Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable.

Although invasive alien species have long been recognized as a major threat to nature and people, until now there has been no comprehensive global review of the status, trends, drivers, impacts, management and governance challenges of biological invasions. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and Their Control (hereafter 'IPBES invasive alien species assessment') drew on more than 13,000 scientific publications and reports in 15 languages as well as Indigenous and local knowledge on all taxa, ecosystems and regions across the globe. Therefore, it provides unequivocal evidence of the major and growing threat of invasive alien species alongside ambitious but realistic approaches to manage biological invasions. The extent of the threat and impacts has been recognized by the 143 member states of IPBES who approved the summary for policymakers of this assessment. Here, the authors of the IPBES assessment outline the main findings of the IPBES invasive alien species assessment and highlight the urgency to act now.

Unravelling the functional and phylogenetic dimensions of novel ecosystem assemblages.

Human activities are causing taxonomic rearrangements across ecosystems that often result in the emergence of novel communities (assemblies with no historical representative). It is commonly assumed that these changes in the taxonomic makeup of ecosystems also inevitably lead to changes in other aspects of biodiversity, namely functional and phylogenetic diversity. However, this assumption is not always valid, as the changes in functional and phylogenetic composition resulting from taxonomic shifts depend on the level of redundancy in the evaluated community. Therefore, we need improved theoretical frameworks to predict when we can expect coordinated or decoupled responses among these three facets of biodiversity. To advance this understanding, we discuss the conceptual and methodological issues that complicate establishing a link between taxonomic rearrangements driven by human activities and the associated functional and phylogenetic changes. Here, we show that is crucial to consider the expected changes in functional and phylogenetic composition as communities are reshaped owing to human drivers of biodiversity loss to forecast the impacts of novel assemblages on ecosystem functions and the services they provide to humanity. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

A nature-positive future with biological invasions: theory, decision support and research needs.

In 2050, most areas of biodiversity significance will be heavily influenced by multiple drivers of environmental change. This includes overlap with the introduced ranges of many alien species that negatively impact biodiversity. With the decline in biodiversity and increase in all forms of global change, the need to envision the desired qualities of natural systems in the Anthropocene is growing, as is the need to actively maintain their natural values. Here, we draw on community ecology and invasion biology to (i) better understand trajectories of change in communities with a mix of native and alien populations, and (ii) to frame approaches to the stewardship of these mixed-species communities. We provide a set of premises and actions upon which a nature-positive future with biological invasions (NPF-BI) could be based, and a decision framework for dealing with uncertain species movements under climate change. A series of alternative management approaches become apparent when framed by scale-sensitive, spatially explicit, context relevant and risk-consequence considerations. Evidence of the properties of mixed-species communities together with predictive frameworks for the relative importance of the ecological processes at play provide actionable pathways to a NPF in which the reality of mixed-species communities are accommodated and managed. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

Towards a novel biosphere in 2300: rapid and extensive global and biome-wide climatic novelty in the Anthropocene.

Recent climate change has effectively rewound the climate clock by approximately 120 000 years and is expected to reverse this clock a further 50 Myr by 2100. We aimed to answer two essential questions to better understand the changes in ecosystems worldwide owing to predicted climate change. Firstly, we identify the locations and time frames where novel ecosystems could emerge owing to climate change. Secondly, we aim to determine the extent to which biomes, in their current distribution, will experience an increase in climate-driven ecological novelty. To answer these questions, we analysed three perspectives on how climate changes could result in novel ecosystems in the near term (2100), medium (2200) and long term (2300). These perspectives included identifying areas where climate change could result in new climatic combinations, climate isoclines moving faster than species migration capacity and current environmental patterns being disaggregated. Using these metrics, we determined when and where novel ecosystems could emerge. Our analysis shows that unless rapid mitigation measures are taken, the coverage of novel ecosystems could be over 50% of the land surface by 2100 under all change scenarios. By 2300, the coverage of novel ecosystems could be above 80% of the land surface. At the biome scale, these changes could mean that over 50% of locations could shift towards novel ecosystems, with the majority seeing these changes in the next few decades. Our research shows that the impact of climate change on ecosystems is complex and varied, requiring global action to mitigate and adapt to these changes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Biodiversity dynamics and stewardship in a transforming biosphere'. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

Navigating ecological novelty towards planetary stewardship: challenges and opportunities in biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere.

