ABSTRACT MotivationHere, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database. Main Types of Variables IncludedThe database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years. Spatial Location and GrainSampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size. Time Period and GrainThe earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample‐level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric. Major Taxa and Level of MeasurementThe database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa. Software Formatcsv and. SQL. 
                        more » 
                        « less   
                    This content will become publicly available on December 1, 2025
                            
                            FreshLanDiv : A Global Database of Freshwater Biodiversity Across Different Land Uses
                        
                    
    
            ABSTRACT MotivationFreshwater ecosystems have been heavily impacted by land‐use changes, but data syntheses on these impacts are still limited. Here, we compiled a global database encompassing 241 studies with species abundance data (from multiple biological groups and geographic locations) across sites with different land‐use categories. This compilation will be useful for addressing questions regarding land‐use change and its impact on freshwater biodiversity. Main Types of Variables ContainedThe database includes metadata of each study, sites location, sample methods, sample time, land‐use category and abundance of each taxon. Spatial Location and GrainThe database contains data from across the globe, with 85% of the sites having well‐defined geographical coordinates. Major Taxa and Level of MeasurementThe database covers all major freshwater biological groups including algae, macrophytes, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, fish and amphibians. 
        more » 
        « less   
        
    
                            - Award ID(s):
- 2025982
- PAR ID:
- 10571752
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Global Ecology and Biogeography
- Volume:
- 33
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 1466-822X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
- 
            
- 
            ABSTRACT MotivationSNAPSHOT USA is an annual, multicontributor camera trap survey of mammals across the United States. The growing SNAPSHOT USA dataset is intended for tracking the spatial and temporal responses of mammal populations to changes in land use, land cover and climate. These data will be useful for exploring the drivers of spatial and temporal changes in relative abundance and distribution, as well as the impacts of species interactions on daily activity patterns. Main Types of Variables ContainedSNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023 contains 987,979 records of camera trap image sequence data and 9694 records of camera trap deployment metadata. Spatial Location and GrainData were collected across the United States of America in all 50 states, 12 ecoregions and many ecosystems. Time Period and GrainData were collected between 1st August and 29th December each year from 2019 to 2023. Major Taxa and Level of MeasurementThe dataset includes a wide range of taxa but is primarily focused on medium to large mammals. Software FormatSNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023 comprises two .csv files. The original data can be found within the SNAPSHOT USA Initiative in the Wildlife Insights platform.more » « less
- 
            Abstract BackgroundUrbanization can influence disease vectors by altering larval habitat, microclimates, and host abundance. The global increase in urbanization, especially in Africa, is likely to alter vector abundance and pathogen transmission. We investigated the effect of urbanization and weather on the abundance of two mosquitoes,Aedes aegyptiandAedes albopictus, and infection with dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses at 63 sites in six cities spanning a 900-km latitudinal range in Cameroon, Central Africa. MethodsWe used human landing catches and backpack-mounted aspirators to sample mosquitoes and collected larval habitat, host availability, and weather (temperature, precipitation, humidity) data for each site in each city. We analyzed land use and land cover information and satellite photos at varying radii around sites (100 m to 2 km) to quantify the extent of urbanization and the number of structures around each site. We used a continuous urbanization index (UI; range 0–100) that increased with impermeable surface and decreased with forest cover. ResultsUrbanization increased larval habitat, human host availability, andAe. aegyptimosquito abundance.Aedes aegyptiabundance increased 1.7% (95% CI 0.69–2.7%) with each 1 unit increase in the urbanization index in all six cities (Douala, Kribi, Yaounde, Ngaoundere, Garoua, and Maroua) with a 5.4-fold increase from UI = 0 to UI = 100, and also increased with rainfall. In contrast,Ae. albopictusabundance increased with urbanization in one city, but showed no influence of urbanization in two other cites. Across three cities,Ae. albopictusabundance increased with rainfall, temperature, and humidity. Finally, we did not detect Zika, dengue, or chikungunya viruses in any specimens, and found weak evidence of interspecific competition in analyses of adult population growth rates. ConclusionsThese results show that urbanization consistently increasesAe. aegyptiabundance across a broad range of habitats in Central Africa, while effects onAe. albopictuswere more variable and the abundance of both species were influenced by rainfall. Future urbanization of Africa will likely increaseAe. aegyptiabundance, and climate change will likely alter abundance of both species through changes in precipitation and temperature. Graphical Abstractmore » « less
- 
            Abstract AimAnthropogenic warming of marine systems has caused biological and physiological responses that are fundamentally altering ecosystem structure. Because estuaries exist at the land‐ocean interface, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of ocean warming as they can undergo rapid biogeochemical and hydrological shifts due to climate and land‐use change. We explored how multiple components of estuarine fish diversity—turnover, richness, and abundance—have changed in the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico estuaries across space and time and the drivers of change. LocationNorth Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. TaxaFish. MethodWe compiled long‐term (>30 years), continent‐wide fisheries independent trawl surveys conducted in estuaries—from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico (U.S. waters)—and combined these with climate and land‐use‐land‐cover data to examine trends and ecological drivers of fish richness, abundance and turnover using mixed‐effect models. ResultsSpecies richness, abundance and turnover have increased in North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico estuaries in the last 30 years. These changes were mediated largely by sea‐surface temperature anomalies, especially in more northern estuaries where warming has been relatively pronounced. Main ConclusionThe increasing trajectory of turnover in many estuaries suggests that fish communities have changed fundamentally from the baselines. A fundamental change in community composition can lead to an irreversible trophic imbalance or alternative stable states among other outcomes. Thus, predicting how shifting community structures might influence food webs, ecosystem stability, and human resource use remain a pertinent task.more » « less
- 
            Abstract AimThe interaction of land use with local versus regional processes driving biological homogenization (β‐diversity loss) is poorly understood. We explored: (a) stream β‐diversity responses to land cover (forest versus agriculture) in terms of physicochemistry and physicochemical heterogeneity; (b) whether these responses were constrained by the regional species pool, i.e. γ‐diversity, or local assembly processes through local (α) diversity; (c) whether local assembly operated through the regional species abundance distribution (SAD) or intraspecific spatial aggregation; and (d) the dependence on body size, dispersal capacity and trophic level (producer versus consumer). LocationUSA, Canada and France. Time period1993–2012. Major taxa studiedStream diatoms, insects and fish. MethodsWe analysed six datasets totalling 1,225 stream samples. We compared diversity responses to eutrophication and physicochemical heterogeneity in forested versus agricultural streams with regression methods. Null models quantified the contribution of local assembly to β‐diversity (β‐deviance, βDEV) for both types of land covers and partitioned it into fractions explained by the regional SAD (βSAD) versus aggregation (βAGG). ResultsEutrophication explained homogenization and more uneven regional SADs across groups, but local and regional biodiversity responses differed across taxa. The βDEVwas insensitive to land use. The βSADlargely exceeded βAGGand was higher in agriculture. Main conclusionsEutrophication but not physicochemical heterogeneity of agricultural streams underlay β‐diversity loss in diatoms, insects and fish. Agriculture did not constrain the magnitude of local versus regional effects on β‐diversity but controlled the local assembly mechanisms. Although the SAD fraction dominated in both land covers, it increased further in agriculture at the expense of aggregation. Notably, the regional SADs were more uneven in agriculture, exhibiting excess common species or stronger dominance. Diatoms and insects diverged from fish in terms of biodiversity, SAD shape and βDEVpatterns, suggesting an overriding role of body size and/or dispersal capacity compared with trophic position.more » « less
 An official website of the United States government
An official website of the United States government 
				
			 
					 
					
