Explore the vast range of titles available.

Endozoochory is a potential dispersal mode for numerous plant species. Although germination following endozoochory is well-documented, less is known about the costs and benefits associated with this dispersal mode in later life stages of established plants. The chemical and physical nature of dung differs between herbivores and might have specific effects on seedling establishment, growth and flowering. We conducted a growth experiment using 12 temperate grassland species with a known potential for endozoochory. We studied the effects of cattle and horse dung on the juvenile, growth and reproductive phase. Being a ruminant and a hindgut fermenter, respectively, cattle and horses are two physiologically contrasting herbivore species, producing structurally quite different dung types. They are additionally interesting model species as both are frequently introduced in temperate Europe grassland management. Seedling biomass and growth rate, height, ramification, flowering and biomass of grown plants were measured in an attempt to quantify the benefits of endozoochorously dispersed seeds compared to seeds dispersed by other means and thus growing in a virtually dung-free environment. Few species were affected by the presence of dung in the juvenile phase while most species generally benefitted from being deposited in dung in later life stages. Positive responses of Agrostis capillaris, Agrostis stolonifera, Alopecurus myosuroides, Helianthemum nummularium, Poa annua, Trifolium repens and Trifolium pratense were found, while dung had a negative effect on Juncus bufonius. The initial losses of viable seeds through the digestive system of herbivores might, therefore, be partially compensated by enhanced growth and flowering in some species.

Dung beetles form an insect group that fulfils important functions in terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world. These include nutrient cycling through dung removal, soil bioturbation, plant growth, secondary seed dispersal and parasite control. We conducted field experiments at two sites in the northern hemisphere temperate region in which dung removal and secondary seed dispersal were assessed. Dung beetles were classified in three functional groups, depending on their size and dung manipulation method: dwellers, large and small tunnelers. Other soil inhabiting fauna were included as a fourth functional group. Dung removal and seed dispersal by each individual functional group and combinations thereof were estimated in exclusion experiments using different dung types. Dwellers were the most diverse and abundant group, but tunnelers were dominant in terms of biomass. All dung beetle functional groups had a clear preference for fresh dung. The ecosystem services in dung removal and secondary seed dispersal provided by dung beetles were significant and differed between functional groups. Although in absolute numbers more dwellers were found, large tunnelers were disproportionally important for dung burial and seed removal. In the absence of dung beetles, other soil inhabiting fauna, such as earthworms, partly took over the dung decomposing role of dung beetles while most dung was processed when all native functional groups were present. Our results, therefore, emphasize the need to conserve functionally complete dung ecosystems to maintain full ecosystem functioning.

Questions: In temperate grasslands, seeds of numerous dry-fruited plant species are dispersed via ingestion and subsequent defecation by grazing animals. Depending on the herbivore species and season, dung pats may contain a large assemblage of conspecific or heterospecific seeds competing for space, light and nutrients in the space-limited environment of an individual dung pat. In an environment rich in nutrients, such as herbivore dung, the outcome of inter- and intraspecific competition might differ from situations where nutrients are limiting. Additionally, dung pats being small and spatially isolated habitats with very specific conditions may also impact competitive interactions. Besides the plant–soil interactions on competition known from literature, the specific quality and structure of dung pats might provoke more complex interactions between different seed densities and species combinations. Methods: We conducted a greenhouse competition experiment using three common perennial grassland species. Agrostis stolonifera, Trifolium pratense and Trifolium repens were used in two-species combinations with different proportions of each species and in monocultures. Seeds were sown in three seed densities (50, 150 and 250 seeds) and the effects of cattle and horse dung on establishment, growth and flowering were tested. Results: Interactions, most probably attributable to interspecific competition, differed between species mixtures. Seeds sown in polycultures generally emerged sooner, but the resulting seedlings had lower relative growth rates compared with seeds sown in monocultures. Increased biomass was measured for each species when growing in polycultures while evidence for intraspecific competition was found in monocultures. T. pratense developed relatively more flowers when plants were growing in polycultures compared with monocultures. Few effects of seed densities were found, although higher seed densities led to lower establishment success in both monocultures and polycultures. Adding dung generally increased the time needed to emerge, relative growth rates and flowering, but decreased establishment success in monocultures. Conclusions: Both seed density and the presence of dung shape the post-dispersal fate of seeds. While high seed densities imply a cost due to lower germinability, the nutritive environment of dung acts as compensation, resulting in faster growth and an increased investment in reproductive tissues.

