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ABSTRACT Rapidly warming global temperatures are having a widespread influence on wildlife communities across taxa, with southern‐edge populations often experiencing the greatest negative impacts. However, sympatric species may exhibit divergent demographic responses due to differences in life history strategies and niche separation. We used integrated population models to estimate abundance, survival, and productivity for Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills nesting at the southern edge of their breeding range in the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine. We then conducted transient life table response experiments to understand the relative importance of demographic parameters in driving population dynamics. We found that the Atlantic Puffin population remained relatively stable over the 22‐year study period, whereas the Razorbill population increased substantially. Estimates of mean survival and productivity were similar between the study species but were at the lower range of values reported in the literature across their range. Despite similar estimates of mean productivity, interannual variation in this demographic rate was much higher in Puffins than Razorbills. Overall, adult survival was found to be the primary driver of population dynamics for both species yet shows evidence of long‐term decline in Puffins. For Razorbills, we found similar evidence of long‐term decline in first‐year survival. Overall, our findings suggest that these sympatric species may be responding differently to shared environmental conditions. Given the observed long‐term decrease in Puffin adult survival, future monitoring and conservation efforts for this species should be focused outside the breeding season in critical overwintering areas and migratory locations where adult mortality is typically concentrated. Similarly, given the observed long‐term decline in Razorbill first‐year survival, additional monitoring and tracking of chicks is warranted for this species to understand where immature individuals are going after they fledge from the colony.

Abstract Cities are often hotter and drier compared with nearby undeveloped areas, but how organisms respond to these multifarious stressors associated with urban heat islands is largely unknown. Terrestrial isopods are especially susceptible to temperature and aridity stress as they have retained highly permeable gills from their aquatic ancestors. We performed a two temperature common garden experiment with urban and rural populations of the terrestrial isopod, Oniscus asellus, to uncover evidence for plastic and evolutionary responses to urban heat islands. We focused on physiological tolerance traits including tolerance of heat, cold, and desiccation. We also examined body size responses to urban heat islands, as size can modulate physiological tolerances. We found that different mechanisms underlie responses to urban heat islands. While evidence suggests urban isopods may have evolved higher heat tolerance, urban and rural isopods had statistically indistinguishable cold and desiccation tolerances. In both populations, plasticity to warmer rearing temperature diminished cold tolerance. Although field‐collected urban and rural isopods were the same size, rearing temperature positively affected body size. Finally, larger size improved desiccation tolerance, which itself was influenced by rearing temperature. Our study demonstrates how multifarious changes associated with urban heat islands will not necessarily contribute to contemporary evolution in each of the corresponding physiological traits.

Abstract Metabolic rates of ectotherms are expected to increase with global trends of climatic warming. But the potential for rapid, compensatory evolution of lower metabolic rate in response to rising temperatures is only starting to be explored. Here, we explored rapid evolution of metabolic rate and locomotor performance in acorn‐dwelling ants (Temnothorax curvispinosus) in response to urban heat island effects. We reared ant colonies within a laboratory common garden (25°C) to generate a laboratory‐born cohort of workers and tested their acute plastic responses to temperature. Contrary to expectations, urban ants exhibited a higher metabolic rate compared with rural ants when tested at 25°C, suggesting a potentially maladaptive evolutionary response to urbanization. Urban and rural ants had similar metabolic rates when tested at 38°C, as a consequence of a diminished plastic response of the urban ants. Locomotor performance also evolved such that the running speed of urban ants was faster than rural ants under warmer test temperatures (32°C and 42°C) but slower under a cooler test temperature (22°C). The resulting specialist–generalist trade‐off and higher thermal optimum for locomotor performance might compensate for evolved increases in metabolic rate by allowing workers to more quickly scout and retrieve resources.

Abstract Cities are uniquely complex systems regulated by interactions and feedbacks between nature and human society. Characteristics of human society—including culture, economics, technology and politics—underlie social patterns and activity, creating a heterogeneous environment that can influence and be influenced by both ecological and evolutionary processes. Increasing research on urban ecology and evolutionary biology has coincided with growing interest in eco‐evolutionary dynamics, which encompasses the interactions and reciprocal feedbacks between evolution and ecology. Research on both urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics frequently focuses on contemporary evolution of species that have potentially substantial ecological—and even social—significance. Still, little work fully integrates urban evolutionary biology and eco‐evolutionary dynamics, and rarely do researchers in either of these fields fully consider the role of human social patterns and processes. Because cities are fundamentally regulated by human activities, are inherently interconnected and are frequently undergoing social and economic transformation, they represent an opportunity for ecologists and evolutionary biologists to study urban “socio‐eco‐evolutionary dynamics.” Through this new framework, we encourage researchers of urban ecology and evolution to fully integrate human social drivers and feedbacks to increase understanding and conservation of ecosystems, their functions and their contributions to people within and outside cities.

