Urban Evolutionary Physiology

Urban Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198836841.003.0014 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 217-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Caroline Isaksson ◽

Frances Bonier

Keyword(s):

Physiological Responses ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Chemical Pollution ◽

Urban Habitat ◽

Evolutionary Physiology ◽

Coping Responses ◽

Metabolic Systems ◽

Physiological Systems

Organisms living in urban environments are exposed to many novel, sometimes beneficial, but most often challenging conditions. These conditions include increased exposure to chemical pollution, artificial light at night, noise, altered pathogen and predator communities, increased abundance of often poor quality food, increased temperature, and increased human presence and disturbances. Given the central role of a variety of physiological responses in coping with challenges such as these, the authors of the chapter expect that the range of physiological phenotypes expressed by individuals and species will dramatically influence their ability to persist in urban habitat and cope with urban challenges. They also expect that plasticity in components of these physiological systems will be an important target of selection imposed by the challenges confronting urban populations. The chapter takes a closer look at three fundamental physiological systems in animals that are central components of coping responses to environmental challenges, namely detoxification, and endocrine and metabolic systems.

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Urban ecophysiology: beyond costs, stress and biomarkers

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.203794 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 223 (22) ◽

pp. jeb203794

Author(s):

Caroline Isaksson

Keyword(s):

Physiological Responses ◽

Redox System ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Evolutionary Context ◽

Urban Conditions ◽

System Metabolism ◽

The Impact ◽

Physiological Systems

ABSTRACTNatural habitats are rapidly declining due to urbanisation, with a concomitant decline in biodiversity in highly urbanised areas. Yet thousands of different species have colonised urban environments. These organisms are exposed to novel urban conditions, which are sometimes beneficial, but most often challenging, such as increased ambient temperature, chemicals, noise and light pollution, dietary alterations and disturbance by humans. Given the fundamental role of physiological responses in coping with such conditions, certain physiological systems such as the redox system, metabolism and hormones are thought to specifically influence organisms’ ability to persist and cope with urbanisation. However, these physiological systems often show mixed responses to urbanisation. Does this mean that some individuals, populations or species are resilient to the urban environmental challenges? Or is something missing from our analyses, leading us to erroneous conclusions regarding the impact of urbanisation? To understand the impact of urbanisation, I argue that a more integrated mechanistic and ecological approach is needed, along with experiments, in order to fully understand the physiological responses; without knowledge of their ecological and evolutionary context, physiological measures alone can be misinterpreted. Furthermore, we need to further investigate the causes of and capacity for individual plasticity in order to understand not only the impact of urbanisation, but also species resilience. I argue that abiotic and biotic urban factors can interact (e.g. pollution with micro- and macronutrients) to either constrain or relax individual physiological responses – and, thereby, plasticity – on a temporal and/or spatial scale, which can lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the impact of urbanisation.

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The fancy city life: Kuhl's pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii, benefits from urbanisation

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr15003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 42 (7) ◽

pp. 598 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Leonardo Ancillotto ◽

Alessandra Tomassini ◽

Danilo Russo

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Urban Habitat ◽

Urban Habitats ◽

Wild Mammals ◽

City Life ◽

Ecological Flexibility ◽

Major Process

Context Urbanisation is often regarded as a major threat to global biodiversity. Although wildlife is frequently affected by urbanisation, some species may actually benefit from it. Bats are among the commonest wild mammals in human-modified areas, and some species seem particularly well suited to exploit urban habitats where they find roosting and foraging opportunities. Aims We investigated habitat selection around roosts of synurbic Kuhl’s pipistrelles, Pipistrellus kuhlii, in Italy. Methods We measured the effects of the amount of urban habitat on bat reproductive timing and success in human-modified environments. Key results We found that P. kuhlii selects roosts surrounded by areas featuring urban habitats, especially those subject to urban development. Colonies in cities and suburbs advanced parturition time and produced more pups than those in rural areas. Permanent water sources and artificial lights in the surrounding habitats also seemed to favour the species reproductive success, particularly in developing urban areas. Conclusions Our results showed that this bat benefits from urbanisation and provided new insights on the effects of this major process on animal ecology and conservation in urban environments. Implications Although the ecological flexibility and positive response to urbanisation of P. kuhlii may help explain its recent range expansion, the role of climate change as a potential driver of this process has yet to be tested.

