The welfare and ethics of research involving wild animals: A Primer

Wild animals are used in both in situ and ex situ research, but guidelines for best practice are not always clearly linked to animal welfare. Here, Soulsbury et al. discuss the ethics of using wild animals in scientific research, highlighting issues associated with capture, housing and handling of both vertebrates and invertebrates. They reveal where data is lacking and make recommendations for researchers to implement.

 

SAFE Acoustics: an open-source, real-time eco-acoustic monitoring network in the tropical rainforests of Borneo

Automated monitoring approaches offer large‐scale insights into how ecosystems respond to human pressures. Here, Sethi et al. present the complete implementation of an autonomous acoustic monitoring network deployed in the tropical rainforests of Borneo, providing the open‐source code and design of monitoring devices used to deliver real‐time analyses of the eco‐acoustic data.

ntbox: an R package with graphical user interface for modeling and evaluating multidimensional ecological niches

Biodiversity studies rely heavily on estimates of species distributions obtained through ecological niche modelling. Here, Osorio-Olvera et al. describe NicheToolBox (ntbox), an R package that allows users to conduct all processing steps involved in ecological niche modelling. The method is explained in detail and tested by modelling the threatened feline species Leopardus wiedii.

GeoOrigins: A new method and R package for trait mapping and geographic provenancing of specimens without categorical constraints

Biologists often seek to geographically provenance organisms using their traits. Here, Hulme-Beaman et al. present a new spatial provenancing and trait boundary identification methodology, based on correlations between geographic and trait distances that require no a priori group assumptions. This is tested on three datasets (rat and vole dentition and birdsong data), but can be applied to a variety of data types.

 

Schrödinger's phenotypes: Herbarium specimens show two‐dimensional images are both good and (not so) bad sources of morphological data

The digitisation of museum specimens is allowing us to collectively build large‐scale morphological datasets, but this approach will only be useful if the limits are well‐known. To establish the limits, Borges et al. used two‐dimensional images of plant specimens to test the precision and accuracy of image‐based data and analyses, finding that trait measurements made from images are as precise as those obtained directly from specimens, but as traits diminish in size, the accuracy decreases.

 

A customizable, low‐cost optomotor apparatus: A powerful tool for behaviourally measuring visual capability

Vision is the dominant sense for many animals, and understanding the visual abilities of a species can be key for investigating its behaviour and evolution. However, many techniques for quantifying visual capability are expensive, invasive and/or require specialised equipment. Here, Caves et al. provide instructions for building a low-cost, programmable optomotor apparatus using 3D‐printed materials. They also discuss experimental design considerations for optomotor assays, including a guide that calculates the dimensions of stimuli of varying spatial frequency.