1,721,070 research outputs found
Anonymized database_ISCIENCE-D-24-16059R2_González-Bernardo et al. [Dataset]
No full textThe excel file provides the final, anonymized datasets used in the ISCIENCE-D-24-16059R2 manuscript entitled “Sex- and trait-specific contribution of individual- and population-level processes to age-related changes in multiple plumage ornaments”, accepted for publication in iSCIENCE in April 2025. The file is divided into 3 spreadsheets, the first (Females WPS + FPO) contains the data for the analyses of wing patch size and forehead patch occurrence in females, the second (Females FPS) contains the data needed for the analysis of forehead patch size in females and the third (Males WPS + FPS) contains the data needed for the analyses of wing and forehead patch sizes in males.Peer reviewe
Data on phenotype-dependent dispersal in pied flycatchers between 1988 and 2016
No full textBetween 1988 and 2016, we investigated the effects of breeding density and body size on natal dispersal propensity in a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population breeding in nest-boxes in two different habitats in central Spain (41°04'N, 3°27'W − 40°40'N, 4°80'W). Body size was measured as tarsus length. Breeding density was estimated as the annual number of nest-boxes occupied by pied flycatchers relative to the total area of each forest patch. Dispersal rates between habitats were also calculated by dividing the number of recruits that moved from their natal to the alternative habitat patch by the total number of recruits that returned to the study area each year. In addition, we calculated the annual rates of immigration to each habitat, expressed as the number of unbanded birds relative to the total number of birds in a given year.Peer reviewe
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Quantifying CpG variants in a pied flycatcher population
No full textMain dataset with the study variables, including the information to recreate the analyses testing the association between dispersal categories and CpG count. This dataset contains the following sheets: 1) Counts_CpGvariants, showing the number of genome-wide CpG variants per individual; 2) Counts_CpGvariants_prom, showing the number of CpG variants within gene promoters per individual; 3) Counts_CpGtotals, showing the number of total CpG sites (including variant and non-variant sites) per individual; 4) Variable explanation.Natal dispersal is a key life-history trait determining fitness and driving population dynamics, genetic structure and species distributions. Despite existing evidence that not all phenotypes are equally likely to successfully establish in new areas, the mechanistic underpinnings of natal dispersal remain poorly understood. The propensity to disperse into a new environment can be favored by a high degree of phenotypic plasticity which facilitates local adaptation and may be achieved via epigenetic mechanisms, which modify gene expression and enable rapid phenotypic changes. Epigenetic processes occur in particular genomic regions - DNA methylation on CpG sites in vertebrates -, and thus individual genomes may differ in their capacity to be modified epigenetically. This “Epigenetic potential” (EP) may represent the range of phenotypic plasticity attainable by an individual, and be a key determinant of successful settlement in novel areas. We investigated the association between EP – quantified as the number of genome-wide CpG variants – and natal dispersal propensity in a long-term study population of Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) monitored since colonization of a new habitat 35 years ago. We tested this association at three levels, comparing EP between: i) individuals dispersing between and within habitat patches; ii) immigrants to the population and locally-born individuals; and iii) individuals from first (comprising colonizers or their direct descendants) and later generations of the population (consisting of locally-born individuals, which did not show natal dispersal). Results show a significant, positive association between EP and dispersal propensity in comparisons i) and iii), but not ii). Furthermore, CpG variants were non-randomly distributed across the genome, suggesting species- and/or population-specific CpGs being more frequent in promoters and exons. Our findings point to EP playing a role in dispersal propensity at spatial and temporal scales, supporting the idea that epigenetically-driven phenotypic plasticity facilitates dispersal and environmental coping in free-living birds.European Commission: MSCA-IF 101027784
University of Groningen
The Research Council of Norway: 314866
University of Nottingham
Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y UniversidadesPeer reviewe
Quantifying CpG variants in a pied flycatcher population
No full textSamples were collected in population of pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) breeding in nest boxes in central Spain (La Hiruela, 41°04' N, 3°27' W; 1250 masl), and monitored since 1984. Total genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples using a standard ammonium acetate protocol, and diluted to a working concentration of 25 ng/μL. Besides, on an additional set of samples from 1998 (used in one of the group comparisons), DNA had already been extracted from whole blood using Chelex resin-based extraction.