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A comparison of the diet of urban and forest great tits in a Mediterranean habitat

Animal Biodiversity and Conservation ◽

10.32800/abc.2021.44.0321 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 321-327

Author(s):

J. C. Senar ◽

A. Manzanilla ◽

D Mazzoni

Keyword(s):

Parus Major ◽

Mediterranean Area ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Great Tit ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Urban Habitat ◽

Feeding Rates ◽

Nest Boxes ◽

Reverse Pattern ◽

Mediterranean Habitat

The low breeding performance and body condition of nestling passerine birds in urban environments has been attributed to the poor quality and low abundance of food in these settings. However, detailed data on prey provided by parents to their chicks in the urban habitat is scarce. Here we used video cameras set in nest boxes to compare the diet of urban and forest great tits Parus major when provisioning their chicks in a Mediterranean area. We additionally analysed brood size and fledgling success. Breeding success of urban great tits was lower than that of forest birds. Urban parents displayed a lower average hourly feeding rate per nestling than forest parents. Among the three prey item categories, the percentage of spiders did not vary according to habitat. However, the percentage of caterpillars delivered to the nest by great tit parents was higher in the forest than in the urban habitat while the percentage of ‘other’ prey showed a reverse pattern. ‘Other’ prey were mainly adult butterflies and wasps in the urban habitat. Our paper adds to the view that the low feeding rates and scarcity of caterpillars in urban environments may be the underlying cause constraining the growth of great tit nestlings in these areas.

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Unraveling current and future adolescent depressive symptoms: The role of stress reactivity across physiological systems.

Developmental Psychology ◽

10.1037/dev0000530 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 54 (9) ◽

pp. 1650-1660 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rachel G. Lucas-Thompson ◽

Charlotte J. McKernan ◽

Kimberly L. Henry

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms ◽

Physiological Systems

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Soil Chemical Pollution and Aggressive Pathologies

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.18.8.6515 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (8) ◽

pp. 2278-2282

Author(s):

Stelian Ioan Morariu ◽

Letitia Doina Duceac ◽

Alina Costina Luca ◽

Florina Popescu ◽

Liliana Pavel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care Professionals ◽

Scientific Progress ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Chemical Pollution ◽

Optimal Parameters ◽

Chemical Pollutants ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health Physician ◽

Solid Liquid

Maintaining the soil in optimal parameters is vital for mankind, given its essential role in providing the alimentary base, as well as its extremely slow formation and regeneration (hundreds or thousands of years). The direct and indirect pollution of the soil and especially its chemical pollution represent a corollary of other types of pollution, given that it is produced by solid, liquid and gaseous residues. It may be involved in a wide range of diseases (respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, renal, haematological, osteoarticular, neurological) of allergic, infectious, degenerative or neoplastic nature, from infancy to the old age. Although there are natural causes of soil pollution (e.g. volcanic eruptions), most pollutants come from human activities, which are the most incriminated in its pollution, degradation and erosion at an accelerated pace. The growing concern of all nations for the adoption of measures to limit the chemical pollution of the soil is partially found so far in viable and effective solutions intended to combat soil contamination and degradation and ensure its restoration. Chemical industrialization leads to technical and scientific progress, but at the same time it can develop related pathologies, which means that the role of the occupational health physician is essential in ensuring prophylaxis and the early detection of occupational diseases. Besides that, the role of the pediatrician is equally precious for the detection of specific diseases caused by chemical pollutants to children, because they will develop into adults with pathological stigma.The chemical pollution of the soil is a major challenge for ecologists, given that it is an important risk factor for many types of afflictions. It requires maximum attention from civil society, health care professionals and government institutions. The specialist in occupational medicine, as well as the pediatrician bear an essential responsibility in both, prevention and treatment.

