Evolution of nest architecture in tyrant flycatchers and allies.

Innovations in nest design are thought to be one potential factor in the evolutionary success of passerine birds (order: Passeriformes), which colonized new ecological niches as they diversified in the Oligocene and Miocene. In particular, tyrant flycatchers and their allies (parvorder: Tyrannida) are an extremely diverse group of New World suboscine passerines occupying a wide range of habitats and exhibiting substantial extant variation in nest design. To explore the evolution of nest architecture in this clade, we first described nest traits across the Tyrannida phylogeny and estimated ancestral nest conditions. We then quantified macroevolutionary transition rates between nest types, examined a potential coevolutionary relationship between nest type and habitat, and used phylogenetic mixed models to determine possible ecological and environmental correlates of nest design. The Tyrannida ancestor probably built a cup nest in a closed habitat, and dome nests independently evolved at least 15 times within this group. Both cup- and dome-nesting species diversified into semi-open and open habitats, and we did not detect a coevolutionary relationship between nest type and habitat. Furthermore, nest type was not significantly correlated with several key ecological, life-history and environmental traits, suggesting that broad variation in Tyrannida nest architecture may not easily be explained by a single factor. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.

Trends on CO2 Capture with Microalgae: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The alarming levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are an environmental problem that affects the economic growth of the world. CO2 emissions represent penalties and restrictions due to the high carbon footprint. Therefore, sustainable strategies are required to reduce the negative impact that occurs. Among the potential systems for CO2 capture are microalgae. These are defined as photosynthetic microorganisms that use CO2 and sunlight to obtain oxygen (O2) and generate value-added products such as biofuels, among others. Despite the advantages that microalgae may present, there are still technical-economic challenges that limit industrial-scale commercialization and the use of biomass in the production of added-value compounds. Therefore, this study reviews the current state of research on CO2 capture with microalgae, for which bibliometric analysis was used to establish the trends of the subject in terms of scientometric parameters. Technological advances in the use of microalgal biomass were also identified. Additionally, it was possible to establish the different cooperation networks between countries, which showed interactions in the search to reduce CO2 concentrations through microalgae.

Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence. However, negative effects of lockdown on conservation also emerged, as confinement resulted in some park officials being unable to perform conservation, restoration and enforcement tasks, resulting in local increases in illegal activities such as hunting. Overall, there is a complex mixture of positive and negative effects of the pandemic lockdown on nature, all of which have the potential to lead to cascading responses which in turn impact wildlife and nature conservation. While the net effect of the lockdown will need to be assessed over years as data becomes available and persistent effects emerge, immediate responses were detected across the world. Thus, initial qualitative and quantitative data arising from this serendipitous global quasi-experimental perturbation highlights the dual role that humans play in threatening and protecting species and ecosystems. Pathways to favorably tilt this delicate balance include reducing impacts and increasing conservation effectiveness.

Differential reporting of biodiversity in two citizen science platforms during COVID-19 lockdown in Colombia.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the potential of using data from long-term citizen science projects to answer questions about the impacts of unexpected events on biodiversity. We evaluate the suitability of data from the citizen science platforms iNaturalist and eBird to describe the effects of the "anthropause" on biodiversity observation in Colombia. We compared record distribution according to human footprint, sampling behaviors, overall and conservation priority species composition during the strictest phase of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 to the same periods in 2015-2019. Overall participation in both platforms during the lockdown was high when compared to previous years, but records were concentrated on highly-transformed regions, had lower sampling efforts, and fewer species were recorded. For eBird, species composition was similar to that observed in previous years, and records of species of conservation concern declined in proportion to the decrease in overall species richness across samples. For iNaturalist, the species pool sampled each year remained too dissimilar for comparisons. Once differences in observer behaviors are accounted for, data from these platforms can be used in unplanned comparisons of relatively common species, in regions with high levels of human transformation, and at narrowly defined geographical contexts. To increase the potential of citizen science to monitor rarer species, more natural areas, or be used in large-scale analyses, we need to build and strengthen more diverse networks of observers that can further promote decentralization, democratization, and cost-effectiveness in biodiversity research.

Body mass data set for 1,317 bird and 270 mammal species from Colombia.

Body mass is one of the most important phenotypic attributes in animal ecology and life history. This trait is widely used in the fields of ecology and macroevolution, since it influences physiology, morphological functions, and a myriad of ecological and social interactions. In this data set, our aim was to gather a comprehensive bird and mammal body mass data set from northern South America. We report body mass, discriminated by sex, for 42,022 individual birds and 7,441 mammals representing 1,317 bird species (69% of Colombia's avifauna) and 270 mammal species (51% of Colombian mammals) from the Neotropics. The data were sourced from vouchers collected between 1942 and 2020 and from individuals captured and released at banding stations over the last two decades for birds (2000-2020) and the last decade for mammals (2010-2020), by 10 research groups and institutions in Colombia. This data set fills gaps identified in other similar databases, as it focuses on northern South America, a highly diverse Neotropical region often underrepresented in morphological data sets. We provide wide taxonomic coverage for studies interested in information both at regional and local scales. There are no copyright restrictions; the present data paper should be appropriately cited when data are used for publication. The authors would appreciate learning about research projects, teaching exercises, and other uses given to this data set and are open to contribute in further collaborations using these data.