Summary Introduction Dietary self‐monitoring in behavioral weight loss programmes traditionally involves keeping track of all foods and beverages to achieve a calorie deficit. While effective, adherence declines over time. WW™ (formerly Weight Watchers), a widely available commercial weight management programme, sought to pilot an approach that permitted participants to consume over 200 foods without monitoring them. Methods The current study used a pre‐post evaluation design with anthropometric, psychosocial and physical health assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Results Participants (N = 152) were, on average, 48.4 (±12.3) years old, with body mass index (BMI) of 32.8 (±4.8) m/kg2 and 94% female. Mean weight loss was 6.97 + 5.55 kg or 7.9 ± 6.1% of initial body weight (ps < .0001) at 6 months. One third (32.6%) of the sample lost 10% or more of initial body weight. Significant improvements in hunger, cravings, happiness, sleep, quality of life, aerobic stamina, flexibility and blood pressure were observed. Attendance at group meetings, as well as decreases in hunger, and fast food cravings from baseline to 3 months were associated with achieving 10% weight loss at 6 months (p < .01). Conclusions Using an approach that does not require self‐monitoring of all foods and beverages produced significant weight losses and other physical and psychosocial improvements.

Abstract Curcumin, when used in a combination regimen in multiple myeloma patients, has comparable progression‐free survival without the adverse effects of steroid‐based combination therapies that is curcumin may be a viable alternative to corticosteroids in combination with an immunomodulatory drug or proteasome inhibitor.

Abstract This database collates vital rate estimates for the common eider (Somateria mollissima), providing a complete demographic parameterization for this slow life‐history species. Monitored across its circumpolar range, the common eider represents a data‐rich exemplar species for the less‐studied seaducks, many of which are under threat. The database contains estimates of the following vital rates: first‐year survival; second‐year survival; adult annual survival; first breeding (both age‐specific recruitment probability, and breeding propensity across potential recruitment ages); breeding propensity of established female breeders; clutch size; hatching success; and fledging success. These estimates are drawn from 134 studies, across the scientific and grey literature, including three previously inaccessible datasets on clutch size that were contributed in response to a call for data through the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Duck Specialist Group. Although clutch size has been much studied, the contributed datasets have enhanced coverage of studies reported in non‐English languages, which were otherwise only represented when cited in English‐language publications. Breeding propensity has been little studied, perhaps because adult females are often assumed to attempt breeding every year; we obtained a mean breeding propensity of 0.72. Our synthesis highlights the following gaps in data availability: juvenile and male survival; population change; and studies from Russia (at least accessible in English). The database is intended to serve population modellers and scientists involved in the policy and practice of seaduck conservation and management.

Summary Background The public health crisis of obesity leads to increasing morbidity that are even more profound in certain populations such as rural adults. Live, two‐way video‐conferencing is a modality that can potentially surmount geographic barriers and staffing shortages. Methods Patients from the Dartmouth‐Hitchcock Weight and Wellness Center were recruited into a pragmatic, single‐arm, nonrandomized study of a remotely delivered 16‐week evidence‐based healthy lifestyle programme. Patients were provided hardware and appropriate software allowing for remote participation in all sessions, outside of the clinic setting. Our primary outcomes were feasibility and acceptability of the telemedicine intervention, as well as potential effectiveness on anthropometric and functional measures. Results Of 62 participants approached, we enrolled 37, of which 27 completed at least 75% of the 16‐week programme sessions (27% attrition). Mean age was 46.9 ± 11.6 years (88.9% female), with a mean body mass index of 41.3 ± 7.1 kg/m2 and mean waist circumference of 120.7 ± 16.8 cm. Mean patient participant satisfaction regarding the telemedicine approach was favourable (4.48 ± 0.58 on 1‐5 Likert scale—low to high) and 67.6/75 on standardized questionnaire. Mean weight loss at 16 weeks was 2.22 ± 3.18 kg representing a 2.1% change (P < .001), with a loss in waist circumference of 3.4% (P = .001). Fat mass and visceral fat were significantly lower at 16 weeks (2.9% and 12.5%; both P < .05), with marginal improvement in appendicular skeletal muscle mass (1.7%). In the 30‐second sit‐to‐stand test, a mean improvement of 2.46 stands (P = .005) was observed. Conclusion A telemedicine‐delivered, intensive weight loss intervention is feasible, acceptable, and potentially effective in rural adults seeking weight loss.

