Article
Biology
Britt J. Heidinger, Aurelia C. Kucera, Jeff D. Kittilson, David F. Westneat
Summary: The study found that in free-living house sparrows, females with longer telomeres in early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, while telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Jurrian Irsel, Magali Frauendorf, Bruno J. Ens, Martijn Pol, Karin Troost, Kees Oosterbeek, Hans Kroon, Eelke Jongejans, Andrew M. Allen
Summary: The study shows that an individual's previous breeding state can reflect the sensitivity of individuals to reproduction and survival in response to environmental changes. Breeding birds that were successful the previous year had higher survival rates, and the effects of environmental conditions acted in the same direction on reproductive success but had opposite effects on survival among the three breeding states.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Yanxia Lu, Crystal Tze Ying Tan, Xinyi Gwee, Keng Bee Yap, Tamas Fulop, Fang Pan, Anis Larbi, Tze Pin Ng
Summary: The study found that a high pathogen load is associated with gait speed, functional mobility, cognitive function, and frailty index, as well as with inflammatory biomarker levels. Blood biomarkers did not fully explain the observed association between pathogen load and functional aging measures.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Euan A. A. Young, Ellie Chesterton, Virpi Lummaa, Erik Postma, Hannah L. L. Dugdale
Summary: A study found that an individual's reproductive success can not only predict its genetic contributions to the next generation, but also has value in predicting genetic contributions over longer periods. The study also revealed that reproductive success is a better predictor of individual genetic contributions than other fitness proxies and lifespan.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Junling Gao, Yujie Wang, Jixiang Xu, Junjia Jiang, Shitong Yang, Qianyi Xiao
Summary: This study aimed to estimate the total life expectancy and duration of frailty state in older adults in China. The findings showed that the average total life expectancy for older adults aged 65 years in China was 14.74 years, of which 4.18 years were robust, 7.46 years were pre-frail, and 3.10 years were frail. Socioeconomic status, healthy behaviors, and social participation were found to be associated with robust life expectancy.
Article
Oncology
Kyo Togashi, Shingo Hatakeyama, Osamu Soma, Kazutaka Okita, Naoki Fujita, Toshikazu Tanaka, Daisuke Noro, Hirotaka Horiguchi, Nozomi Uemura, Takuro Iwane, Teppei Okamoto, Hayato Yamamoto, Takahiro Yoneyama, Yasuhiro Hashimoto, Chikara Ohyama
Summary: The estimation of biological age is challenging in cancer patients. This study investigated the prognostic significance of biological-expected life age discrepancy using frailty-discriminant scores (FDS) in patients with urological cancers. The findings suggest that a biological-expected life age discrepancy may be a useful tool in estimating frailty and prognosis in patients with urological cancers.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Yabing Hou, Chenjie Xu, Qi Lu, Yuan Zhang, Zhi Cao, Shu Li, Hongxi Yang, Li Sun, Xinxi Cao, Yue Zhao, Yaogang Wang
Summary: This study found a significant association between frailty and pre-frailty status with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality across a wider age range, leading to a reduction in life expectancy. The findings emphasize the importance of considering frailty in younger individuals and extending preventive efforts beyond the elderly population.
ARCHIVES OF GERONTOLOGY AND GERIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Alet J. G. Leus, Marjolijn S. Haisma, Jorrit B. Terra, Grigory Sidorenkov, Suzanne Festen, Boudewijn E. C. Plaat, Gyoergy B. Halmos, Emoke Racz
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of frailty and life expectancy on treatment decision, outcomes, and quality of life in older patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The results showed that deviating from guidelines towards less aggressive treatment did not negatively affect short-term outcomes or quality of life in frail patients with a limited life expectancy. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these results.
Article
Ecology
Stephanie Jenouvrier, Lise Aubry, Silke van Daalen, Christophe Barbraud, Henri Weimerskirch, Hal Caswell
Summary: Individuals differ in many aspects, and these differences are not only due to individual traits, but also to individual stochasticity. Environmental conditions influence individual heterogeneity and stochasticity, thus affecting the demographic outcomes of populations.
Article
Ecology
Robin E. Snyder, Stephen P. Ellner, Giles Hooker
Summary: The study found that luck often explains more variation in life span or lifetime reproductive output than individual traits. Luck early in life is crucial for determining whether an individual will breed, while less early luck drives variation in success among breeding individuals.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Wu-Wei Lai, Chia-Hua Chung, Chia-Ni Lin, Szu-Chun Yang, Jing-Shiang Hwang, Jung-Der Wang
Summary: This study quantified the savings of loss-of-QALE and lifetime medical costs from preventing different cancers, providing insights into the potential benefits of cancer prevention strategies. Successful prevention of liver, lung, esophagus, or nasopharynx cancer could result in significant savings in quality-adjusted life years and medical costs per case. The findings underscore the importance of considering long-term outcomes and costs in evaluating the effectiveness of cancer prevention efforts.
