Urban biodiversity in the Anthropocene.

The urbanisation process, which consists of the transformation of semi-natural and natural habitats to heavily modified habitats dominated by buildings and infrastructure such as roads, continues in response to an increasing human population and an increasing proportion of people inhabiting urban areas. The urbanisation process generally has negative impacts upon biodiversity, and as urban areas are expected to expand in the future, we need to acquire a better understanding of the ecological effects of urbanisation. In this Collection focusing on urban biodiversity, articles improve our understanding of the distribution of biodiversity between and within urban areas, whilst also seeking to understand the consequences of urbanisation for trophic cascades and genetic divergence.

Plumage and eggshell colouration covary with the level of sex-specific parental contributions to nest building in birds.

Interspecific variation in sex-specific contributions to prenatal parental care, including avian nest building, is becoming increasingly better understood as we amass more information on more species. We examined whether sex-specific nest building contributions covary with the colouration of parents and their eggs in 521 species of Western Palearctic birds. Having colourful plumage and laying colourful eggs are costly because of the deposition of pigments in feathers and eggs and/or forming costly nanostructural substrates in feathers, and so it might be expected that those costs covary with the costs of nest building at the level of individuals and/or across species to produce of a suite of codivergent traits.

Nest architecture influences host use by avian brood parasites and is shaped by coevolutionary dynamics.

Brood (social) parasites and their hosts exhibit a wide range of adaptations and counter-adaptations as part of their ongoing coevolutionary arms races. Obligate avian brood parasites are expected to use potential host species with more easily accessible nests, while potential hosts are expected to evade parasitism by building more concealed nests that are difficult for parasites to enter and in which to lay eggs. We used phylogenetically informed comparative analyses, a global database of the world's brood parasites, their host species, and the design of avian host and non-host nests (approx.

Why do some bird species incorporate more anthropogenic materials into their nests than others?

Many bird species incorporate anthropogenic materials (e.g. sweet wrappers, cigarette butts and plastic strings) into their nests.

The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach.

Nests, including the enormous structures housing colonies of eusocial insects and the elaborately built nests of some fishes, have long fascinated scientists, yet our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nests has lagged behind our understanding of subsequent reproductive stages. There has, however, been a burgeoning amount of interest in nests over the past decade, and this special issue on 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach' outlines our understanding of the form and function of nests in diverse animal lineages. Papers in 'The function of nests: mechanisms and adaptive benefits' theme examine the various functions of nests, while papers in 'The evolution of nest characteristics' theme examine the evolution of nesting behaviours.

The evolution of nest site use and nest architecture in modern birds and their ancestors.

The evolution of nest site use and nest architecture in the non-avian ancestors of birds remains poorly understood because nest structures do not preserve well as fossils. Nevertheless, the evidence suggests that the earliest dinosaurs probably buried eggs below ground and covered them with soil so that heat from the substrate fuelled embryo development, while some later dinosaurs laid partially exposed clutches where adults incubated them and protected them from predators and parasites. The nests of euornithine birds-the precursors to modern birds-were probably partially open and the neornithine birds-or modern birds-were probably the first to build fully exposed nests.

Born without a Silver Spoon: A Review of the Causes and Consequences of Adversity during Early Life.

A huge amount of research attention has focused on the evolution of life histories, but most research focuses on dominant individuals that acquire a disproportionate level of reproductive success, while the life histories and reproductive tactics of subordinate individuals have received less attention. Here, we review the links between early life adversity and performance during adulthood in birds, and highlight instances in which subordinate individuals outperform dominant conspecifics. Subordinate individuals are those from broods raised under high risk of predation, with low availability of food, and/or with many parasites.

Temperature synchronizes temporal variation in laying dates across European hole-nesting passerines.

Identifying the environmental drivers of variation in fitness-related traits is a central objective in ecology and evolutionary biology. Temporal fluctuations of these environmental drivers are often synchronized at large spatial scales. Yet, whether synchronous environmental conditions can generate spatial synchrony in fitness-related trait values (i.

Plastic is a widely used and selectively chosen nesting material for pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) in rural woodland habitats.

There is increasing concern about the burgeoning effects of discarded plastic on the earth's biodiversity. Quantifying the presence of plastic and other anthropogenic waste in the environment can be logistically and financially challenging, although it is possible that bird' nests can be used as bioindicators. Many birds in heavily modified terrestrial ecoystems, such as urban environments, incorporate plastic and other anthropogenic materials into their nests but our understanding of the presence of discarded plastic in nests in rural woodlands remains poor.

Bird populations most exposed to climate change are less sensitive to climatic variation.

The phenology of many species shows strong sensitivity to climate change; however, with few large scale intra-specific studies it is unclear how such sensitivity varies over a species' range. We document large intra-specific variation in phenological sensitivity to temperature using laying date information from 67 populations of two co-familial European songbirds, the great tit (Parus major) and blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), covering a large part of their breeding range. Populations inhabiting deciduous habitats showed stronger phenological sensitivity than those in evergreen and mixed habitats.

Conformity to Bergmann's rule in birds depends on nest design and migration.

Ecogeographical rules attempt to explain large-scale spatial patterns in biological traits. One of the most enduring examples is Bergmann's rule, which states that species should be larger in colder climates due to the thermoregulatory advantages of larger body size. Support for Bergmann's rule, however, is not consistent across taxonomic groups, raising questions about what factors may moderate its effect.

Sex-specific patterns of minimal compensation of care during and after short term mate removal in biparental blue tits.