Human-induced global changes, including anthropogenic climate change, biotic globalization, trophic downgrading and pervasive land-use intensification, are transforming Earth's biosphere, placing biodiversity and ecosystems at the forefront of unprecedented challenges. The Anthropocene, characterized by the importance of Homo sapiens in shaping the Earth system, necessitates a re-evaluation of our understanding and stewardship of ecosystems. This theme issue delves into the multifaceted challenges posed by the ongoing ecological planetary transformation and explores potential solutions across four key subthemes. Firstly, it investigates the functioning and stewardship of emerging novel ecosystems, emphasizing the urgent need to comprehend the dynamics of ecosystems under uncharted conditions. The second subtheme focuses on biodiversity projections under global change, recognizing the necessity of predicting ecological shifts in the Anthropocene. Importantly, the inherent uncertainties and the complexity of ecological responses to environmental stressors pose challenges for societal responses and for accurate projections of ecological change. The RAD framework (resist-accept-direct) is highlighted as a flexible yet nuanced decision-making tool that recognizes the need for adaptive approaches, providing insights for directing and adapting to Anthropocene dynamics while minimizing negative impacts. The imperative to extend our temporal perspective beyond 2100 is emphasized, given the irreversible changes already set in motion. Advancing methods to study ecosystem dynamics under rising biosphere novelty is the subject of the third subtheme. The fourth subtheme emphasizes the importance of integrating human perspectives into understanding, forecasting and managing novel ecosystems. Cultural diversity and biological diversity are intertwined, and the evolving relationship between humans and ecosystems offers lessons for future stewardship. Achieving planetary stewardship in the Anthropocene demands collaboration across scales and integration of ecological and societal perspectives, scalable approaches fit to changing, novel ecological conditions, as well as cultural innovation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

Including a diverse set of voices to address biological invasions.

Inclusivity is fundamental to progress in understanding and addressing the global phenomena of biological invasions because inclusivity fosters a breadth of perspectives, knowledge, and solutions. Here, we report on how the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) assessment on invasive alien species (IAS) prioritized inclusivity, the benefits of this approach, and the remaining challenges.

Prescripción del ejercicio en paciente post operatorio de cirugía bariátrica 2010-2020: Revisión exploratoria

El ejercicio sigue siendo una intervención necesaria para la pérdida y mantenimiento del peso en pacientes postquirúrgicos de cirugía bariátrica. Sin embargo, los principios básicos de su prescripción luego de este tipo de intervenciones son aún controversiales en la literatura. En este contexto, el objetivo de este estudio fue describir los principales componentes de la prescripción del ejercicio en pacientes postquirúrgicos de cirugía bariátrica y sus beneficios asociados. Se realizó una revisión exploratoria usando las bases de datos Pubmed, PEDro, Springer, Science Direct, y Scielo. Se utilizó un algoritmo de búsqueda con los términos clave "cirugía bariátrica", "obesidad", "ejercicio", "post-quirúrgico", "prescripción del ejercicio" y "actividad física", en inglés y español. Fueron incluidos ensayos clínicos y estudios observacionales publicados entre 2010-2020, donde hubo prescripción del ejercicio posterior a cirugía bariátrica. Un total de 13 estudios fueron analizados. Los parámetros recomendados incluyeron la frecuencia de 3 a 5 veces por semana, intensidad aeróbica entre el 60-85% de la FCmáx o 60-70% de VO2máx, intensidad anaeróbica entre el 60-85% de 1 repetición máxima (1RM), y duración entre 12 y 18 semanas. El ejercicio es una herramienta importante para mantener y reducir el peso, atenuar el sedentarismo y mejorar la calidad de vida en paciente postquirúrgicos de cirugía bariátrica con resultados seguros y eficaces siempre y cuando se garanticen los niveles de intensidad, frecuencia, duración, tipo y progresión sugeridos.

Exercise remains a necessary intervention for weight loss and weight maintenance in post-bariatric surgery patients. However, the basic principles of its prescription after this type of interventions are still controversial in the literature. In this context, our objective was to describe the main components of exercise prescription in post-bariatric surgery patients and its associated benefits. A scoping review was carried out using the Pubmed, PEDro, Springer, Science Direct, and Scielo databases. A search algorithm was used with the terms "bariatric surgery", "obesity", "exercise", "post-surgical", "exercise prescription" and "physical activity", in English and Spanish. Clinical trials and observational studies published between 2010-2020, where there was exercise prescription after bariatric surgery, were included. A total of13 studies were analyzed. The recommended parameters included frequency 3 to 5 times per week, aerobic intensity between 60-85% of HRmax or 60-70% of VO2max, anaerobic intensity between 60-85% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM), and duration period between 12 and 18 weeks. Exercise is an important tool to maintain and reduce weight, attenuate sedentary lifestyle and improve quality of life in post-bariatric surgery patients with safe and effective results as long as the suggested levels of intensity, frequency, duration, type and progression are guaranteed.

