Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar
@asanchez-tojar.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist striving for better science. Meta-analyst & Meta-researcher. Principal Investigator @ucoimbra.bsky.social. Board of Directors of SORTEE (@sortee.bsky.social). Receiving & Data Editor
@Ecology_Letters. M 2:37, HM 72:49, FTP 4.45W/kg
@Ecology_Letters. M 2:37, HM 72:49, FTP 4.45W/kg
⚠️ Limitations: high heterogeneity suggests low generality, potential small-study effects, and taxonomic bias (3 species dominate)
We share our pre-registration and all materials to support transparency and reproducibility:
🧾 doi.org/10.17605/OSF...
💾 github.com/shreyadimri/...
We share our pre-registration and all materials to support transparency and reproducibility:
🧾 doi.org/10.17605/OSF...
💾 github.com/shreyadimri/...
November 3, 2025 at 7:33 AM
⚠️ Limitations: high heterogeneity suggests low generality, potential small-study effects, and taxonomic bias (3 species dominate)
We share our pre-registration and all materials to support transparency and reproducibility:
🧾 doi.org/10.17605/OSF...
💾 github.com/shreyadimri/...
We share our pre-registration and all materials to support transparency and reproducibility:
🧾 doi.org/10.17605/OSF...
💾 github.com/shreyadimri/...
The effect tended to be stronger when Green Nest Material was added continuously throughout nesting. However, experimental design was the strongest predictor, challenging the idea that aromatic compounds alone explain GNM’s fitness benefits
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
November 3, 2025 at 7:32 AM
The effect tended to be stronger when Green Nest Material was added continuously throughout nesting. However, experimental design was the strongest predictor, challenging the idea that aromatic compounds alone explain GNM’s fitness benefits
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
On average, nests with added Green Nest Material showed higher fitness estimates (statistically significant so only for SMDH). Results were robust to sensitivity analyses, yet heterogeneity was high.
GNM can enhance fitness, but its functional role remains unresolved
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
GNM can enhance fitness, but its functional role remains unresolved
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
November 3, 2025 at 7:30 AM
On average, nests with added Green Nest Material showed higher fitness estimates (statistically significant so only for SMDH). Results were robust to sensitivity analyses, yet heterogeneity was high.
GNM can enhance fitness, but its functional role remains unresolved
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
GNM can enhance fitness, but its functional role remains unresolved
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
To address this, we conducted a pre-registered #systematicreview and #metaanalysis of experiments testing Green Nest Material’s effect on avian fitness proxies 🐦
We synthesised 274 effect sizes from 28 studies on 7 species across 17 regions
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
We synthesised 274 effect sizes from 28 studies on 7 species across 17 regions
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
November 3, 2025 at 7:29 AM
To address this, we conducted a pre-registered #systematicreview and #metaanalysis of experiments testing Green Nest Material’s effect on avian fitness proxies 🐦
We synthesised 274 effect sizes from 28 studies on 7 species across 17 regions
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
We synthesised 274 effect sizes from 28 studies on 7 species across 17 regions
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
Nests are fundamental across animals. Some birds decorate them with fresh, often aromatic plant material (AKA Green Nest Material or GNM)
Why do they do this? Despite decades of study, we still don’t know the overall adaptive significance or generality of this behavior
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
Why do they do this? Despite decades of study, we still don’t know the overall adaptive significance or generality of this behavior
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
November 3, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Nests are fundamental across animals. Some birds decorate them with fresh, often aromatic plant material (AKA Green Nest Material or GNM)
Why do they do this? Despite decades of study, we still don’t know the overall adaptive significance or generality of this behavior
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
Why do they do this? Despite decades of study, we still don’t know the overall adaptive significance or generality of this behavior
📄 doi.org/10.32942/X2X...
Big news. I’ve started a new PI position @ucoimbra.bsky.social
I'm joining the meta-research group led by @tweissgerber.bsky.social & the @ec.europa.eu funded @excelscior-era.bsky.social
Thrilled to join this historic university & continue my work on #MetaResearch #EvidenceSynthesis & #OpenScience
I'm joining the meta-research group led by @tweissgerber.bsky.social & the @ec.europa.eu funded @excelscior-era.bsky.social
Thrilled to join this historic university & continue my work on #MetaResearch #EvidenceSynthesis & #OpenScience
November 2, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Big news. I’ve started a new PI position @ucoimbra.bsky.social
I'm joining the meta-research group led by @tweissgerber.bsky.social & the @ec.europa.eu funded @excelscior-era.bsky.social
Thrilled to join this historic university & continue my work on #MetaResearch #EvidenceSynthesis & #OpenScience
I'm joining the meta-research group led by @tweissgerber.bsky.social & the @ec.europa.eu funded @excelscior-era.bsky.social
Thrilled to join this historic university & continue my work on #MetaResearch #EvidenceSynthesis & #OpenScience
At 10:00 🇵🇹, I’ll be speaking at the #EUFLYNET workshop about: “Rethinking standards in #evidencesynthesis for reliable ecology & evolution” 🐦
Many thanks to @ecobrlik.bsky.social for the kind invitation & for leading what'll surely be a fantastic systematic map (protocol 👉 doi.org/10.57808/pro...)
