Call for Collaboration!

The DarkCideS Project, which Alice Hughes and I launched in 2018, aims to improve global knowledge of cave-dwelling bats and support evidence-based conservation planning.

Together with more than 50 collaborators from around the globe, the first version of the DarkCideS database was published in 2022 and included 6,746 georeferenced occurrence records for 402 cave-dwelling bat species from 2,002 cave sites across 46 countries and 12 terrestrial biomes https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01234-4.

This database supported the first global effort to identify conservation priorities for cave-dwelling bats and has also been useful for broader macroecological analyses. However, as with many biodiversity databases, the first version was far from complete. Important geographic and taxonomic knowledge gaps remained, and many significant biodiversity records were not yet included.

Alice and I are delighted to announce the development of DarkCideS Version 2 and to open a Call for Collaboration.

We invite colleagues who hold field data on cave-dwelling bats from anywhere in the world to contribute to this updated version of the database. Collaborators will be involved in mobilising relevant field data to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), helping to analyse the expanded global dataset, and co-authoring the resulting data paper.

For DarkCideS Version 2, we aim to update existing records and expand the database by incorporating new metadata, a sampling-event structure, trait data, genetic data, indicators of knowledge shortfalls, and other Essential Biodiversity Variables.

We warmly welcome contributions from researchers, conservation practitioners, young biologists, and institutions working on cave-dwelling bats worldwide. Whether you study them, protect them, monitor them, or simply spend a lot of time thinking about bats in caves, we would be happy to have you involved.

If this sounds interesting to you, please fill out the form below. Please also feel free to pass this call along to colleagues who might want to join the collaboration party: https://forms.office.com/r/xKTJ8fDSEj

The Eco/Con Lab Biodiversity Synthesis+ Centre serves as the central hub of the Ecology and Conservation Research Laboratory (Eco/Con Lab) at the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Southern Mindanao in the Philippines, aiming to mobilise, consolidate, and synthesise biodiversity data from the Philippines. At its core, the Biodiversity Synthesis+ Centre within the Eco/Con Lab aims to achieve insightful comprehension of biodiversity distribution and patterns across the Mindanao Island and the entire Philippines, spanning both temporal and spatial dimensions. This ambitious goal of the centre is pursued through the systematic collation and integration of unconsolidated biodiversity data, employing diverse tools and approaches to synthesise this information effectively. By consolidating unconsolidated biodiversity information, the Biodiversity Synthesis+ Centre seeks to create a cohesive understanding of biodiversity and ecological dynamics, shedding light on how these patterns evolve over space and time, how species interact with its ecosystems and threatening processes.

In addition to fostering a deeper understanding of biodiversity, the Biodiversity Synthesis+ Centre is committed to enhancing the accessibility and usability of synthesised information following FAIR data principles. It endeavours to develop user-friendly frameworks that facilitate easy access to biodiversity insights, empowering stakeholders in science-based policymaking and conservation prioritisation efforts. Through these endeavours, the Biodiversity Synthesis+ Centre not only contributes to scientific knowledge but also strives to catalyse practical actions aimed at preserving and safeguarding biodiversity in Mindanao and the broader Philippine context. Link: https://www.gbif.org/publisher/137233c6-366b-45e4-af0d-df251902a5cd

The MOBIOS+ project has an overarching goal of establishing a biodiversity database for Mindanao following the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) to advance studies in biodiversity and develop a synthesis to identify current and future conservation priorities in the region. Furthermore, the MOBIOS+ database aims to mainstream rich and important biodiversity in Mindanao. This is through making occurrence records of species from studies from various institutions in Mindanao, centralised in an accessible platform. To do this, we collated biodiversity records from published studies and organised them in a standard format, machine-readable, and digitally available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) platform. This project aims to continuously update the species database, complementing on-ground biodiversity efforts in Mindanao. The database is housed at the Biodiversity Synthesis Centre of the Eco/Con Lab at the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mindanao.

The Ecology in Urban Transformed Habitat Project (EUTH) is an integrative research initiative comprising several studies on urban ecology. Our project leverages the extensive agro-urban ecosystems of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) as a living research laboratory. Through this approach, the team has adapted and innovated existing field techniques and local resources to test key ecological hypotheses, including the ‘Increasing Disturbance Hypothesis’, the ‘Natural Enemies Hypothesis’, ‘Human Shield Hypotheses’ and others aimed at understanding how landscape modification influences prey–predator dynamics.

Our present findings from EUTH have provided novel insights into prey-predation processes and interactions across trophic levels in human-modified environments. For example, field experiments showed clear differences in predation pressure between herbivorous and carnivorous species, and differences in predation rate during the drought season.

The project also involves understanding wildlife behaviour and their response in urban landscapes. For example, we are testing predator, including their predation efficiency in response to human elements.

These studies represent the first systematic, long-term ecological experiments of their kind conducted at USM and within Mindanao. By capitalising on the university’s extensive agroecosystems, the EUTH project has established a robust platform for sustained ecological research, providing critical baseline knowledge on species interactions in urbanising landscapes.

Human-driven changes to the environment are putting species, habitats, and the services ecosystems provide at serious risk. To understand how climate change and land-use shifts will shape the future, it is important to develop clear and reliable predictions at different scales. Scientists and policymakers remain concerned about how these changes will affect the environment, food security, and public health. Together, land-use change and climate change are causing major habitat loss and contributing to species declines. This makes careful forecasting and thorough investigation essential.

In line with the goals of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Philippine PAGTANAW 2050, this project will develop a strong species and ecological model that uses updated climate scenarios and on-the-ground data. The Eco4Sight project aims to measure how climate change and land-use change affect biodiversity, food security, public health, and the wider environment in the Philippines. Its findings will offer science-based guidance for setting priorities on environmental security and sustainability, both now and in the years to come, and will help inform policies to address the complex challenges ahead.