Sexual dimorphism of leptin and adiposity in children between 0 and 10 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Differences in adolescents and adults by sex in blood levels of leptin and adiposity have been described; however, it is not yet clear if these differences arise from the prepubertal stage in subjects with a normal-weight. Therefore, we examine whether there are differences by sex in levels of blood leptin and adiposity in children with a normal-weight between 0 and 10 years old. METHODS: Search strategy: eligible studies were obtained from three electronic databases (Ovid, Embase and LILACS) and contact with experts. SELECTION CRITERIA: healthy children up to 10 years of age with normal-weight according to age. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSES: data were extracted by four independent reviewers using a predesigned data collection form. For the analysis, we stratified according to age groups (newborns, 0.25-0.5 years, 3-5.9 years, 6-7.9 years, 8-10 years). The statistical analysis was performed in the R program. RESULTS: Of the initially identified 13,712 records, 21 were selected in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The sex was associated with the overall effect on blood leptin (pooled MD = 1.72 ng/mL, 95% CI: 1.25-2.19) and body fat percentage (pooled MD = 3.43%, 95% CI: 2.53-4.33), being both higher in girls. This finding was consistent in the majority of age groups. CONCLUSION: The results of our meta-analyses support the sexual dimorphism in circulating blood leptin and body fat percentage between girls and boys with normal-weight from prepuberty.

Changes in limiting factors for forager population dynamics in Europe across the last glacial-interglacial transition.

Population dynamics set the framework for human genetic and cultural evolution. For foragers, demographic and environmental changes correlate strongly, although the causal relations between different environmental variables and human responses through time and space likely varied. Building on the notion of limiting factors, namely that at any one time, the scarcest resource caps population size, we present a statistical approach to identify the dominant climatic constraints for hunter-gatherer population densities and then hindcast their changing dynamics in Europe for the period between 21,000 to 8000 years ago. Limiting factors shifted from temperature-related variables (effective temperature) during the Pleistocene to a regional mosaic of limiting factors in the Holocene dominated by temperature seasonality and annual precipitation. This spatiotemporal variation suggests that hunter-gatherers needed to overcome very different adaptive challenges in different parts of Europe and that these challenges varied over time. The signatures of these changing adaptations may be visible archaeologically. In addition, the spatial disaggregation of limiting factors from the Pleistocene to the Holocene coincided with and may partly explain the diversification of the cultural geography at this time.

The effects of defaunation on plants' capacity to track climate change.

Half of all plant species rely on animals to disperse their seeds. Seed dispersal interactions lost through defaunation and gained during novel community assembly influence whether plants can adapt to climate change through migration. We develop trait-based models to predict pairwise interactions and dispersal function for fleshy-fruited plants globally. Using interactions with introduced species as an observable proxy for interactions in future novel seed dispersal networks, we find strong potential to forecast their assembly and functioning. We conservatively estimate that mammal and bird defaunation has already reduced the capacity of plants to track climate change by 60% globally. This strong reduction in the ability of plants to adapt to climate change through range shifts shows a synergy between defaunation and climate change that undermines vegetation resilience.

A signal of competitive dominance in mid-latitude herbaceous plant communities.

Understanding the main determinants of species coexistence across space and time is a central question in ecology. However, ecologists still know little about the scales and conditions at which biotic interactions matter and how these interact with the environment to structure species assemblages. Here we use recent theoretical developments to analyse plant distribution and trait data across Europe and find that plant height clustering is related to both evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary productivity. This clustering is a signal of interspecies competition between plants, which is most evident in mid-latitude ecoregions, where conditions for growth (reflected in actual ET rates and gross primary productivities) are optimal. Away from this optimum, climate severity probably overrides the effect of competition, or other interactions become increasingly important. Our approach bridges the gap between species-rich competition theories and large-scale species distribution data analysis.

Regional disparity in extinction risk: Comparison of disjunct plant genera between eastern Asia and eastern North America.

