Tools
Tools
Making thermal ecology open & accessible
Part of the mission of the TrEnCh project is to create and share tools that empower people to predict climate change responses and visualize data. Here you can find all of the tools and products we have created so far! All code is available at our GitHub organization and we welcome contributors.
Featured Tool
TrenchR
An R package for environmental and ecological biophysics, TrenchR offers microclimate models as well as as models to translate microclimate into estimates of animal body temperature. We are also developing our tools in the NicheMapR initiative, which offers an R package and RShiny interfaces for more complex microclimate and biophysical models.
TrEnCh-Map Visualizations
We offer interactive visualizations for exploring organismal responses to environmental conditions.
- Mapping ectotherm body temperatures and areas of thermal stress — This app uses biophysical models for a variety of ectothermic taxa to map recent and projected future body temperatures and areas of thermal stress across the US.
- Lizard thermal safety margins — The app uses biophysical modeling to explore lizard body temperatures and thermal safety margins — how much warming could occur before a lizard exceeds its thermal tolerance.
- Insect development and phenology — The app leverages a database of insect development traits to predict phenology for many species across the US.
Education and outreach
Trench-ED
We have created the TrEnCh-ed website, including interactive R Shiny applications and associated tutorials, to allow students and visitors to explore the ecological and evolutionary impacts of climate change through interacting with data.
Biophysical ecology tutorials
We’ve developed a series of tutorials aimed at graduate students interested in biophysical ecology. The tutorials originate from a 1979 course at UW entitled “Physical Processes in Ecosystems” and align with the TrenchR package.
Quantitative modelling tools
TrEnChR
TrEnChR is an R package for transparent environmental and ecological biophysics. It offers microclimate models as well as models to translate microclimate into estimates of animal body temperature.
TrEnCH-IR
TrEnCH-IR is a web service for processing, storing, and disseminating FLIR infrared imagery.
Project-specific tools
Extreme value analysis for temperature data
From a review paper on quantifying thermal extremes: Dryad Repository GitHub Repository
Model of butterfly responses to climate change
From a perspective paper on leveraging organismal ecology to forecast the effects of climate change: GitHub Repository
Integrates microclimate, developmental, biophysical, demographic, and evolutionary models.
Quantitative genetic model
GitHub Repository — Simple but less documented than others.
Spatial autoregressive models and Colias butterfly museum data
Why the need for new tools?
We provide computational and visualization tools that can improve our climate change models by (1) extracting fine spatial and temporal scale microclimate data, (2) translating microclimate conditions into animal body temperatures and regions of thermal stress.
Want to join us in this work? Become a project member today!