Nueva metodología geométrica para evaluar la morfología del eritrocito normal / New physical and mathematical methodology to evaluate the morphology of normal erythrocyte

Resumen Objetivo. Desarrollar una nueva metodología para caracterizar la estructura del eritrocito normal mediante el espacio ocupado por el anillo del eritrocito normal caracterizado con el método de Box Counting. Método. Se analizaron las imágenes de 20 extendidos de sangre periférica, cuyos eritrocitos fueron evaluados por un experto como normales. Se superpusieron dos rejillas Kp de 5 x 5 pixeles y Kg de 10 x 10 pixeles, para calcular el espacio ocupado por dos regiones del eritrocito estos son, el disco y centro de este, visto de manera frontal mediante el método de Box Counting. Resultados. Los espacios ocupados por la región del disco con la rejilla Kp variaron entre 47 y 56, la región del centro del eritrocito, varió entre 9 y 14. La dimensión fractal de estas dos regiones varió entre 0,941 y 1,115 para el disco, entre 0,652 y 1,222 para el centro. Conclusiones. La estructura del eritrocito normal puede ser caracterizada mediante el espacio ocupado por cada una de las regiones del eritrocito a partir de la geometría fractal.

Abstract Objective. Develop a new methodology to characterize the structure of the normal erythrocyte through the space occupied by the ring of the normal erythrocyte characterized by the method of Box Counting. Method. Images of10 peripheral blood smears were analysed, whose erythrocytes were evaluated by an expert as normal. There were superimposed two Kp grids of 5 x 5 pixels and Kg of 10 x 10 pixels, to calculate the space occupied by two regions of the erythrocyte which are, disc and centre of this, seen of way frontal by the method of Box Counting. Results. The spaces occupied by the disc region with grid Kp varied between 47 and 56, the central region of the erythrocyte, varied between 9 and 14. The fractal dimension of these two regions varied between 0,941 and 1,115 for the disc, between 0.652 and 1,222 for the centre. Conclusions. The normal erythrocyte structure can be characterized by the space occupied by the regions erythrocyte from fractal geometry.

Predicción de las medidas de ejecución en ancianos institucionalizados en silla de ruedas / Prediction of execution measures in older adults institutionalized in wheelchair

Las medidas de ejecución funcional o medidas objetivas de ejecución física (MEBE) pueden ser instrumentos útiles para identificar consecuencias adversas de salud en ancianos. Se evaluaron MEBE en ancianos en silla de ruedas de hogares de ancianos y se determinó su asociación con mortalidad y hospitalización 6 meses después. Un total de 25 ancianos mayores de 60 años insti-tucionalizados quienes no tuvieran deterioro cognoscitivo y usuarios de silla de ruedas manual. Se utilizaron las siguientes medidas de evaluación funcional que evaluaban miembros superio-res: alcance funcional, levantamiento del brazo, fuerza de agarre y test de desempeño manual por tiempo (TMP). Se realizó una prueba piloto para adecuar los instrumentos. Los partici-pantes tenían una edad promedio de 74 años, la mitad eran mujeres y 65.4% eran analfabetas. Las patologías más frecuentes fueron fracturas de miembros inferiores (26.9%), enfermedades de medula espinal (26.9%), amputaciones (15.4%), secuelas de ECV (15,4%) y osteoartritis (11.5%). El promedio de las MEBE fueron: Alcance funcional 26.3 cm. (DE 12.5) levantamiento de brazo 8.2 repeticiones (DE 2.6), fuerza de agarre 11.6 kg. (DE 6.9) y el TMP 74.3 puntos (DE 24.3). Las MEBE mostraron una asociación estadísticamente significativa con escalas de valoración de discapaci-dad (Barthel); además, fuerza de agarre y alcance funcional se asociaron con mortalidad a los 6 meses. En conclusión, es posible la adaptación de las MEBE a la población anciana discapacitada en silla de ruedas, son fáciles de ejecutar y exentas de peligro. Además, permiten identificar an-cianos en riesgo y predicen consecuencias adversas de salud.

Performance Based Measures (PBM) have been reported as a predictor of adverse health events in elderly patients. To evaluate the PBM in older adults in nursing homes and long term care (LTC) units using wheelchair and determine their association with related variables. Our secondary objective was to identify morbidity and mortality six months later. A total of 25 adults ageing 60 and older with inclusion criteria: users of manual wheelchair as only mobility device (at least 70% part of their day in wheelchair), no acute diseases affecting mobility at the time of assessment and no cognitive impairment. Four PBM for upper extremities were adapted: Modified Functio-nal Reach (MFR), rise arm (RA), grip strength (GS) and Timed manual performance (TMP). A pilot study was carried out to evaluate the instruments. The participants mean age was 74.1 years (SD 9.2), 52% women and 65.4% illiteracy; the diseases most prevalent were lower limbs fractu-res (26.9%), spinal cord diseases (26.9%), amputations (15.4%), stroke (15,4%), and osteoarthritis (11.5%). The mean of PBM was: Modified Functional Reach 26.3 ( DE 12.5) cm., rise arm 8.2 (SD 2.6) times, grip strength 11.6 (SD 6.9) kg. and TMP 74.3 (SD 24.3) points. Statistical associations were found among PBM and physical disability instrument (Barthel index). GS and MFR were associated with mortality six months later. PBM could be adapted to assess nursing home and LTC manual wheelchair older residents. PBM act as markers of current and future health.