COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

The role of species' traits in dispersal across scales - from deep past understanding to present-day processes

L'un des défis les plus pressants de l'écologie consiste à comprendre les mécanismes qui régissent la répartition de la vie à l'échelle mondiale. Dans ce contexte, les événements rares de dispersion à travers des barrières biogéographiques et l'établissement d’espèces dans de nouvelles régions sont un facteur clé. En effet, ces événements peuvent influencer la répartition des espèces dispersantes et des espèces des communautés réceptrices, et à long terme initier des processus de spéciation. À plus petite échelle, la dispersion est essentielle pour la persistance des espèces et leur permet de réagir aux changements de leur environnement directement par le mouvement ou indirectement par l'adaptation. Toutes les espèces n’ont pas les mêmes capacités pour se disperser et s'établir. Mieux comprendre ces différences est devenu une nouvelle urgence aujourd'hui si nous voulons être pertinent et réalistes dans les actions de conservation à venir, dans le contexte des changements globaux (notamment des invasions biologiques, de l'utilisation des terres et du changement climatique). Les traits des espèces sont considérées comme un facteur important dans la réussite de la dispersion. Par exemple, les espèces de grande taille sont souvent de meilleurs disperseurs que les petites, et les plantes dont les graines peuvent flotter sont plus susceptibles de se disperser sur des archipels insulaires que celles dont les graines coulent. Cependant, peu de tests concernant le rôle des traits dans la dispersion à large échelle biogéographique ont été effectués. Dans cette thèse, je combine des approches biogéographiques, macroécologiques et macroévolutives pour identifier le rôle des traits des espèces (taille et histoire de vie) dans la dispersion, et pour tester la transférabilité des relations trait-dispersion à travers de multiples échelles (taxonomiques, temporelles et géographiques). Premièrement, je quantifie et compare le rôle des traits dans l'histoire biogéographique de 56 clades de tétrapodes. Deuxièmement, je discute dans une synthèse conceptuelle si et comment les informations provenant d'études macroévolutives et biogéographiques peuvent être utilisées pour mieux prédire les futures espèces invasives, ainsi que la vulnérabilité des espèces natives face aux changements globaux actuels. Troisièmement, je teste les considérations conceptuelles de ce travail sur des données empiriques, en reliant les patrons observés dans la dispersion biogéographique passée aux invasions biologiques et aux changements d'aire de répartition actuels. Ensemble ces trois volets mettent en lumière l’importance des contextes taxonomiques, géographiques et temporels dans le rôle des traits des espèces pour la dispersion. Ceci constitue une étape importante vers de meilleures prédictions des capacités des espèces à répondre aux changements environnementaux.A pressing challenge in ecology is to unravel the mechanisms that underlie the distribution of life at a global scale. Rare dispersal events across biogeographic barriers and establishment in new regions are central to this: these events determine the distribution of both the dispersing species and of species in the receiving community, and they can open opportunities for speciation. On smaller scales, dispersal is integral to species’ persistence, allowing them to respond to changes in their environment directly through movement or indirectly through adaptation. Not all species have the same ability to disperse and establish. Better understanding these differences has gained new urgency today if we are to accurately assess risks, challenges and conservation opportunities in the context of biological invasions, land-use and climate change. Species’ traits are thought to be an important factor in successful dispersal. For example, large species are often better dispersers than small species, and plants with seeds that can float are more likely to disperse over island archipelagos than those with seeds that sink. However, there have been few tests of theory on how species traits might support dispersal at large biogeographic scales. In this thesis, I combine biogeographic, macroecological and macroevolutionary approaches to identify the role of body size and life-history traits in dispersal, and to test the transferability of trait-dispersal relationships across scales. First, I quantify and compare the role of traits in biogeographic histories of 56 tetrapod clades. Second, I discuss in a conceptual synthesis if and how information from macroevolutionary and biogeographic studies can be used to better understand species present-day biological invasions, as well as present-day extinction risk due to changing environmental conditions. Third, I test conceptual considerations from this work on empirical data, linking the patterns observed in past biogeographic dispersal to present-day biological invasions and range shifts. Together these three strands highlight the importance of taxonomic, geographical and temporal contexts in the role of species traits in dispersal, which is an important step forward to better predictions of species’ abilities to respond to changing environmental conditions

