Search results for "Data science"

Understanding deep learning in land use classification based on Sentinel-2 time series

2020

AbstractThe use of deep learning (DL) approaches for the analysis of remote sensing (RS) data is rapidly increasing. DL techniques have provided excellent results in applications ranging from parameter estimation to image classification and anomaly detection. Although the vast majority of studies report precision indicators, there is a lack of studies dealing with the interpretability of the predictions. This shortcoming hampers a wider adoption of DL approaches by a wider users community, as model’s decisions are not accountable. In applications that involve the management of public budgets or policy compliance, a better interpretability of predictions is strictly required. This work aims …

Why should traceology learn from dental microwear, and vice-versa?

2019

Dental and artifact microwear analyses have a lot in common regarding the questions they address, their developmental history and their issues. However, few paleontologists and archeologists are aware of this, and even those who are, do not take into account most of the methodological insights from the other field. In this focus article, we briefly review the main developmental steps of both methods, highlight how similar their histories are and how combining methodological developments can improve both research fields. In both cases, the traditional analyses have been strongly criticized mainly because of their subjectivity and their lack of repeatability and reproducibility. Quantitative …

Climate Change Genomics Calls for Standardized Data Reporting

2020

The advent of new and affordable high-throughput sequencing techniques allows for the investigation of the genetic basis of environmental adaptation throughout the plant and animal kingdom. The framework of genotype-environment associations (GEA) provides a powerful link by correlating the geographic distribution of genotype patterns of individuals or populations with environmental factors on a spatial scale. We coarsely review the short history of GEA studies, summarizing available studies, organisms, data type, and data availability for these studies. GEA is a powerful tool in climate change research and we therefore focus on climate variables as environmental factors. While our initial a…

Plant stress biology in epigenomic era.

2020

Recent progress in "omics" methodologies allow us to gain insight into the complex molecular regulatory networks underlying plant responses to environmental stresses. Among the different genome-wide analysis, epigenomics is the most under-investigated "omic" approach requiring more critical and speculative discussion about approaches, methods and experimental designs. Epigenomics allows us to gain insight into the molecular adaptation of plants in response to environmental stresses. The identification of epigenetic marks transmitted during filial generations enables new theories to be developed on the evolution of living organisms in relation to environmental changes. The molecular mechanis…

2017

This article reviews research on the evolutionary mechanisms leading to different transmission modes. Such modes are often under genetic control of the host or the pathogen, and often in conflict with each other via trade-offs. Transmission modes may vary among pathogen strains and among host populations. Evolutionary changes in transmission mode have been inferred through experimental and phylogenetic studies, including changes in transmission associated with host shifts and with evolution of the unusually complex life cycles of many parasites. Understanding the forces that determine the evolution of particular transmission modes presents a fascinating medley of problems for which there is…

Open data and digital morphology

2017

International audience; Over the past two decades, the development of methods for visualizing and analysing specimens digitally, in three and even four dimensions, has transformed the study of living and fossil organisms. However, the initial promise that the widespread application of such methods would facilitate access to the underlying digital data has not been fully achieved. The underlying datasets for many published studies are not readily or freely available, introducing a barrier to verification and reproducibility, and the reuse of data. There is no current agreement or policy on the amount and type of data that should be made available alongside studies that use, and in some cases…

Next-generation cophylogeny: unravelling eco-evolutionary processes

2021

A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is how microevolutionary processes translate into species diversification. Cophylogeny provides an appropriate framework to address this for symbiotic associations, but historically has been primarily limited to unveiling patterns. We argue that it is essential to integrate advances from ecology and evolutionary biology into cophylogeny, to gain greater mechanistic insights and transform cophylogeny into a platform to advance understanding of interspecific interactions and diversification more widely. We discuss key directions, such as incorporating trait reconstruction and considering multiple scales of network organization, and highlight rece…

Taxonomy 2.0: computer-aided identification tools to assist Antarctic biologists in the field and in the laboratory

2020

Species inventories are essential to the implementation of conservation policies to mitigate biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem services and their value to the society. This is particularly topical with respect to climate change and direct anthropogenic effects on Antarctic biodiversity, with the identification of the most at-risk taxa and geographical areas becoming a priority. Identification tools are often neglected and considered helpful only for taxonomists. However, the development of new online information technologies and computer-aided identification tools provides an opportunity to promote them to a wider audience, especially considering the emerging generation of scientists…

Individual-Based Tracking Systems in Ornithology: Welcome to the Era of Big Data

2016

Technological innovations have led to exciting fast-moving developments in science. Today, we are living in a technology-driven era of biological discovery. Consequently, tracking technologies have facilitated dramatic advances in the fundamental understanding of ecology and animal behaviour. Major technological improvements, such as the development of GPS dataloggers, geolocators and other bio-logging technologies, provide a volume of data that were hitherto unconceivable. Hence we can claim that ornithology has entered the era of big data. In this paper, which is particularly addressed to undergraduate students and starting researchers in the emerging field of movement ecology, I summaris…

Fundamental questions and applications of sclerochronology: Community-defined research priorities

2020

WOS:000582677500029; International audience; Horizon scanning is an increasingly common strategy to identify key research needs and frame future agendas in science. Here, we present the results of the first such exercise for the field of sclerochronology, thereby providing an overview of persistent and emergent research questions that should be addressed by future studies. Through online correspondence following the 5th International Sclerochronology Conference in 2019, participants submitted and rated questions that addressed either knowledge gaps or promising applications of sclerochronology. An initial list of 130 questions was compiled based on contributions of conference attendees and …