Many thanks to @ecobrlik.bsky.social for the kind invitation & for leading what'll surely be a fantastic systematic map (protocol 👉 doi.org/10.57808/pro...)
October 30, 2025 at 8:12 AM
At 10:00 🇵🇹, I’ll be speaking at the #EUFLYNET workshop about: “Rethinking standards in #evidencesynthesis for reliable ecology & evolution” 🐦
Many thanks to @ecobrlik.bsky.social for the kind invitation & for leading what'll surely be a fantastic systematic map (protocol 👉 doi.org/10.57808/pro...)
Many thanks to @ecobrlik.bsky.social for the kind invitation & for leading what'll surely be a fantastic systematic map (protocol 👉 doi.org/10.57808/pro...)
📣 Hot off the press at #ProcB!
🔍 Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.
🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
🔍 Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.
🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
September 17, 2025 at 6:30 AM
📣 Hot off the press at #ProcB!
🔍 Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.
🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
🔍 Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.
🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Check out our latest preprint 📣 TADA guidelines 📣
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
August 4, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Check out our latest preprint 📣 TADA guidelines 📣
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
Our project, led by Sanllorente, is out at Insect Conservation & Diversity:
"A systematic review and meta-analysis on urban arthropod diversity" (doi.org/10.1111/icad...)
We performed a meta-analysis of means & variances, and explored how methods matter when studying urbanisation. Check it out!
"A systematic review and meta-analysis on urban arthropod diversity" (doi.org/10.1111/icad...)
We performed a meta-analysis of means & variances, and explored how methods matter when studying urbanisation. Check it out!
May 12, 2025 at 5:41 AM
Our project, led by Sanllorente, is out at Insect Conservation & Diversity:
"A systematic review and meta-analysis on urban arthropod diversity" (doi.org/10.1111/icad...)
We performed a meta-analysis of means & variances, and explored how methods matter when studying urbanisation. Check it out!
"A systematic review and meta-analysis on urban arthropod diversity" (doi.org/10.1111/icad...)
We performed a meta-analysis of means & variances, and explored how methods matter when studying urbanisation. Check it out!
Instead, we'd like to encourage you to submit & support @peercommunityin.bsky.social & @peercomjournal.bsky.social because not only do they do something amazing and that plays a key role in changing the publishing system, but they do it efficiently & thoroughly.
Absolutely amazing editorial team!
Absolutely amazing editorial team!
April 3, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Instead, we'd like to encourage you to submit & support @peercommunityin.bsky.social & @peercomjournal.bsky.social because not only do they do something amazing and that plays a key role in changing the publishing system, but they do it efficiently & thoroughly.
Absolutely amazing editorial team!
Absolutely amazing editorial team!
Our paper investigating reproducibility potential in ecological journals without a code-sharing policy is now @peercomjournal.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.24072/pcj...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We've shared our results already (bsky.app/profile/asan...), so we won't bother you again.
Instead...👇
📰 doi.org/10.24072/pcj...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We've shared our results already (bsky.app/profile/asan...), so we won't bother you again.
Instead...👇
April 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Our paper investigating reproducibility potential in ecological journals without a code-sharing policy is now @peercomjournal.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.24072/pcj...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We've shared our results already (bsky.app/profile/asan...), so we won't bother you again.
Instead...👇
📰 doi.org/10.24072/pcj...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We've shared our results already (bsky.app/profile/asan...), so we won't bother you again.
Instead...👇
@plosbiology.org "[We] encourage portable peer review (PPR), where we will consider manuscripts on the basis of reviews received at journals from other publishers. [But] this requires journals to be open to sharing reports and reviewer identities with other publishers." 👏
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
April 2, 2025 at 3:20 AM
@plosbiology.org "[We] encourage portable peer review (PPR), where we will consider manuscripts on the basis of reviews received at journals from other publishers. [But] this requires journals to be open to sharing reports and reviewer identities with other publishers." 👏
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
🟢 Fourth submission, to 'ICD': 4 months, 2 rounds of review;
- Reviewer #1, confesses to be the same as for CB, angrily insists that our study is shit
- Reviewer #2, not the same as for CB, first praises our meta-analysis, then, on the 2nd round of review, goes further (see image).