The role of species' traits in dispersal across scales - from deep past understanding to present-day processes

A pressing challenge in ecology is to unravel the mechanisms that underlie the distribution of life at aglobal scale. Rare dispersal events across biogeographic barriers and establishment in new regions are central to this: these events determine the distribution of both the dispersing species and of species in the receiving community, and they can open opportunities for speciation. On smaller scales, dispersal is integral to species’ persistence, allowing them to respond to changes in their environment directly through movement or indirectly through adaptation. Not all species have the same ability to disperse and establish. Better understanding these differences has gained new urgency today if we are to accurately assess risks, challenges and conservation opportunities in the context of biological invasions, land-use and climate change. Species’ traits are thought to be an important factor in successful dispersal. For example, large species are often better dispersers than small species, and plants with seeds that can float are more likely to disperse over island archipelagos than those with seeds that sink. However, there have been few tests of theory on how species traits might support dispersal at large biogeographic scales. In this thesis, I combine biogeographic, macroecological and macroevolutionary approaches to identify the role of body size and life-history traits in dispersal, and to test the transferability of trait dispersal relationships across scales. First, I quantify and compare the role of traits in biogeographic histories of 56 tetrapod clades. Second, I discuss in a conceptual synthesis if and how information from macroevolutionary and biogeographic studies can be used to better understand species present-day biological invasions, as well as present-day extinction risk due to changing environmental conditions. Third, I test conceptual considerations from this work on empirical data, linking the patterns observed in past biogeographic dispersal to present-day biological invasions and range shifts. Together these three strands highlight the importance of taxonomic, geographical and temporal contexts in the role of species traits in dispersal, which is an important step forward to better predictions of species’ abilities to respond to changing environmental conditions

Variabilité de la température entre 1951 et 2014 en Allemagne associée à l’évolution de la floraison des pommiers.

21 pagesInternational audienceApple tree bloom onset in Germany has advanced by 2 days/decade in 1951-2014 and by 3 days/decade in 1988-2014, behaving similarly in respect to its evolution since 1951 and its sensitivity to temperature to other species’ phenological spring phases. The evolution however was not linear; by conducting a split moving-window dissimilarity analysis (SMWDA) we were able to detect the “break-period” 1987-1989 which coincides with a breakpoint that has been identified in the phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We observed distinct spatial patterns with apple bloom advancing from southwest to northeast and, most interestingly, a longitudinal gradient in the trend of apple bloom onset revealed by a probabilistic principal components analysis (PPCA). In the period of 1951-2014, plants located in the east displayed a much stronger trend (‑16.53 days on average) than those in the western part of the country (‑6.74 days on average). This pattern seems to be linked to patterns in temperature which is highly correlated to apple bloom onset (best one predictor model: mean temperature March to May, R² = 0.82, ‑6 days/°C): the coldest regions exhibit the strongest warming trends and the greatest advances in apple bloom onset.Les dates de floraison des pommiers en Allemagne ont en moyenne avancé de 2 jours/décade de 1951 à 2014 et de 3 jours/décade de 1988 à 2014, en accord avec l’évolution des phases phénologiques d’autres espèces. Cependant, cette évolution n’a pas été linéaire : en réalisant une analyse de dissimilarité d’une fenêtre glissante fractionnée (SMWDA), nous avons détecté une période de rupture entre 1987 et 1989 qui coïncide avec un point de rupture qui a été identifié dans les phases de l’oscillation nord-atlantique (ONA). Nous avons également pu constater une structuration spatiale : la floraison des pommiers progresse du sud-ouest du pays au nord-est ; en termes de variabilité interannuelle des dates de floraison, il existe, superposé à un mode principal commun à l’ensemble du pays, un gradient longitudinal qui a été révélé par une analyse probabiliste en composantes principales (PPCA). Entre 1951 et 2014, la tendance à la précocité est plus marquée à l’est du pays (en moyenne ‑16,53 jours) qu’à l’ouest (en moyenne ‑6,74 jours) et la floraison des pommiers est très étroitement liée à la variabilité des températures moyennes de mars à mai (R² = 0,82 ; ‑6 jours/°C). Les régions les plus froides montrent les tendances les plus importantes au réchauffement et à la précocité de la floraison