Extensive grazing often has a strong influence on the structure and composition of herbaceous plant communities with increasing population sizes for some species and decreasing presence in others. Herbivores affect plant communities directly by selective grazing of plant species, and indirectly by either epizoochory or endozoochory. Helianthemum nummularium is considered an increasing species because its distribution increased after the introduction of large, free-ranging grazers in at least two coastal dune grassland areas in Belgium. However, its seeds lack any obvious adaptations for epizoochory, and direct observations of plant/seed consumption are scarce. Through field and lab experiments, we assessed the dispersal ability of H. nummularium via endozoochory and epizoochory. In a differentiated grazer exclusion experiment, evidence was found that plants are grazed by large domestic ungulates and small wild herbivores although these incidences were rare. Direct endozoochory evidence remained scarce. No seeds were found germinating in field-collected dung, and only few seedlings emerged following a seed feeding experiment. However, once deposited, we found higher growth rates when seeds were mixed with dung and decreased establishment success when seeds were sown in combination with competitively superior species. Epizoochory was plausible because both fur and hooves of cattle and horses were potentially capable of contributing to the transport of H. nummularium seeds. We conclude that herbivores play a role in seed dispersal, while their selective grazing behaviour most probably creates an appropriate environment for Helianthemum establishment and maintenance.

Aquatic biotelemetry techniques have proven to be valuable tools to generate knowledge on species behaviour, gather oceanographic data and help in assessing effects from anthropogenic disturbances. These data types support international policies and directives, needed for species and habitat conservation. As aquatic systems are highly interconnected and cross administrative borders, optimal data gathering should be organized on a large scale. This need triggered the development of regional, national and international aquatic animal tracking network initiatives around the globe. In Belgium, a national acoustic receiver network for fish tracking, called the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network, was set up in 2014 with different research institutes collaborating. It is a permanent network with 160 acoustic receivers and since the start, over 800 animals from 16 different fish species have been tagged and generated more than 17 million detections so far. To handle all the (meta)data generated, a data management platform was built. The central database stores all the data and has an interactive web interface that allows the users to upload, manage and explore (meta)data. In addition, the database is linked to an R-shiny application to allow the user to visualize and download the detection data. The permanent tracking network is not only a collaborative platform for exchange of data, analysis tools, devices and knowledge. It also creates opportunities to perform feasibility studies and Ph.D. studies in a cost-efficient way. The Belgian tracking network is a first step towards a Pan-European aquatic tracking network.

Dung removal by macrofauna such as dung beetles is an important process for nutrient cycling in pasturelands. Intensification of farming practices generally reduces species and functional diversity of terrestrial invertebrates, which may negatively affect ecosystem services. Here, we investigate the effects of cattle-grazing intensification on dung removal by dung beetles in field experiments replicated in 38 pastures around the world. Within each study site, we measured dung removal in pastures managed with low- and high-intensity regimes to assess between-regime differences in dung beetle diversity and dung removal, whilst also considering climate and regional variations. The impacts of intensification were heterogeneous, either diminishing or increasing dung beetle species richness, functional diversity, and dung removal rates. The effects of beetle diversity on dung removal were more variable across sites than within sites. Dung removal increased with species richness across sites, while functional diversity consistently enhanced dung removal within sites, independently of cattle grazing intensity or climate. Our findings indicate that, despite intensified cattle stocking rates, ecosystem services related to decomposition and nutrient cycling can be maintained when a functionally diverse dung beetle community inhabits the human-modified landscape. Ecosystem services provided by dung beetles are an underappreciated component of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, the authors report a standardized distributed experiment which shows that dung removal rate, a key ecosystem process in pastures, is greater under high beetle functional diversity regardless of grazing intensity.

We describe six datasets that contain GPS and accelerometer data of 202 Eurasian oystercatchers ( Haematopus ostralegus ) spanning the period 2008–2021. Birds were equipped with GPS trackers in breeding and wintering areas in the Netherlands and Belgium. We used GPS trackers from the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS) for several study purposes, including the study of space use during the breeding season, habitat use and foraging behaviour in the winter season, and impacts of human disturbance. To enable broader usage, all data have now been made open access. Combined, the datasets contain 6.0 million GPS positions, 164 million acceleration measurements and 7.0 million classified behaviour events (i.e., flying, walking, foraging, preening, and inactive). The datasets are deposited on the research repository Zenodo, but are also accessible on Movebank and as down-sampled occurrence datasets on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS).