➡️ Accepted 📄 🥳
- Reviewer #1, confesses to be the same as for CB, angrily insists that our study is shit
- Reviewer #2, not the same as for CB, first praises our meta-analysis, then, on the 2nd round of review, goes further (see image).
➡️ Accepted 📄 🥳
April 1, 2025 at 10:38 AM
🟢 Fourth submission, to 'ICD': 4 months, 2 rounds of review;
- Reviewer #1, confesses to be the same as for CB, angrily insists that our study is shit
- Reviewer #2, not the same as for CB, first praises our meta-analysis, then, on the 2nd round of review, goes further (see image).
➡️ Accepted 📄 🥳
- Reviewer #1, confesses to be the same as for CB, angrily insists that our study is shit
- Reviewer #2, not the same as for CB, first praises our meta-analysis, then, on the 2nd round of review, goes further (see image).
➡️ Accepted 📄 🥳
Time for @eivimeycook.bsky.social's SORTEE webinar on reproducibility. Did my best to get Ed's best pose ❤️
March 27, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Time for @eivimeycook.bsky.social's SORTEE webinar on reproducibility. Did my best to get Ed's best pose ❤️
That was quick! 🙌 Excited to share that @peercommunityin.bsky.social Ecology just recommended our #preprint! 🥳
Recommendation: doi.org/10.24072/pci...
Next stop ▶️ Submit to @peercomjournal.bsky.social, let's support amazing initiatives.
A. Bezine, @marijapurgar.bsky.social, @anticac.bsky.social
Recommendation: doi.org/10.24072/pci...
Next stop ▶️ Submit to @peercomjournal.bsky.social, let's support amazing initiatives.
A. Bezine, @marijapurgar.bsky.social, @anticac.bsky.social
March 27, 2025 at 3:37 AM
That was quick! 🙌 Excited to share that @peercommunityin.bsky.social Ecology just recommended our #preprint! 🥳
Recommendation: doi.org/10.24072/pci...
Next stop ▶️ Submit to @peercomjournal.bsky.social, let's support amazing initiatives.
A. Bezine, @marijapurgar.bsky.social, @anticac.bsky.social
Recommendation: doi.org/10.24072/pci...
Next stop ▶️ Submit to @peercomjournal.bsky.social, let's support amazing initiatives.
A. Bezine, @marijapurgar.bsky.social, @anticac.bsky.social
Interested in knowing more about data-sharing, code-sharing, and software reporting quality in ecology? Do journal policies even matter?
We have now updated our #preprint after a wonderful round of reviews at @peercommunityin.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.32942/X21...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We have now updated our #preprint after a wonderful round of reviews at @peercommunityin.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.32942/X21...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
March 26, 2025 at 5:39 AM
Interested in knowing more about data-sharing, code-sharing, and software reporting quality in ecology? Do journal policies even matter?
We have now updated our #preprint after a wonderful round of reviews at @peercommunityin.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.32942/X21...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
We have now updated our #preprint after a wonderful round of reviews at @peercommunityin.bsky.social
📰 doi.org/10.32942/X21...
💻 github.com/ASanchez-Toj...
Thank you to all the authors who replied to our emails 🙏
Also to the Ecology Letter editors & reviewers for the most thoughtful criticism I’ve ever received during peer review. It’s not often that peer review makes a difference.
Thank you all 🙏
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Also to the Ecology Letter editors & reviewers for the most thoughtful criticism I’ve ever received during peer review. It’s not often that peer review makes a difference.
Thank you all 🙏
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Thank you to all the authors who replied to our emails 🙏
Also to the Ecology Letter editors & reviewers for the most thoughtful criticism I’ve ever received during peer review. It’s not often that peer review makes a difference.
Thank you all 🙏
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Also to the Ecology Letter editors & reviewers for the most thoughtful criticism I’ve ever received during peer review. It’s not often that peer review makes a difference.
Thank you all 🙏
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Though we didn't find clear evidence for a relationship between egg hormones and fitness proxies, this does NOT mean hormones are unimportant
The high heterogeneity found suggests context dependency (meta-analyses are rarely conclusive!)
📢 We need more research! 👇
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
The high heterogeneity found suggests context dependency (meta-analyses are rarely conclusive!)
📢 We need more research! 👇
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Though we didn't find clear evidence for a relationship between egg hormones and fitness proxies, this does NOT mean hormones are unimportant
The high heterogeneity found suggests context dependency (meta-analyses are rarely conclusive!)
📢 We need more research! 👇
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
The high heterogeneity found suggests context dependency (meta-analyses are rarely conclusive!)