Temperature variability between 1951 and 2014 in Germany and associated evolution of apple bloom onset

Apple tree bloom onset in Germany has advanced by 2 days/decade in 1951-2014 and by 3 days/decade in 1988-2014, behaving similarly in respect to its evolution since 1951 and its sensitivity to temperature to other species’ phenological spring phases. The evolution however was not linear; by conducting a split moving-window dissimilarity analysis (SMWDA) we were able to detect the “break-period” 1987-1989 which coincides with a breakpoint that has been identified in the phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We observed distinct spatial patterns with apple bloom advancing from southwest to northeast and, most interestingly, a longitudinal gradient in the trend of apple bloom onset revealed by a probabilistic principal components analysis (PPCA). In the period of 1951-2014, plants located in the east displayed a much stronger trend (-16.53 days on average) than those in the western part of the country (-6.74 days on average). This pattern seems to be linked to patterns in temperature which is highly correlated to apple bloom onset (best one predictor model: mean temperature March to May, R2 = 0.82, -6 days/°C): the coldest regions exhibit the strongest warming trends and the greatest advances in apple bloom onset

Body size and life history shape the historical biogeography of tetrapods

Dispersal across biogeographic barriers is a key process determining global patterns of biodiversity as it allows lineages to colonize and diversify in new realms. Here we demonstrate that past biogeographic dispersal events often depended on species' traits, by analysing 7,009 tetrapod species in 56 clades. Biogeographic models incorporating body size or life history accrued more statistical support than trait-independent models in 91% of clades. In these clades, dispersal rates increased by 28-32% for lineages with traits favouring successful biogeographic dispersal. Differences between clades in the effect magnitude of life history on dispersal rates are linked to the strength and type of biogeographic barriers and intra-clade trait variability. In many cases, large body sizes and fast life histories facilitate dispersal success. However, species with small bodies and/or slow life histories, or those with average traits, have an advantage in a minority of clades. Body size-dispersal relationships were related to a clade's average body size and life history strategy. These results provide important new insight into how traits have shaped the historical biogeography of tetrapod lineages and may impact present-day and future biogeographic dispersal

Chameleon biogeographic dispersal is associated with extreme life history strategies

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Physical oceanography measurements in the tidal inlet between the islands Spiekeroog and Langeoog, Wadden Sea, North Sea, 2017-03

The data were measured in the German North Sea between the East-Frisian Islands Spiekeroog and Langeoog with RB Otzum (ICBM) on March 14 and 16 2017. Conductivity, temperature and pressure were measured by means of a Seabird CTD (type 19plusV2). On March 14 2017 data were collected for an entire tidal cycle, starting at low tide; whereas on March 16 2017 we measured only a half tidal cycle, starting at high tide. The profiles were taken in the middle of the tidal inlet between the two islands. During the CTD cast, where the CTD was veered with a speed of around 0.1 m/s, the boat was drifting with the current. The positions and times given in the data set mark the beginning of each CTD cast. Dates and times are given in UTC. The data were transformed by using the SBE Data Processing Software. Only the downcast profile was used and a bin average (binsize = 0.1 m) was calculated with the software