euphorbia glyptosperma (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of cyathium. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia glyptosperma (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of cyathium.
FIGURE. Euphorbia maculata (Tuscany, Pistoia province, Pistoia city, gravel walkway): A–B) individuals, C) detail of leaf, D) detail of stipules. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia maculata (Tuscany, Pistoia province, Pistoia city, gravel walkway): A–B) individuals, C) detail of leaf, D) detail of stipules.
FIGURE. Euphorbia humifusa (Lombardia, Pavia province, Romagnese, along pavements): A) individual, B) adaxial view of tip, C) abaxial view of tip, D) detail of capsule. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia humifusa (Lombardia, Pavia province, Romagnese, along pavements): A) individual, B) adaxial view of tip, C) abaxial view of tip, D) detail of capsule.
FIGURE. Euphorbia prostrata (Tuscany, Pistoia province, Pistoia city, along pavements): A) individual, B) detail of tips, C) detail of capsules, D) detail of leaf. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia prostrata (Tuscany, Pistoia province, Pistoia city, along pavements): A) individual, B) detail of tips, C) detail of capsules, D) detail of leaf.
FIGURE. Euphorbia ophthalmica (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of glomerule, C) detail of cyathia and capsule. in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia ophthalmica (individuals cultivated at Giardino dei Semplici of Florence, Tuscany): A) detail of leaves, B) detail of glomerule, C) detail of cyathia and capsule.
FIGURE. Euphorbia chamaesyce: A) individual (Tuscany, Siena province, Chiusi, arable fields near the lake), B) individual (Tuscany, Arezzo province, Pieve Santo Stefano, gravel road along shores of Montedoglio Lake), C) detail of cyathium and capsule (hairy form), D) detail of tip and capsules (intermediate hairiness form), E) detail of cyathium and capsule (glabrous form). in Synopsis of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum (Euphorbiaceae) in Italy, with an insight on variation of distribution over time in Tuscany
FIGURE. Euphorbia chamaesyce: A) individual (Tuscany, Siena province, Chiusi, arable fields near the lake), B) individual (Tuscany, Arezzo province, Pieve Santo Stefano, gravel road along shores of Montedoglio Lake), C) detail of cyathium and capsule (hairy form), D) detail of tip and capsules (intermediate hairiness form), E) detail of cyathium and capsule (glabrous form).
Text-fig. 8. Wear stages and height (h) of cheek teeth of Sayimys giganteus from Keseköy. Height in mm of the entoconid (arrow) in lower cheek teeth and paracone (arrow) in upper cheek teeth. Shown are the high value and a low value for each wear stage. Note that h of the different wear stages may show large overlaps, in particular in those of worn teeth. This is due to the often-irregular occlusal surfaces of older individuals. in An Exceptional Large Sample Of The Early Miocene Ctenodactyline Rodent Sayimys Giganteus, Specific Variation And Taxonomic Implications
Text-fig. 8. Wear stages and height (h) of cheek teeth of Sayimys giganteus from Keseköy. Height in mm of the entoconid (arrow) in lower cheek teeth and paracone (arrow) in upper cheek teeth. Shown are the high value and a low value for each wear stage. Note that h of the different wear stages may show large overlaps, in particular in those of worn teeth. This is due to the often-irregular occlusal surfaces of older individuals.
Resource selection functions based on hierarchical generalized additive models provide new insights into individual animal variation and species distributions
<p>Habitat selection studies are designed to generate predictions of species distributions or inference regarding general habitat associations and individual variation in habitat use. Such studies frequently involve either individually indexed locations gathered across limited spatial extents and analyzed using resource selection functions (RSF), or spatially extensive locational data without individual resolution typically analyzed using species distribution models. Both analytical methodologies have certain desirable features, but analyses that combine individual- and population-level inference with flexible non-linear functions may provide improved predictions while accounting for individual variation. Here, we describe how RSFs can be fit using hierarchical generalized additive models (HGAMs) using widely available software, providing a means to explore individual variation in habitat associations and to generate species distribution maps. We used GPS tracking data from Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) from across eastern North America with four environmental predictors to generate monthly distribution models. We considered three model structures that assumed different amounts of individual variation in the functional relationship between predictors and habitat use and used k-fold cross-validation to compare model performance. Models accounting for individual variability in shape and smoothness of functional responses performed best. Eagles exhibited the least amount of individual variation in response to land cover variables during winter months, with most individuals more closely adhering to the population-level trend. During summer months, eagles exhibited more substantial individual variation in shape and smoothness of the functional relationships, suggesting some need to account for individual variation in eagle habitat use for both inferential and predictive purposes, during this time of year. Because they allow users to blend flexible functions with random effects structures and are well-supported by a variety of software platforms, we believe that HGAMs provide a useful addition to the suite of analyses used for modeling habitat associations or predicting species distributions.</p>
Seasonal variation of population and individual dietary niche in the avivorous bat, Ia io
<p>The variation in niche breadth can affect how species respond to environmental and resource changes. However, there is still no clear understanding of how seasonal variability in food resources impacts the variation of individual dietary diversity, thereby affecting the dynamics of a population's dietary niche breadth. Optimal foraging theory (OFT) and the niche variation hypothesis (NVH) predict that when food resources are limited, the population niche breadth will widen or narrow due to increased within-individual dietary diversity and individual specialization or reduced within-individual dietary diversity, respectively. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding to examine the composition and seasonality of diets of the avivorous bat <em>Ia</em> <em>io</em>. Furthermore, we investigated how the dietary niches changed among seasons and how the population niche breadth changed when the availability of insect resources was reduced in autumn. We found that there was differentiation in dietary niches among seasons and a low degree of overlap, and the decrease of insect resource availability and the emergence of ecological opportunities of nocturnal migratory birds might drive dietary niche shifts toward birds in <em>I</em>. <em>io</em>. However, the population's dietary niche breadth did not broaden by increasing the within-individual dietary diversity or individual specialization but rather became narrower by reducing dietary diversity via predation on bird resources that served as an ecological opportunity when insect resources were scarce in autumn. Our findings were consistent with the predictions of OFT because birds as prey for bats provided extremely different resources from those of insects in size and nutritional value. Our work highlights the importance of size and quality of prey resources along with other factors (i.e., physiological, behavioral, and life-history traits) in dietary niche variation.</p>
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.