Camera traps placed in the field, photograph warm-bodied animals that pass in front of an infrared sensor. The imagery represents a rich source of data on mammals larger than ~200 grams, providing information at the level of species and communities. Camera-trap surveys generate observations of specific mammals at a certain location and time, including photo evidence that can be evaluated by experts to map species distribution patterns. The imagery also provides information on the species composition of local communities, identifying which species co-occur and in what proportion. Moreover, the images contain information on activity patterns and other interesting aspects of animal behaviour. Because surveys can be standardized relatively easily, camera traps are well suited for documenting shifts in the behaviour, distribution and community composition, for example in response to climate and land-use change. Imagery from camera traps can thus serve as a baseline for subsequent surveys. In less than two decades, camera traps have become the standard tool for surveying mammals. They are simple to use and non-invasive, requiring no special permits. As a consequence they are widely used by professionals and hobbyists alike. Together, tens of thousands of users have the potential to form a huge sensor network. Unfortunately however, imagery and data collected are currently rarely integrated. Rather, they are lost at a massive scale. Users tend to retain only a subset of the photos and discard the rest. Or the material ends up on an external hard disk that will at some point fail or be erased as these scientific data tend to be used within the scope of specific projects. Very few of the wealth of material becomes available for scientific research and monitoring. Moreover, joint projects are rare and there is little coordination between camera-trap users. A solution to this problem is provided by Agouti, a platform for the organization, processing and storage of camera-trap imagery (www.agouti.eu). The aim of Agouti is, on the one hand, to standardize and facilitate collaborative camera-trap surveys, and on the other hand to compile and secure imagery and data for scientific research and monitoring, by encouraging users to share their material. Agouti provides an interface that allows users to collaborate on projects, organize and manage their surveys, upload and store imagery, and annotate images with species identifications and characteristics. Images can also be annotated through basic image recognition and crowd sourcing via a connection with the citizen science platform Zooniverse, which creates the potential to reach new audiences. Exporting data and imagery in the Camera Trap Metadata Standard (Forrester et al. 2016) will be supported in the near future. This will allow data to be archived outside of Agouti in research repositories such as Zenodo and by further mapping to Darwin Core to be made discoverable on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Agouti provides both professionals and the public with a practical solution for retaining camera-trap surveys and simultaneously engages people in contributing data to science in a standardized and organized manner, to the benefit of science and conservation.

Camera trapping has revolutionized wildlife ecology and conservation by providing automated data acquisition, leading to the accumulation of massive amounts of camera trap data worldwide. Although management and processing of camera trap‐derived Big Data are becoming increasingly solvable with the help of scalable cyber‐infrastructures, harmonization and exchange of the data remain limited, hindering its full potential. There is currently no widely accepted standard for exchanging camera trap data. The only existing proposal, “Camera Trap Metadata Standard” (CTMS), has several technical shortcomings and limited adoption. We present a new data exchange format, the Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP), designed to allow users to easily exchange, harmonize and archive camera trap data at local to global scales. Camtrap DP structures camera trap data in a simple yet flexible data model consisting of three tables (Deployments, Media and Observations) that supports a wide range of camera deployment designs, classification techniques (e.g., human and AI, media‐based and event‐based) and analytical use cases, from compiling species occurrence data through distribution, occupancy and activity modeling to density estimation. The format further achieves interoperability by building upon existing standards, Frictionless Data Package in particular, which is supported by a suite of open software tools to read and validate data. Camtrap DP is the consensus of a long, in‐depth, consultation and outreach process with standard and software developers, the main existing camera trap data management platforms, major players in the field of camera trapping and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Under the umbrella of the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), Camtrap DP has been developed openly, collaboratively and with version control from the start. We encourage camera trapping users and developers to join the discussion and contribute to the further development and adoption of this standard. We present a new data exchange format for camera trap data, the Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP; https://github.com/tdwg/camtrap-dp), designed to allow users to easily exchange, harmonize and archive camera trap data at local to global scales. Camtrap DP is being developed under the umbrella of the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), and through outreach and collaboration, it is now supported by GBIF. Importantly, Camtrap DP is the consensus of a long, in depth consultation process among the main existing camera trap data management platforms, as well as some of the major global players in the field of camera trapping. As an open, evolving standard for the FAIR exchange and archive of camera trap data, Camtrap DP represents an important step towards a global data sharing workflow with rapid results and thus more timely science based wildlife management recommendations.

 We describe six datasets that contain GPS and accelerometer data of 202 Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus ) spanning the period 2008-2021. Birds were equipped with GPS trackers in breeding and wintering areas in the Netherlands and Belgium. We used GPS trackers from the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS) for several study purposes, including the study of space use during the breeding season, habitat use and foraging behaviour in the winter season, and impacts of human disturbance. To enable broader usage, all data have now been made open access. Combined, the datasets contain 6.0 million GPS positions, 164 million acceleration measurements and 7.0 million classified behaviour events (i.e., flying, walking, foraging, preening, and inactive). The datasets are deposited on the research repository Zenodo, but are also accessible on Movebank and as down-sampled occurrence datasets on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). Keywords: Acceleration measurements, animal movement, behaviour, bio-logging, bird tracking, habitat use, machine observation, Movebank, oystercatchers, time budget, UvA-BiTS