Climate and land cover changes are increasing threats to biodiversity globally. However, potentially varying biotic sensitivity is a major source of uncertainty for translating environmental changes to extinction risks. To reduce this uncertainty, we assessed how extinction risks will be affected by future human-driven environmental changes, focusing on 554 species from 52 disjunct plant genera between eastern Asia (EAS) and eastern North America (ENA) to control for differences in environmental sensitivity at the genus level. Species distribution models were used to estimate and compare the vulnerability of species in disjunct genera between the two regions under two climate and land cover change scenarios (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5) in the 2070s, allowing to assess the effects of differences in climate and land cover pressures. Compared with ENA, stronger pressures from climate and land cover changes along with smaller range sizes in EAS translate into a larger number and proportion of species in disjunct genera becoming threatened by the 2070s. These regional differences are more pronounced under a best-case climate scenario (RCP2.6), illustrating that strong climate change (RCP8.5) may override any regional buffer capacities. The main variables determining extinction risks differed between the two continental regions, with annual temperature range and cropland expansion being important in EAS, and annual precipitation being important in ENA. These results suggest that disparities in regional exposure to anthropogenic environmental changes may cause congeneric species with relatively similar sensitivity to have different future risks of extinction. Moreover, the findings highlight the context-specific nature of anthropogenic effects on biodiversity and the importance of making region-specific policies for conservation and restoration in response to the intensifying global changes.

A unifying framework for studying and managing climate-driven rates of ecological change.

During the Anthropocene and other eras of rapidly changing climates, rates of change of ecological systems can be described as fast, slow or abrupt. Fast ecological responses closely track climate change, slow responses substantively lag climate forcing, causing disequilibria and reduced fitness, and abrupt responses are characterized by nonlinear, threshold-type responses at rates that are large relative to background variability and forcing. All three kinds of climate-driven ecological dynamics are well documented in contemporary studies, palaeoecology and invasion biology. This fast-slow-abrupt conceptual framework helps unify a bifurcated climate-change literature, which tends to separately consider the ecological risks posed by slow or abrupt ecological dynamics. Given the prospect of ongoing climate change for the next several decades to centuries of the Anthropocene and wide variations in ecological rates of change, the theory and practice of managing ecological systems should shift attention from target states to target rates. A rates-focused framework broadens the strategic menu for managers to include options to both slow and accelerate ecological rates of change, seeks to reduce mismatch among climate and ecological rates of change, and provides a unified conceptual framework for tackling the distinct risks associated with fast, slow and abrupt ecological rates of change.

Ultrasonography and electrical impedance as assessment tools for critical patients in times of COVID-19 / Ultrasonografía e impedancia eléctrica como herramientas de evaluación para pacientes críticos en tiempos de COVID-19

In the COVID-19 outbreak we are living currently, the lung ultrasound can be considered as an advantageous tool to examine patients as it can be easily used by a maximum of two trained operators, at the bedside. Likewise, the Electrical impedance tomography is useful to monitor and optimize the patient's ventilation strategies in real time. Here, we present the impact and implication of ultrasonography and electrical impedance as management tools for treating critical patients in times of COVID-19. Clinical Ultrasound has been used more and more in developing countries in Latin America such as Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay among others, however it is still underutilized due to different issues amongst we found the absence of equipment or the lack of basic training from the medical staff and poor skills to use the machines despite their availability. The use of lung ultrasound and the Electrical impedance tomography is highlighted as a safe manner to manage COVID-19 patients, not as a replacement of a CT scan, but as an easy-to-use and fast complementary tool.

En la pandemia de COVID-19 que se vive actualmente, la ultrasonografía pulmonar puede considerarse como una herramienta ventajosa para examinar a los pacientes, ya que puede ser utilizada fácilmente al pie de cama por un máximo de dos operadores capacitados. Asimismo, la tomografía de impedancia eléctrica es útil para monitorizar y optimizar las estrategias de ventilación del paciente en tiempo real. Aquí se presenta el impacto y la implicación de la ecografía y la impedancia eléctrica como herramientas de manejo para el tratamiento de pacientes críticos en tiempos de COVID-19. El ultrasonido clínico se ha utilizado cada vez más en países en vías de desarrollo de América Latina como Colombia, Argentina y Uruguay entre otros, sin embargo, aún está infrautilizado debido a diferentes cuestiones entre las que encontramos la ausencia de equipos o la falta de formación básica del personal médico y la poca habilidad para usar las máquinas a pesar de su disponibilidad. Se destaca el uso de la ultrasonografía pulmonar y la tomografía de impedancia eléctrica como una forma segura de manejar a los pacientes con COVID-19, no como un reemplazo de una tomografía computarizada, sino como una herramienta complementaria rápida y fácil de usar.

Late-spring frost risk between 1959 and 2017 decreased in North America but increased in Europe and Asia.

