data_Adamkova_et_al

In birds, concentrations of testosterone (T) and corticosterone (Cort) are closely connected with many morphological, behavioural and other physiological traits, including reproduction, metabolism, immunity, and fitness. The direction of the effect of these hormones on above-mentioned traits, and the potential feedback between hormones are in general unclear; in addition, knowledge on how age and sex can affect T and Cort concentrations is still inconsistent. Our study used a novel method to analyse testosterone and corticosterone in feathers (Tf, Cortf) based on the pre-column chemical derivatization of hormones before LC-MS/MS analysis. Unlike previously used methods (RIA, EIA), our analytical procedure allows simultaneous analysis of both hormones from small amounts of feathers (4-25 mg) and thus overcomes the problem of insufficient detection limits. We applied this method to reveal associations between Tf and Cortf hormone concentrations and feather growth, age, and sex in feathers grown during the post-breeding (flanks) and pre-breeding (tails) periods in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica). There was neither a correlation between pre-breeding and post-breeding Tf, nor between pre-breeding and post-breeding Cortf. Tail Cortf concentrations were negatively associated with tail feather growth rates. Feather hormone concentrations were correlated in the pre-breeding period, negatively in males but positively in females. Both Cortf and Tf were higher in young birds compared to older ones, indicating either an age-related decrease in hormone concentrations within individuals, or the selective disappearance of individuals with high steroid concentrations. Males and females did not differ in Cortf, but Tf concentrations were higher in males than females, particularly during the pre-breeding period. In this study, we provide an effective method for analysing hormones in feathers in an ecological context, especially in situations when the total amount of feathers available for the analysis is limited

Geographical location of tracked barn swallows

The file contains position of barn swallows Hirundo rustica (n=19). For position determination during migration cycle, we used light-level locators (type Intigeo-P55B1). Fieldwork was carried out in the period 2013-2015 in South Bohemia (48°59'6.619"N, 14°46'48.355"E), Czech Republic. For position determination we used R statistical package GeoLight 2.0.0, when we excluded the period ± 15-21 days around each equinox

Rowe et al. sperm morphology data

Data on sperm morphology (i.e. sperm length) for males used in the comparative study of sperm evolutionary rate

Phenotype data

Excel file containing two sheets, one with the phenotypic data, the other with explanations of all variable

All datasets compilation

A full compilation of datasets used in the paper in the form of separate txt files for separate analyse

parse_barcodes768

scripts for parsing barcode

Hirundo rustica genotype probabilities

Genotype probabilities associated with the data analyzed in this study

pairwise differences - genotype and phenotype

These are the pairwise differences in genome-wide genomic divergence and phenotype between 8 populations of barn swallows

DDRAD seq protocol

Here we provide the step by step protocol for library prep

High aboveground carbon stock of African tropical montane forests

Tropical forests store 40–50 per cent of terrestrial vegetation carbon. However, spatial variations in aboveground live tree biomass carbon (AGC) stocks remain poorly understood, in particular in tropical montane forests. Owing to climatic and soil changes with increasing elevation, AGC stocks are lower in tropical montane forests compared with lowland forests. Here we assemble and analyse a dataset of structurally intact old-growth forests (AfriMont) spanning 44 montane sites in 12 African countries. We find that montane sites in the AfriMont plot network have a mean AGC stock of 149.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare (95% confidence interval 137.1–164.2), which is comparable to lowland forests in the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network and about 70 per cent and 32 per cent higher than averages from plot networks in montane and lowland forests in the Neotropics, respectively. Notably, our results are two-thirds higher than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change default values for these forests in Africa. We find that the low stem density and high abundance of large trees of African lowland forests is mirrored in the montane forests sampled. This carbon store is endangered: we estimate that 0.8 million hectares of old-growth African montane forest have been lost since 2000. We provide country-specific montane forest AGC stock estimates modelled from our plot network to help to guide forest conservation and reforestation interventions. Our findings highlight the need for conserving these biodiverse and carbon-rich ecosystems.</p