Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

The scaling of motion: dynamic body acceleration declines with body mass in black-tailed prairie dogs

Dynamic body acceleration (DBA) derived from animal-borne accelerometers is widely used to infer behaviour and movement-related energetic expenditure, yet its interpretation in comparative contexts may be complicated by body size. Biomechanical scaling predicts that smaller anima...

Divergent fertility responses to cyclones and floods: a mixed-methods study from rural Bangladesh

Over the past decade, Bangladesh has experienced substantial demographic change alongside increasing climate-related disruption. This study examines the links between extreme climatic events and fertility among married Bangladeshi women of childbearing age who already have childr...

Prior infection of harlequin toads by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis alters their immune-microbial state and increases mortality upon re-infection

Abstract Strategies to improve survival of wildlife impacted by emerging infectious disease are needed for species of conservation concern. We investigated how prior infection by the skin fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), affected subsequent disease outcomes i...

Reticulated adaptive radiation and phylogenomic diversity loss in the Hawaiian honeycreepers

The Hawaiian honeycreepers, one of the world’s most iconic adaptive radiations, are facing a human-mediated extinction crisis. More than 60 Hawaiian honeycreepers (Fringillidae: Carduelinae: Drepanidini) evolved from a single rosefinch-like ancestor that colonized the Hawaiian Is...