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• Read more about Accelerating joint species distribution modeling with Hmsc-HPC: A 1000x faster GPU deployment

Joint Species Distribution Modelling (JSDM) is a powerful and increasingly widely used statistical methodology in biodiversity modelling, enabling researchers to assess and predict the joint distribution of species across space and time. However, JSDM can be computationally intensive and even prohibitive, especially for large datasets and sophisticated model structures. To address computational limitations of JSDM, we expanded one widely used JSDM framework, Hmsc-R, by developing a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) -compatible implementation of its model fitting algorithm.

• Read more about Biodiversity data standards for the organization and dissemination of complex research projects and digital twins: a guide

Biodiversity data are substantially increasing, spurred by technological advances and community (citizen) science initiatives. To integrate data is, likewise, becoming more commonplace. Open science promotes open sharing and data usage. Data standardization is an instrument for the organization and integration of biodiversity data, which is required for complex research projects and digital twins. However, just like with an actual instrument, there is a learning curve to understanding the data standards field.

• Read more about Brood indicators are an early warning signal of honey bee colony loss—a simulation-based study

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are exposed to multiple stressors such as pesticides, lack of forage, and diseases. It is therefore a long-standing aim to develop robust and meaningful indicators of bee vitality to assist beekeepers While established indicators often focus on expected colony winter mortality based on adult bee abundance and honey reserves at the beginning of the winter, it would be useful to have indicators that allow detection of stress effects earlier in the year to allow for adaptive management.

• Read more about Digital twin challenges in biodiversity modelling

Digital Twin is a contemporary digital representation paradigm that is capable of encompassing the complex interactions within the natural environment. By building biodiversity Digital Twin solutions we may reveal anthropogenic effects that cause loss in biodiversity and discover the pathways that can better uncover, diminish or prevent these effects.

• Read more about Prototype biodiversity digital twin: crop wild relatives genetic resources for food security

Amidst population growth and climate-driven crop stresses such as drought, extreme weather, fungal and insect pests, as well as various crop diseases, ensuring food security demands innovative strategies. Crop wild relatives (CWR), wild plants in the same genus as the crop as well as wild populations belonging to the same species as the crop, offer novel genetic resources crucial for enhancing crop resilience against these stress factors. Here, we introduce a prototype digital twin (pDT) to aid in searching and utilising CWR genetic resources.

• Read more about Prototype Biodiversity Digital Twin: honey bees in agricultural landscapes

Honey bees are vital to human well-being and are under multiple stresses. We need to be able to assess the viability and productivity of honey bee colonies in different landscapes and under different management and climate-change scenarios. We have developed a prototype digital twin, HONEYBEE-pDT, based on the BEEHAVE model, which simulates foraging, population dynamics and Varroa mite infestation of a single honey bee colony. The main input data are land-cover maps and daily weather data. We have developed the pDT for simulating large areas and have tested it for the whole of Germany.

• Read more about Prototype Biodiversity Digital Twin: Phylogenetic Diversity

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) represents a fundamental measure of biodiversity, encapsulating the extent of evolutionary history within species groups. This measure, pivotal for understanding biodiversity's full dimension, has gained recognition by major environmental and scientific organisations, including the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Unlike traditional taxonomic richness, PD offers a comprehensive, evolutionary perspective on biodiversity, essential for conservation planning and biodiversity management.

• Read more about Prototype Biodiversity Digital Twin: prioritisation of DNA metabarcoding sampling locations

Advancements in environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding have revolutionised our capacity to assess biodiversity, especially for cryptic or less-studied organisms, such as fungi, bacteria and micro-invertebrates. Despite its cost-effectiveness, the spatial selection for sampling sites remains a critical challenge due to the considerable time and resources required for processing and analysing eDNA samples. This study introduces a Biodiversity Digital Twin Prototype, aimed at optimising the selection and prioritisation of eDNA sampling locations.

• Read more about Prototype Biodiversity Digital Twin: Invasive Alien Species

Invasive alien species (IAS) threaten biodiversity and human well-being. These threats may increase in the future, necessitating accurate projections of potential locations and the extent of invasions. The main aim of the IAS prototype Digital Twin (IAS pDT) is to dynamically project the level of plant invasion at habitat level across Europe under current and future climates using joint species distribution models. The pDT detects updates in data sources and versions of the datasets and model outputs, implementing the FAIR principles.

• Read more about Prototype Digital Twin: Recreation and biodiversity cultural ecosystem services

Digital twin approaches have the potential to revolutionise usage, planning and management of cultural ecosystem services i.e. the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including recreation, tourism, intellectual development, spiritual enrichment, reflection and aesthetic experiences.