JOURNAL OF THE FORMOSAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Chia-Hsuan Lai, Wen-Cheng Chen, Chiung-Cheng Fang, Miao-Fen Chen
Summary: In treating nasopharyngeal cancer patients, excellent tumor control and survivor rates can be achieved with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. However, treatment-related toxicities impact the quality of life of NPC survivors. This study estimated life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy, and survival-weighted psychometric scores in NPC patients, providing insights for policymakers on resource allocation.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Aline Scohy, Rana Charafeddine, Lisa Van Wilder, Herman Van Oyen, Delphine De Smedt, Brecht Devleesschauwer
Summary: This study aims to estimate the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) in Belgium and analyze the changes in QALE between 2013 and 2018. The results show that QALE decreased for women but remained stable for men. The decline in women's QALE is driven by a larger decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to the decrease in mortality rates. However, improvements in HRQoL were observed in older women. The main contributors to the decrease in QALE were pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression, and problems in usual activities.
ARCHIVES OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ze Hu, Xiaotian Liu, Feng Jiang, Lixia Ma, Jing Yang, Ying Chen, Linghui Zhu, Zhenxing Mao, Jian Hou, Chongjian Wang
Summary: Anxiety and depression play essential roles in the quality of life among rural older adults, especially depression. Comorbidity intensifies the adverse effect in rural areas, particularly for older men. More attention should be paid to psychological problems among the rural older population.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Dankang Li, Lulin Wang, Ziyi Zhou, Lulu Song, Shuohua Chen, Yingping Yang, Yonghua Hu, Youjie Wang, Shouling Wu, Yaohua Tian
Summary: This study demonstrates that dynamic changes in MetS are associated with the risk and life expectancy of cardiovascular disease. Recovery from MetS is associated with lower lifetime risk of CVD and a longer life expectancy free of CVD, whereas development of MetS is associated with higher lifetime risk of CVD and a shorter life expectancy free of CVD.
NUTRITION METABOLISM AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephanie Jenouvrier, Che-Castaldo Judy, Shaye Wolf, Marika Holland, Sara Labrousse, Michelle LaRue, Barbara Wienecke, Peter Fretwell, Christophe Barbraud, Noah Greenwald, Julienne Stroeve, Philip N. Trathan
Summary: The risk of species extinction is accelerating due to anthropogenic climate change, with emperor penguins facing the threat of becoming quasi-extinct by 2100 if current energy system trends and policies continue to lead to a decline in sea ice as projected by climate models. Protective measures under legal frameworks, such as listing the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, are urgently needed to mitigate this risk.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Christophe Barbraud, Christian Bavoux, Guy Burneleau
Summary: A study in western France found that the population of Eurasian Scops Owls is increasing, with adult survival linked to autumn rainfall in the Sahel and the winter North Atlantic Oscillation. Younger birds contribute the most to the variance in population growth rate, followed by clutch size, fledging success, and survival of older birds. The research sheds new light on the decline of European Scops Owls and other Afro-Palaearctic bird populations, potentially due to factors like food shortage.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Caroline Rinaldi, Renato Rinaldi, Juliette Laine, Christophe Barbraud
Summary: The study in Guadeloupe focused on the abundance and annual survival rate of sperm whales, particularly adult females and juveniles, showing a declining trend in population size around 2013. Results suggest that sperm whales migrate between Guadeloupe and Dominica, with a high temporary emigration rate and a need to consider the two populations as one unit for conservation purposes.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maelle Connan, Vonica Perold, Ben J. Dilley, Christophe Barbraud, Yves Cherel, Peter G. Ryan
Summary: Marine litter has become a global issue, with 'garbage patches' documented in all ocean gyres. A study conducted in the rarely investigated south-west Indian Ocean in 2019-2020 found an accumulation of litter and called for more research in the area.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Casey Youngflesh, Yun Li, Heather J. Lynch, Karine Delord, Christophe Barbraud, Rubao Ji, Stephanie Jenouvrier
Summary: The study found that breeding success of different species in the Antarctic seabird community fluctuated relatively independently, resulting in low overall synchrony but occasional synchrony during extreme years. Compared to other seabird communities, Antarctic seabirds exhibited lower synchrony and higher niche separation. The results suggest that communities with small temporal variation for conditions where species respond differently and large temporal variation for conditions where species respond similarly may exhibit more synchronous dynamics.