Whole genome sequencing was performed by Novogene Europe in two sequencing runs, where paired-end Illumina next-generation sequencing (150bp) was carried out on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencer. Libraries were prepared using either the Novogene NGS DNA Library Prep Set (Cat No.PT004) at Novogene, or small-scale library prep (1/10th standard volumes) for Illumina DNA Prep with IDT index sets, using the Mosquito aliquoting system at the DeepSeq Facility at the University of Nottingham, UK. Both library preparation methods have previously been validated and shown to have comparable sequencing outcomes in another passerine species, the house sparrow (M. Ravinet, unpubl. data).
Genome sequences were aligned against the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) reference genome (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/genome/GCF_000247815.1/ ; accession AGTO00000000.2), the closest relative species with a reference genome available. In order to map reads to the collared flycatcher reference genome, we used a custom genotyping pipeline developed in Nextflow (https://github.com/markravinet/genotyping_pipeline). The pipeline is based on a previously used protocol and is designed to go from raw reads to sequence alignment, genotyping and variant filtering in several simple, reproducible steps. Following variant calling, we quantified CpG polymorphism across the genomes of all individuals.Natal dispersal is a key life-history trait determining fitness and driving population dynamics, genetic structure and species distributions. Despite existing evidence that not all phenotypes are equally likely to successfully establish in new areas, the mechanistic underpinnings of natal dispersal remain poorly understood. The propensity to disperse into a new environment can be favored by a high degree of phenotypic plasticity which facilitates local adaptation and may be achieved via epigenetic mechanisms, which modify gene expression and enable rapid phenotypic changes. Epigenetic processes occur in particular genomic regions - DNA methylation on CpG sites in vertebrates -, and thus individual genomes may differ in their capacity to be modified epigenetically. This "Epigenetic potential" (EP) may represent the range of phenotypic plasticity attainable by an individual, and be a key determinant of successful settlement in novel areas. We investigated the association between EP – quantified as the number of genome-wide CpG variants – and natal dispersal propensity in a long-term study population of Pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) monitored since colonization of a new habitat 35 years ago. We tested this association at three levels, comparing EP between: i) individuals dispersing between and within habitat patches; ii) immigrants to the population and locally-born individuals; and iii) individuals from first (comprising colonizers or their direct descendants) and later generations of the population (consisting of locally-born individuals, which did not show natal dispersal). Results show a significant, positive association between EP and dispersal propensity in comparisons i) and iii), but not ii). Furthermore, CpG variants were non-randomly distributed across the genome, suggesting species- and/or population-specific CpGs being more frequent in promoters and exons. Our findings point to EP playing a role in dispersal propensity at spatial and temporal scales, supporting the idea that epigenetically-driven phenotypic plasticity facilitates dispersal and environmental coping in free-living birds.Funding provided by: European Commission (MSCA-IF 101027784); University of Groningen; The Research Council of Norway; University of Nottingham; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.Peer reviewe
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Non-foraging tool use in European Honey buzzards: an experimental test
No full textBetween 30 June and 10 July 2013 we conducted a field experiment in central Spain to investigate the suitability of different plant species to attract ants as a tool used by European Honey buzzards (Pernis apivorus) in anting behaviour, under the assumption that buzzards would prefer easy-to-collect twigs from plants that effectively attract ants to perform anting behaviour. First, we estimated the strength needed to break 30 fresh twigs from the species that the buzzard used most frequently (maple tree), as well as from other abundant plants in the community, including rock rose, hawthorn, and Pyrenean oak. Second, we conducted a selection experiment at 23 random points to compare the effectiveness of ant attraction by these four species, measured as the total number of ants attractedPeer reviewe
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