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β1-blocker in sepsis

Journal of Intensive Care ◽

10.1186/s40560-021-00552-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Daisuke Hasegawa ◽

Ryota Sato ◽

Osamu Nishida

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Oxygen Delivery ◽

Sinus Tachycardia ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Lactate Production ◽

Volume Index ◽

Initial Resuscitation ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Metabolic Systems

Abstract Background The use of ultrashort-acting β1-blockers recently has attracted attention in septic patients with non-compensatory tachycardia. We summarized the metabolic and hemodynamic effects and the clinical evidence of ultrashort-acting β1-blockers. Main body A recent meta-analysis showed that ultrashort-acting β1-blockers reduced the mortality in septic patients with persistent tachycardia. However, its mechanism to improve mortality is not fully understood yet. We often use lactate as a marker of oxygen delivery, but an impaired oxygen use rather than reduced oxygen delivery has been recently proposed as a more reasonable explanation of hyperlactatemia in patients with sepsis, leading to a question of whether β1-blockers affect metabolic systems. While the stimulation of the β2-receptor accelerates glycolysis and lactate production, the role of β1-blocker in lactate production remains unclear and studies investigating the role of β1-blockers in lactate kinetics are warranted. A meta-analysis also reported that ultrashort-acting β1-blockers increased stroke volume index, while it reduced heart rate, resulting in unchanged cardiac index, mean arterial pressure, and norepinephrine requirement at 24 h, leading to an improvement of cardiovascular efficiency. On the other hand, a recent study reported that heart rate reduction using fast esmolol titration in the very early phase of septic shock caused hemodynamic instability, suggesting that ultrashort-acting β1-blockers should be started only after completing initial resuscitation. While many clinicians still do not feel comfortable controlling sinus tachycardia, one randomized controlled trial in which the majority had sinus tachycardia suggested the mortality benefit of ultrashort-acting β1-blockers. Therefore, it still deems to be reasonable to control sinus tachycardia with ultrashort-acting β1-blockers after completing initial resuscitation. Conclusion Accumulating evidence is supporting the use of ultrashort-acting β1-blockers while larger randomized controlled trials to clarify the effect of ultrashort-acting β1-blockers are still warranted.

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Influence of Land Use on Avian Diversity in North African Urban Environments

Land ◽

10.3390/land10040434 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 434

Author(s):

Hani Amir Aouissi ◽

Alexandru-Ionuţ Petrişor ◽

Mostefa Ababsa ◽

Maria Boştenaru-Dan ◽

Mahmoud Tourki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Research Question ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Ecological Group ◽

Avian Diversity ◽

North African ◽

Index Method ◽

Urban Green Spaces

Land cover and use changes are important to study for their impact on ecosystem services and ultimately on sustainability. In urban environments, a particularly important research question addresses the relationship between urbanization-related changes and biodiversity, subject to controversies in the literature. Birds are an important ecological group, and useful for answering this question. The present study builds upon the hypothesis according to which avian diversity decreases with urbanization. In order to answer it, a sample of 4245 observations from 650 sites in Annaba, Algeria, obtained through the point abundance index method, were investigated by computing Shannon-Wiener’s diversity index and the species richness, mapping them, and analyzing the results statistically. The findings confirm the study hypothesis and are relevant for planning, as they stress the role of urban green spaces as biodiversity hotspots, and plead for the need of connecting them. From a planning perspective, the results emphasize the need for interconnecting the green infrastructure through avian corridors. Moreover, the results fill in an important lack of data on the biodiversity of the region, and are relevant for other similar Mediterranean areas. Future studies could use the findings to compare with data from other countries and continents.

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