Article
Biology
Naouel Benharzallah, Abdelkrim Si Bachir, Christophe Barbraud
Summary: The study aimed to examine the impact of nest site characteristics and food supplementation from rubbish dumps on the reproductive parameters of white storks. The results showed that white storks breeding near rubbish dumps had larger nest sizes, hatched more chicks, and raised more fledglings compared to those breeding far from rubbish dumps. The study also found that nest size was positively correlated with nest surface area, and breeding success was lower for storks nesting on electricity poles compared to those nesting in trees.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lea Lorrain-Soligon, Frederic Robin, Vincent Lelong, Marko Jankovic, Christophe Barbraud, Frakois Brischoux
Summary: Salinization caused by sea-level rise and marine submersions has significant impacts on coastal ecosystems, particularly on the biodiversity of coastal wetlands. This study investigated the effects of environmental salinity on population structure and individual characteristics of the western spadefoot toad in two populations along the French Atlantic coast. The distance to the shoreline was found to strongly influence salt exposure on a small spatial scale, and certain variables showed consistent responses across sites, while others displayed site-specific responses, potentially related to breeding site salinity.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Stephanie Jenouvrier, Matthew C. Long, Christophe F. D. Coste, Marika Holland, Marlene Gamelon, Nigel Yoccoz, Bernt-Erik Saether
Summary: Detecting climate change impacts on wild populations is challenging due to natural climate variability, biotic and abiotic processes, and observation error. The concept of time of emergence helps distinguish anthropogenic climate change signals from natural climate variability, and a theoretical assessment of climate-driven signals in population dynamics is presented.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Maria Laranjeiro, Marc Farre, Richard A. Phillips, Petra Quillfeldt, Francesco Bonadonna, Charlene Gemard, Maximiliano Daigre, Cristian G. Suazo, Christophe Barbraud, Joan Navarro
Summary: Morphological variation in bill shape among planktivorous petrels (Antarctic prion, blue petrel, and thin-billed prion) is primarily driven by diet and potential niche differentiation. Antarctic prions have robust and shorter bills for filtering small prey, while blue petrels and thin-billed prions have narrower and longer bills for catching larger prey. Geographic variation in bill shape, specifically longer and narrower bills in Kerguelen colonies, may be associated with diet differences. Prey availability and diversity are important factors influencing bill morphology.
Article
Ecology
Remi Fay, Matthieu Authier, Sandra Hamel, Stephanie Jenouvrier, Martijn van de Pol, Emmanuelle Cam, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Nigel G. Yoccoz, Paul Acker, Andrew Allen, Lise M. Aubry, Christophe Bonenfant, Hal Caswell, Christophe F. D. Coste, Benjamin Larue, Christie Le Coeur, Marlene Gamelon, Kaitlin R. Macdonald, Maria Moiron, Alex Nicol-Harper, Fanie Pelletier, Jay J. Rotella, Celine Teplitsky, Laura Touzot, Caitlin P. Wells, Bernt-Erik Saether
Summary: Empirical studies are increasingly focusing on quantifying individual variation in demographic parameters, showing the importance of these patterns for evolutionary and ecological processes. Advanced techniques using multivariate mixed effect models face challenges, particularly when applied to Bernoulli variables. Simulation results suggest that the performance of mixed models varies across different scenarios, highlighting the need for tailored approaches based on species life-history strategies and data availability.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Karine Delord, Timothee Poupart, Nicolas Gasco, Henri Weimerskirch, Christophe Barbraud
Summary: Albatrosses, particularly the Amsterdam albatross, are globally threatened by fisheries bycatch. This study reveals the first evidence of an Amsterdam albatross wandering outside the Indian Ocean, in the Pacific Ocean, raising concerns about overlaps with fisheries and conservation issues. The research provides new insights and guidance for the conservation of this endangered species.
Article
Ecology
Stephanie Jenouvrier, Lise Aubry, Silke van Daalen, Christophe Barbraud, Henri Weimerskirch, Hal Caswell
Summary: Individuals differ in many aspects, and these differences are not only due to individual traits, but also to individual stochasticity. Environmental conditions influence individual heterogeneity and stochasticity, thus affecting the demographic outcomes of populations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marlene Gamelon, Stephanie Jenouvrier, Melanie Lindner, Bernt-Erik Saether, Marcel E. Visser
Summary: The authors define the time of emergence, known as 'time of emergence' (ToE), as the time at which the signal of climate change in ecological processes emerges from the noise of ecosystem variability. They found that the time of emergence differs across different levels of biological organization, occurring earlier at the population level rather than at the trait or vital rate levels. This finding suggests that the population size of the great tit will experience an amplified climate change signal compared to its laying date and vital rates under the RCP 8.5 scenario.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Sara Labrousse, Alexander D. Fraser, Michael Sumner, Frederic Le Manach, Christophe Sauser, Isabella Horstmann, Eileen Devane, Karine Delord, Stephanie Jenouvrier, Christophe Barbraud
Summary: Based on a unique 39-year dataset, this study found that the reproduction success of emperor penguins is influenced by the fine-scale variability of landfast ice (LFI) and weather conditions. Longer distances to the LFI edge negatively affected breeding success, while climate factors such as snowfall in May and LFI variability between August and November also played a significant role in chick mortality and hatching success. Future repercussions on the breeding habitat of emperor penguins are expected due to the sensitivity of LFI to storms and changes in wind direction in the context of climate change.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott A. Shaffer, Pierre Blevin, Christophe Barbraud, Olivier Chastel, Henri Weimerskirch
Summary: The study found that egg turning rates, angle changes, and egg temperatures were similar for snow petrels and Cape petrels. However, egg neglect was only observed in snow petrel nests, where neglected eggs would cool down but be quickly rewarmed by parents.
ANIMAL BIOTELEMETRY
(2021)