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This dataset is composed of a collection of 577 images of ethanol-preserved beetles collected at NEON sites in 2018. Each image contains a collection of beetles of the same species from a single plot at the labeled site. In 2022, they were arranged on a lattice and photographed; the elytra length and width were then annotated for each individual in each image using Zooniverse. The individual images were segemented out based on scaling the elytra measurement pixel coordinates to the full-size images (more information on this process is available on the Imageomics/2018-NEON-beetles-processing repository). 

Abstract Understanding the relationship between intraspecific trait variability (ITV) and its biotic and abiotic drivers is crucial for advancing population and community ecology. Despite its importance, there is a lack of guidance on how to effectively sample ITV and reduce bias in the resulting inferences. In this study, we explored how sample size affects the estimation of population‐level ITV, and how the distribution of sample sizes along an environmental gradient (i.e., sampling design) impacts the probabilities of committing Type I and II errors. We investigated Type I and II error probabilities using four simulated scenarios which varied sampling design and the strength of the ITV‐environment relationships. We also applied simulation scenarios to empirical data on populations of the small mammal,Peromyscus maniculatusacross gradients of latitude and temperature at sites in the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in the continental United States. We found that larger sample sizes reduce error rates in the estimation of population‐level ITV for both in silico andPeromyscus maniculatuspopulations. Furthermore, the influence of sample size on detecting ITV‐environment relationships depends on how sample sizes and population‐level ITV are distributed along environmental gradients. High correlations between sample size and the environment result in greater Type I error, while weak ITV–environmental gradient relationships showed high Type II error probabilities. Therefore, having large sample sizes that are even across populations is the most robust sampling design for studying ITV‐environment relationships. These findings shed light on the complex interplay among sample size, sampling design, ITV, and environmental gradients. 

The globalization of trade and increased human mobility have facilitated the introduction and spread of nonnative species, posing significant threats to biodiversity and human well-being. As centers of global trade and human populations, cities are foci for the introduction, establishment, and spread of nonnative species. We present a global synthesis of urban characteristics that drive biological invasions within and across cities, focusing on four axes: (a) connectivity, (b) physical properties, (c) culture and socioeconomics, and (d) biogeography and climate. Urban characteristics such as increased connectivity within and among cities, city size and age, and wealth emerged as important drivers of nonnative species diversity and spread, while the relative importance of biogeographic and climate drivers varied considerably. Elaborating how these characteristics shape biological invasions in cities is crucial for designing and implementing strategies to mitigate the impacts of invasions on ecological systems and human well-being. 

Abstract Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) is an increasingly important aspect of biodiversity and can provide a more complete perspective on how abiotic and biotic processes affect individuals, species' niches and ultimately community‐level structure than traditional uses of trait means. Body size serves as a proxy for a suite of traits that govern species' niches. Distributions of co‐occurring species body sizes can inform niche overlap, relate to species richness and uncover mechanistic drivers of diversity.We leveraged individual‐level body size (length) in freshwater fishes and environmental data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) for 17 lakes and streams in the contiguous United States to explore how abiotic and biotic factors influence fish species richness and trait distributions of body size. We calculated key abiotic (climate, productivity, land use) and biotic (phylogenetic diversity, trait diversity, community‐level overlap of trait probability densities) variables for each site to test hypotheses about drivers of ITV in body size and fish diversity.Abiotic variables were consistently important in explaining variation in fish body size and species richness across sites. In particular, productivity (as chlorophyll) was a key variable in explaining variation in body size trait richness, evenness and divergence, as well as species richness.This study yields new insights into continental‐scale patterns of freshwater fishes, possible only by leveraging the paired high frequency, in situ abiotic data and individual‐level traits collected by NEON. 

ABSTRACT AimEcological theory suggests that dispersal limitation and selection by climatic factors influence bacterial community assembly at a continental scale, yet the conditions governing the relative importance of each process remains unclear. The carnivorous pitcher plantSarracenia purpureaprovides a model aquatic microecosystem to assess bacterial communities across the host plant's north–south range in North America. This study determined the relative influences of dispersal limitation and environmental selection on the assembly of bacterial communities inhabitingS. purpureapitchers at the continental scale. LocationEastern United States and Canada. Time Period2016. Major Taxa StudiedBacteria inhabitingS. purpureapitchers. MethodsPitcher morphology, fluid, inquilines and prey were measured, and pitcher fluid underwent DNA sequencing for bacterial community analysis. Null modelling of β‐diversity provided estimates for the contributions of selection and dispersal limitation to community assembly, complemented by an examination of spatial clustering of individuals. Phylogenetic and ecological associations of co‐occurrence network module bacteria was determined by assessing the phylogenetic diversity and habitat preferences of member taxa. ResultsDispersal limitation was evident from between‐site variation and spatial aggregation of individual bacterial taxa in theS. purpureapitcher system. Selection pressure was weak across the geographic range, yet network module analysis indicated environmental selection within subgroups. A group of aquatic bacteria held traits under selection in warmer, wetter climates, and midge abundance was associated with selection for traits held by a group of saprotrophs. Processes that increased pitcher fluid volume weakened selection in one module, possibly by supporting greater bacterial dispersal. ConclusionDispersal limitation governed bacterial community assembly inS. purpureapitchers at a continental scale (74% of between‐site comparisons) and was significantly greater than selection across the range. Network modules showed evidence for selection, demonstrating that multiple processes acted concurrently in bacterial community assembly at the continental scale. 

ABSTRACT Microbiomes play essential roles in the health and function of animal and plant hosts and drive nutrient cycling across ecosystems. Integrating novel trait-based approaches with ecological theory can facilitate the prediction of microbial functional traits important for ecosystem functioning and health. In particular, the yield-acquisition-stress (Y-A-S) framework considers dominant microbial life history strategies across gradients of resource availability and stress. However, microbiomes are dynamic, and spatial and temporal shifts in taxonomic and trait composition can affect ecosystem functions. We posit that extending the Y-A-S framework to microbiomes during succession and across biogeographic gradients can lead to generalizable rules for how microbiomes and their functions respond to resources and stress across space, time, and diverse ecosystems. We demonstrate the potential of this framework by applying it to the microbiomes hosted by the carnivorous pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea , which have clear successional trajectories and are distributed across a broad climatic gradient. 

Abstract Urban areas are foci for the introduction of non‐native plant species, and they often act as launching sites for invasions into the wider environment. Although interest in biological invasions in urban areas is growing rapidly, and the extent and complexity of problems associated with invasions in these systems have increased, data on the composition and numbers of non‐native plants in urbanized areas remain scattered and idiosyncratic.We assembled data from multiple sources to create the Global Urban Biological Invasions Compendium (GUBIC) for vascular plants representing 553 urban centres from 61 countries across every continent except Antarctica.The GUBIC repository includes 8140 non‐native plant species from 253 families. The number of urban centres in which these non‐native species occurred had a log‐normal distribution, with 65.2% of non‐native species occurring in fewer than 10 urban centres.Practical implications: The dataset has wider applications for urban ecology, invasion biology, macroecology, conservation, urban planning and sustainability. We hope this dataset will stimulate future research in invasion ecology related to the diversity and distributional patterns of non‐native flora across urban centres worldwide. Further, this information should aid the early detection and risk assessment of potential invasive species, inform policy development and assist in setting management priorities.