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In the present Anthropocene, wild animals are globally affected by human activity. Consumer fireworks during New Year (NY) are widely distributed in W‐Europe and cause strong disturbances that are known to incur stress responses in animals. We analyzed GPS tracks of 347 wild migratory geese of four species during eight NYs quantifying the effects of fireworks on individuals. We show that, in parallel with particulate matter increases, during the night of NY geese flew on average 5–16 km further and 40–150 m higher, and more often shifted to new roost sites than on previous nights. This was also true during the 2020–2021 fireworks ban, despite fireworks activity being reduced. Likely to compensate for extra flight costs, most geese moved less and increased their feeding activity in the following days. Our findings indicate negative effects of NY fireworks on wild birds beyond the previously demonstrated immediate response.

During times of high activity by predators and competitors, herbivores may be forced to forage in patches of low‐quality food. However, the relative importance in determining where and what herbivores forage still remains unclear, especially for small‐ and intermediate‐sized herbivores. Our objective was to test the relative importance of predator and competitor activity, and forage quality and quantity on the proportion of time spent in a vegetation type and the proportion of time spent foraging by the intermediate‐sized herbivore European hare (Lepus europaeus). We studied red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a predator species and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a competitor. We investigated the time spent at a location and foraging time of hare using GPS with accelerometers. Forage quality and quantity were analyzed based on hand‐plucked samples of a selection of the locally most important plant species in the diet of hare. Predator activity and competitor activity were investigated using a network of camera traps. Hares spent a higher proportion of time in vegetation types that contained a higher percentage of fibers (i.e., NDF). Besides, hares spent a higher proportion of time in vegetation types that contained relatively low food quantity and quality of forage (i.e., high percentage of fibers) during days that foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were more active. Also during days that rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were more active, hares spent a higher proportion of time foraging in vegetation types that contained a relatively low quality of forage. Although predation risk affected space use and foraging behavior, and competition affected foraging behavior, our study shows that food quality and quantity more strongly affected space use and foraging behavior than predation risk or competition. It seems that we need to reconsider the relative importance of the landscape of food in a world of fear and competition. The relative importance of predation risk, competition, and forage quality and quantity for foraging time of intermediate‐sized herbivores remains poorly studied. Although predation risk affected space use and foraging behaviour, and competition affected foraging behaviour, it seems that we need to reconsider the relative importance of the landscape of food in a world of fear and competition.

High baseline glucose levels are associated with pathologies and shorter lifespan in humans, but little is known about causes and consequences of individual variation in glucose levels in other species. We tested to what extent baseline blood glucose level is a repeatable trait in adult zebra finches, and whether glucose levels were associated with age, manipulated environmental conditions during development (rearing brood size) and adulthood (foraging cost), and lifespan. We found that: (1) repeatability of glucose levels was 30%, both within and between years. (2) Having been reared in a large brood and living with higher foraging costs as adult were independently associated with higher glucose levels. Furthermore, the finding that baseline glucose was low when ambient temperature was high, and foraging costs were low, indicates that glucose is regulated at a lower level when energy turnover is low. (3) Survival probability decreased with increasing baseline glucose. We conclude that baseline glucose is an individual trait negatively associated with survival, and increases due to adverse environmental conditions during development (rearing brood size) and adulthood (foraging cost). Blood glucose may be, therefore, part of the physiological processes linking environmental conditions to lifespan.

Goose populations across Europe have been subjected to long‐standing harvest practices, which include shotgun hunting. In addition to immediate mortality, hunting can affect an animal's fitness by inflicting non‐lethal injuries, often referred to as ‘crippling' or ‘wounding'. This could subsequently have negative effects on the population level and causes ethical concerns, ultimately challenging the legitimacy of hunting as a management tool. Understanding spatial variation in crippling rate can assist management to prioritize regions for enhancing awareness and implementing measures aimed at reducing crippling. We examined greylag geese from three subpopulations (Nyköping, Örebro, and Hudiksvall) breeding in three regions in Sweden (Södermanland, Örebro, and Gävleborg) to record prevalence of imbedded shotgun pellets and to quantify crippling impact. Our approach excludes birds that were wounded and subsequently died without being retrieved. We found that across the three subpopulations, 21% of the 176 x‐rayed greylag geese were carrying imbedded pellets (average 2.33 pellets, range 1–16). Crippling rate varied among the subpopulations, being twice as high in Örebro and Nyköping (26.4 and 25.0%, respectively) compared to Hudiksvall (11.7%). However, the probability of being crippled differed significantly only between Nyköping and Hudiksvall (p = 0.04), but not between Örebro and Hudiksvall (p>0.05) or between Nyköping and Örebro (p > 0.05). This study could not elucidate the mechanisms underlying the observed regional variations in crippling rate. Nevertheless, the regional disparities in these rates, and the potential links between crippling rate, levels of crop damage, attitudes, and hunting behaviors, present intriguing avenues for future exploration.