Early theoretical models predicted that over evolutionary timescales, changes in effort by one biparental parent should result in incomplete compensation by the other. Empirical studies, however, report responses ranging from no compensation through to complete compensation which may mean that parents respond to each other's efforts over short time scales, as predicted by some recent theoretical models. Few studies have examined behavioural changes over short time periods which mimic the onset of reduced effort so we removed one blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) parent for 20 min during nestling provisioning.

A Phase II Open Label Study of Everolimus in Combination With Endocrine Therapy in Resistant Hormone Receptor-Positive HER2-Negative Advanced Breast Cancer.

Background: Therapies targeting estrogen receptor signaling are standard for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive (HR) metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Dysregulation of the phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is associated with treatment resistance. Addition of the mTOR inhibitor, everolimus, to exemestane doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in HR/HER2 MBC patients whose disease had previously progressed during endocrine therapy.

Regorafenib Prior to Selective Internal Radiation Therapy Using Y-Resin Microspheres for Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases: Analysis of Safety, Dosimetry, and Molecular Markers.

This Phase II, open-label, study examined the safety of regorafenib followed by selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with regorafenib re-initiation in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients with liver metastases who are not surgical candidates. Patients received 160 mg regorafenib daily on a 21-day course followed by a 1 week washout prior to SIRT. Liver function was evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks after SIRT, and regorafenib re-initiated if liver function was normal.

Experimental evidence of non-random nest material selection in pied flycatchers.

Nest building is a taxonomically widespread behaviour that consists of the construction of a suitable receptacle with collected materials for the incubation of eggs and sometimes for the raising of offspring. The use of specific nest materials has important fitness consequences for avian parents and offspring because they help to determine the thermal, parasitic and bacterial environment within nests and may also influence parental investment via intraspecific signalling. However, we presently know very little about the process by which nest materials are selected from the wider environment and specifically, it is unclear whether wild birds randomly or non-randomly select nest materials in relation to their local availability.

A Phase II Study with Lead-In Safety Cohort of 5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, and Lapatinib in Combination with Radiation Therapy as Neoadjuvant Treatment for Patients with Localized HER2-Positive Esophagogastric Adenocarcinomas.

Lessons Learned: Neoadjuvant 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and lapatinib in combination with radiation therapy is safe for neoadjuvant treatment for patients with localized human epidermal growth receptor 2-positive esophagogastric adenocarcinoma.Evaluation of this drug combination in a larger patient pool would allow for more accurate analysis of its efficacy.

Background: The optimal design of neoadjuvant chemoradiation for the treatment of localized esophagogastric cancers is the subject of much debate.

A Phase-2 Trial of Single Agent Axitinib as Maintenance Therapy Following First-Line Treatment With Modified FOLFOX/Bevacizumab in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

This phase-2 trial evaluated the efficacy of axitinib as maintenance therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) following first-line treatment with FOLFOX/bevacizumab. Patients with mCRC received mFOLFOX/bevacizumab followed by axitinib maintenance after four cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS).

Climate change and nesting behaviour in vertebrates: a review of the ecological threats and potential for adaptive responses.

Nest building is a taxonomically widespread and diverse trait that allows animals to alter local environments to create optimal conditions for offspring development. However, there is growing evidence that climate change is adversely affecting nest-building in animals directly, for example via sea-level rises that flood nests, reduced availability of building materials, and suboptimal sex allocation in species exhibiting temperature-dependent sex determination. Climate change is also affecting nesting species indirectly, via range shifts into suboptimal nesting areas, reduced quality of nest-building environments, and changes in interactions with nest predators and parasites.

Interspecific variation in the relationship between clutch size, laying date and intensity of urbanization in four species of hole-nesting birds.

The increase in size of human populations in urban and agricultural areas has resulted in considerable habitat conversion globally. Such anthropogenic areas have specific environmental characteristics, which influence the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of plants and animals. For example, the date of bud burst is advanced in urban compared to nearby natural areas.

Local weather conditions have complex effects on the growth of blue tit nestlings.

Adverse weather conditions are expected to result in impaired nestling development in birds, but empirical studies have provided equivocal support for such a relationship. This may be because the negative effects of adverse weather conditions are masked by parental effects. Globally, ambient temperatures, rainfall levels and wind speeds are all expected to increase in a changing climate and so there is a need for a better understanding of the relationship between weather conditions and nestling growth.

High atmospheric temperatures and 'ambient incubation' drive embryonic development and lead to earlier hatching in a passerine bird.

Tropical and subtropical species typically experience relatively high atmospheric temperatures during reproduction, and are subject to climate-related challenges that are largely unexplored, relative to more extensive work conducted in temperate regions. We studied the effects of high atmospheric and nest temperatures during reproduction in the zebra finch. We characterized the temperature within nests in a subtropical population of this species in relation to atmospheric temperature.

Sex steroid profiles in zebra finches: Effects of reproductive state and domestication.

The zebra finch is a common model organism in neuroscience, endocrinology, and ethology. Zebra finches are generally considered opportunistic breeders, but the extent of their opportunism depends on the predictability of their habitat. This plasticity in the timing of breeding raises the question of how domestication, a process that increases environmental predictability, has affected their reproductive physiology.

Stress reactivity, condition, and foraging behavior in zebra finches: effects on boldness, exploration, and sociality.

The arid and semi-arid zones of Australia are characterized by highly variable and unpredictable environmental conditions which affect resources for flora and fauna. Environments which are highly unpredictable in terms of both resource access and distribution are likely to select for a variety of adaptive behavioral strategies, intrinsically linked to the physiological control of behavior. How unpredictable resource distribution has affected the coevolution of behavioral strategies and physiology has rarely been quantified, particularly not in Australian birds.