Abstract Our rechallenge of cobimetinib in an Erdheim‐Chester Disease (ECD) patient for the rare adverse effect, “dropped head syndrome,” with a previously unexplored cobimetinib regimen was successful. Similar to other experiences with targeted agents in ECD, dosing of cobimetinib may vary to mitigate toxicity without impairing efficacy.

Abstract Although studies increasingly disentangle phenotypic plasticity from evolutionary responses to environmental change, few test for transgenerational plasticity in this context. Here, we evaluate whether phenotypic divergence of acorn ants in response to urbanization is driven by transgenerational plasticity rather than evolution. F2 generation worker ants (offspring of laboratory‐born queens) exhibited similar divergence among urban and rural populations as field‐born worker ants, suggesting that evolutionary divergence rather than transgenerational plasticity was primarily responsible for shifts toward higher heat tolerance and diminished cold tolerance in urban acorn ants. Hybrid offspring from matings between urban and rural populations also indicated that evolutionary divergence was likely the primary mechanism underlying population differences in thermal tolerance. Specifically, thermal tolerance traits were not inherited either maternally or paternally in the hybrid pairings as would be expected for strong parental or grandparental effects mediated through a single sex. Urban–rural hybrid offspring provided further insight into the genetic architecture of thermal adaptation. Heat tolerance of hybrids more resembled the urban–urban pure type, whereas cold tolerance of hybrids more resembled the rural–rural pure type. As a consequence, thermal tolerance traits in this system appear to be influenced by dominance rather than being purely additive traits, and heat and cold tolerance might be determined by separate genes. Though transgenerational plasticity does not appear to explain divergence of acorn ant thermal tolerance, its role in divergence of other traits and across other urbanization gradients merits further study.

Abstract Urban ecosystems are rapidly expanding throughout the world, but how urban growth affects the evolutionary ecology of species living in urban areas remains largely unknown. Urban ecology has advanced our understanding of how the development of cities and towns change environmental conditions and alter ecological processes and patterns. However, despite decades of research in urban ecology, the extent to which urbanization influences evolutionary and eco‐evolutionary change has received little attention. The nascent field of urban evolutionary ecology seeks to understand how urbanization affects the evolution of populations, and how those evolutionary changes in turn influence the ecological dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. Following a brief history of this emerging field, this Perspective article provides a research agenda and roadmap for future research aimed at advancing our understanding of the interplay between ecology and evolution of urban‐dwelling organisms. We identify six key questions that, if addressed, would significantly increase our understanding of how urbanization influences evolutionary processes. These questions consider how urbanization affects nonadaptive evolution, natural selection, and convergent evolution, in addition to the role of urban environmental heterogeneity on species evolution, and the roles of phenotypic plasticity versus adaptation on species’ abundance in cities. Our final question examines the impact of urbanization on evolutionary diversification. For each of these six questions, we suggest avenues for future research that will help advance the field of urban evolutionary ecology. Lastly, we highlight the importance of integrating urban evolutionary ecology into urban planning, conservation practice, pest management, and public engagement.

Abstract Because ectotherm activity and metabolism are sensitive to temperature, terrestrial arthropods may be especially responsive to ongoing climatic warming. Here, we quantified responses of arthropod abundance to two years of warming in an outdoor temperature manipulation experiment at Duke Forest, North Carolina, USA. Nine open‐top chambers were individually heated year‐round from 1.5° to 5.5°C above ambient temperature. From two years of monthly pitfall trapping, we collected and identified 4,468 arthropods representing 24 orders. We initially predicted that arthropods would experience the greatest negative effects of experimental warming during the summer months, when temperatures reach their yearly maximum and arthropods may be close to their maximum thermal tolerance limits. Instead, we found that the strongest negative effects on arthropod abundance occurred during the winter and spring, when ambient temperatures are relatively cooler, whereas the effects of experimental warming on abundance were not significant during the summer or fall. During the spring of 2012, the warmest spring on record for the southeastern USA, total arthropod abundance declined 20% per °C of experimental warming. Abundance declines were driven largely by flies (Diptera), which were the most abundant insect order, representing approximately a third of all arthropods collected. The most abundant arthropod family, Mycetophilidae (fungus gnats), declined 64% per °C of warming during the spring of 2012. Although previous research on climatic warming has focused on the impact of maximum yearly temperatures on organismal performance, our results are more consistent with the cool‐season sensitivity hypothesis, which posits that arthropods adapted for cooler conditions are likely to face the strongest negative effects of warming during the cooler seasons.