📢 We need more research! 👇
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Indeed, something that we encountered that was hard to digest is:
➡️ Complete data extraction was only possible for 22/57 included studies
➡️ 20 additional studies were excluded due to preventable reporting issues
➡️ 8 authors had lost the data FOREVER 😭
📢 PLEASE, publish your data! #opendata 📢
➡️ Complete data extraction was only possible for 22/57 included studies
➡️ 20 additional studies were excluded due to preventable reporting issues
➡️ 8 authors had lost the data FOREVER 😭
📢 PLEASE, publish your data! #opendata 📢
March 20, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Indeed, something that we encountered that was hard to digest is:
➡️ Complete data extraction was only possible for 22/57 included studies
➡️ 20 additional studies were excluded due to preventable reporting issues
➡️ 8 authors had lost the data FOREVER 😭
📢 PLEASE, publish your data! #opendata 📢
➡️ Complete data extraction was only possible for 22/57 included studies
➡️ 20 additional studies were excluded due to preventable reporting issues
➡️ 8 authors had lost the data FOREVER 😭
📢 PLEASE, publish your data! #opendata 📢
Although evidence for small-study & decline effects is widespread in ecology & evolution (doi.org/10.1186/s129...)
➡️ We did NOT find clear evidence of #publicationbias in our dataset.
👉 Presumably thanks to our efforts to obtain nonreported results directly from authors.
➡️ We did NOT find clear evidence of #publicationbias in our dataset.
👉 Presumably thanks to our efforts to obtain nonreported results directly from authors.
March 20, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Although evidence for small-study & decline effects is widespread in ecology & evolution (doi.org/10.1186/s129...)
➡️ We did NOT find clear evidence of #publicationbias in our dataset.
👉 Presumably thanks to our efforts to obtain nonreported results directly from authors.
➡️ We did NOT find clear evidence of #publicationbias in our dataset.
👉 Presumably thanks to our efforts to obtain nonreported results directly from authors.
Importantly, most heterogeneity was associated with phylogeny and within-study variation, with negligible differences among studies.
That is, on average, studies didn't differ in what they found. Said differently, our results are generalizable (replicable) among studies.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
That is, on average, studies didn't differ in what they found. Said differently, our results are generalizable (replicable) among studies.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Importantly, most heterogeneity was associated with phylogeny and within-study variation, with negligible differences among studies.
That is, on average, studies didn't differ in what they found. Said differently, our results are generalizable (replicable) among studies.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
That is, on average, studies didn't differ in what they found. Said differently, our results are generalizable (replicable) among studies.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
In the light of a recent article in BMC Biology (doi.org/10.1186/s129...), which showed substantial heterogeneity among analysts.
We tested the robustness of our findings to several analytical decisions, and our results were consistent across.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
We tested the robustness of our findings to several analytical decisions, and our results were consistent across.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:34 AM
In the light of a recent article in BMC Biology (doi.org/10.1186/s129...), which showed substantial heterogeneity among analysts.
We tested the robustness of our findings to several analytical decisions, and our results were consistent across.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
We tested the robustness of our findings to several analytical decisions, and our results were consistent across.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
We tested several biological and methodological hypotheses:
🔹 Offspring age
🔹 Experiments vs Observational
🔹 Experiments on Eggs vs Mothers
🔹 Fitness proxy
🔹 Etc.
However, our meta-regressions did not explain much heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🔹 Offspring age
🔹 Experiments vs Observational
🔹 Experiments on Eggs vs Mothers
🔹 Fitness proxy
🔹 Etc.
However, our meta-regressions did not explain much heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:33 AM
We tested several biological and methodological hypotheses:
🔹 Offspring age
🔹 Experiments vs Observational
🔹 Experiments on Eggs vs Mothers
🔹 Fitness proxy
🔹 Etc.
However, our meta-regressions did not explain much heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
🔹 Offspring age
🔹 Experiments vs Observational
🔹 Experiments on Eggs vs Mothers
🔹 Fitness proxy
🔹 Etc.
However, our meta-regressions did not explain much heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Our #metaanalysis tested the adaptive significance of egg hormones in birds by combining evidence published since 1993, mostly experiments (76%).
In short: we found little evidence for an effect of egg hormones on fitness-related traits 🐦, but high heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
In short: we found little evidence for an effect of egg hormones on fitness-related traits 🐦, but high heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
March 20, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Our #metaanalysis tested the adaptive significance of egg hormones in birds by combining evidence published since 1993, mostly experiments (76%).
In short: we found little evidence for an effect of egg hormones on fitness-related traits 🐦, but high heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
In short: we found little evidence for an effect of egg hormones on fitness-related traits 🐦, but high heterogeneity.
📰 doi.org/10.1111/ele....