Late-spring frosts (LSFs) affect the performance of plants and animals across the world's temperate and boreal zones, but despite their ecological and economic impact on agriculture and forestry, the geographic distribution and evolutionary impact of these frost events are poorly understood. Here, we analyze LSFs between 1959 and 2017 and the resistance strategies of Northern Hemisphere woody species to infer trees' adaptations for minimizing frost damage to their leaves and to forecast forest vulnerability under the ongoing changes in frost frequencies. Trait values on leaf-out and leaf-freezing resistance come from up to 1,500 temperate and boreal woody species cultivated in common gardens. We find that areas in which LSFs are common, such as eastern North America, harbor tree species with cautious (late-leafing) leaf-out strategies. Areas in which LSFs used to be unlikely, such as broad-leaved forests and shrublands in Europe and Asia, instead harbor opportunistic tree species (quickly reacting to warming air temperatures). LSFs in the latter regions are currently increasing, and given species' innate resistance strategies, we estimate that ∼35% of the European and ∼26% of the Asian temperate forest area, but only ∼10% of the North American, will experience increasing late-frost damage in the future. Our findings reveal region-specific changes in the spring-frost risk that can inform decision-making in land management, forestry, agriculture, and insurance policy.

Points of view matter when assessing biodiversity vulnerability to environmental changes.

We can expect different levels of vulnerability depending on the paradigm used to determine the mechanisms that will alter biodiversity under climate change. A multi-paradigm perspective is necessary to get the full picture of biodiversity vulnerability. This is a commentary on Kling et al., 26, 2798-2813.

Biogeographic historical legacies in the net primary productivity of Northern Hemisphere forests.

It has been suggested that biogeographic historical legacies in plant diversity may influence ecosystem functioning. This is expected because of known diversity effects on ecosystem functions, and impacts of historical events such as past climatic changes on plant diversity. However, empirical evidence for a link between biogeographic history and present-day ecosystem functioning is still limited. Here, we explored the relationships between Late-Quaternary climate instability, species-pool size, local species and functional diversity, and the net primary productivity (NPP) of Northern Hemisphere forests using structural equation modelling. Our study confirms that past climate instability has negative effects on plant functional diversity and through that on NPP, after controlling for present-day climate, soil conditions, stand biomass and age. We conclude that global models of terrestrial plant productivity need to consider the biogeographical context to improve predictions of plant productivity and feedbacks with the climate system.

Community Assembly and Climate Mismatch in Late Quaternary Eastern North American Pollen Assemblages.

Plant community response to climate change ranges from synchronous tracking to strong mismatch. Explaining this variation in climate change response is critical for accurate global change modeling. Here we quantify how closely assemblages track changes in climate (match/mismatch) and how broadly climate niches are spread within assemblages (narrow/broad ecological tolerance, or "filtering") using data for the past 21,000 years for 531 eastern North American fossil pollen assemblages. Although climate matching has been strong over the last 21 millennia, mismatch increased in 30% of assemblages during the rapid climate shifts between 14.5 and 10 ka. Assemblage matching rebounded toward the present day in 10%-20% of assemblages. Climate-assemblage mismatch was greater in tree-dominated and high-latitude assemblages, consistent with persisting populations, slower dispersal rates, and glacial retreat. In contrast, climate matching was greater for assemblages comprising taxa with higher median seed mass. More than half of the assemblages were climatically filtered at any given time, with peak filtering occurring at 8.5 ka for nearly 80% of assemblages. Thus, vegetation assemblages have highly variable rates of climate mismatch and filtering over millennial scales. These climate responses can be partially predicted by species' traits and life histories. These findings help constrain predictions for plant community response to contemporary climate change.

Human activities have opposing effects on distributions of narrow-ranged and widespread plant species in China.

Human activities have shaped large-scale distributions of many species, driving both range contractions and expansions. Species differ naturally in range size, with small-range species concentrated in particular geographic areas and potentially deviating ecologically from widespread species. Hence, species' responses to human activities may be influenced by their geographic range sizes, but if and how this happens are poorly understood. Here, we use a comprehensive distribution database and species distribution modeling to examine if and how human activities have affected the extent to which 9,701 vascular plants fill their climatic potential ranges in China. We find that narrow-ranged species have lower range filling and widespread species have higher range filling in the human-dominated southeastern part of China, compared with their counterparts distributed in the less human-influenced northwestern part. Variations in range filling across species and space are strongly associated with indicators of human activities (human population density, human footprint, and proportion of cropland) even after controlling for alternative drivers. Importantly, narrow-ranged and widespread species show negative and positive range-filling relationships to these human indicators, respectively. Our results illustrate that floras risk biotic homogenization as a consequence of anthropogenic activities, with narrow-ranged species becoming replaced by widespread species. Because narrow-ranged species are more numerous than widespread species in nature, negative impacts of human activities will be prevalent. Our findings highlight the importance of establishing more protected areas and zones of reduced human activities to safeguard the rich flora of China.