Performing migratory journeys comes with energetic costs, which have to be compensated within the annual cycle. An assessment of how and when such compensation occurs is ideally done by comparing full annual cycles of migratory and non-migratory individuals of the same species, which is rarely achieved. We studied free-living migratory and resident barnacle geese belonging to the same flyway (metapopulation), and investigated when differences in foraging activity occur, and when foraging extends beyond available daylight, indicating a diurnal foraging constraint in these usually diurnal animals. We compared foraging activity of migratory (N = 94) and resident (N = 30) geese throughout the annual cycle using GPS-transmitters and 3D-accelerometers, and corroborated this with data on seasonal variation in body condition. Migratory geese were more active than residents during most of the year, amounting to a difference of over 370 h over an entire annual cycle. Activity differences were largest during the periods that comprised preparation for spring and autumn migration. Lengthening days during spring facilitated increased activity, which coincided with an increase in body condition. Both migratory and resident geese were active at night during winter, but migratory geese were also active at night before autumn migration, resulting in a period of night-time activity that was 6 weeks longer than in resident geese. Our results indicate that, at least in geese, seasonal migration requires longer daily activity not only during migration but throughout most of the annual cycle, with migrants being more frequently forced to extend foraging activity into the night.

In 2015 and 2016 four Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus), a globally threatened species, were caught and tagged during spring migration representing nearly 10% of the entire Swedish breeding population at the time. Two of the birds were followed over more than one season. Tracking data revealed an unexpected wide network of migration corridors and staging sites. Autumn and spring migration differed by stepping-stone sites and migration speed. So far unknown key stopover sites were discovered in Denmark, northern Germany, and Sweden. By using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models, the potential areas that Lesser White-fronted Geese used during migration are described and conservation implications spotlighted. This study provides another important piece of the puzzle describing the migration of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Western Europe.

The Russian breeding population of barnacle geese Branta leucopsis has shown a rapid increase in numbers since 1980, which has coincided with a southwest-wards breeding range expansion within the Russian Arctic. Here barnacle geese also started to occupy coastal and marsh land habitats, in which they were not know to nest on their traditional breeding grounds. While these changes have been well documented by studies and observations throughout the new breeding range of barnacle geese, observations are lacking from the traditional breeding grounds on Novaya Zemlya, as this area is remote and difficult to access. This is especially relevant given rapid climate warming in this area, which may impact local distribution and population size. We used GPS-tracking and behavioural biologging data from 46 individual barnacle geese captured on their wintering grounds to locate nest sites in the Russian Arctic and study nesting distribution in 2008–2010 and 2018–2020. Extrapolating from nest counts on Kolguev Island, we estimate the breeding population on Novaya Zemlya in 2018–2020 to range around 75,250 pairs although the confidence interval around this estimate was large. A comparison with the historical size of the barnacle goose population suggests an increase in the breeding population on Novaya Zemlya, corresponding with changes in other areas of the breeding range. Our results show that many barnacle geese on Novaya Zemlya currently nest on lowland tundra on Gusinaya Zemlya Peninsula. This region has been occupied by barnacle geese only since 1990 and appears to be mainly available for nesting in years with early spring. Tracking data are a valuable tool to increase our knowledge of remote locations, but counts of breeding individuals or nests are needed to further corroborate estimates of breeding populations based on tracking data.

Mild cold acclimation for 10 days has been previously shown to markedly improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we show in a single-arm intervention study (Trialregister.nl ID: NL4469/NTR5711) in nine patients with type 2 diabetes that ten days of mild cold acclimation (16–17 °C) in which observable, overt shivering was prevented, does not result in improved insulin sensitivity, postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism or intrahepatic lipid content and only results in mild effects on overnight fasted fat oxidation, postprandial energy expenditure and aortic augmentation index. The lack of marked metabolic effects in this study is associated with a lack of self-reported shivering and a lack of upregulation of gene expression of muscle activation or muscle contraction pathways in skeletal muscle and suggests that some form of muscle contraction is needed for beneficial effects of mild cold acclimation. Cold acclimation has been shown to have beneficial metabolic effects, including improved insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here the authors show that a mild cold acclimation regiment during which overt shivering was prevented did not result in improved insulin sensitivity in a small group of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background Colon cancer (CC), the third most common cancer worldwide, is accompanied by cachexia in 30% of patients. Its associated muscle loss directly impairs therapeutic response and survival. Early intervention is crucial, yet the underlying mechanisms of early‐stage muscle dysfunction remain unclear. This study investigates mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle across different CC stages to identify early metabolic alterations. Methods The present study investigated mitochondrial function in rectus abdominus muscle biopsies from 30 patients with primary CC (83% male, mean age 67 ± 8 years), 10 patients with colorectal cancer with liver metastases (50% male, mean age 69 ± 6 years), and 17 age‐matched controls (65% male, mean age 66 ± 7 years). Mitochondrial oxygen consumption was assessed using high‐resolution respirometry, and transcriptional profiles were analysed via RNA sequencing. Results Patients with primary CC exhibited reduced complex I activity compared to controls (9.02 vs. 12.47 pmol/s/mg, p < 0.001), accompanied by transcriptional upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)‐related genes. In contrast, patients with liver metastases showed more severe mitochondrial dysfunction, with reductions in both complex I (7.38 vs. 9.65 pmol/s/mg, p < 0.01) and complex II (8.36 vs. 19.73 pmol/s/mg, p < 0.05), but without the compensatory transcriptional upregulation seen in primary CC. These mitochondrial impairments occurred before detectable declines in physical function or systemic inflammation (C‐reactive protein, albumin). Conclusions Our findings reveal stage‐specific mitochondrial dysfunction in CC, with early complex I impairment and a transient transcriptional adaptation in primary CC. These alterations precede clinical cachexia, suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction as a potential early biomarker for cancer‐induced muscle loss and a target for early intervention.

Cold acclimation increases insulin sensitivity, and some level of muscle contraction appears to be needed for provoking this effect. Here 15 men and (postmenopausal) women with overweight or obesity, the majority of whom had impaired glucose tolerance, were intermittently exposed to cold to induce 1 h of shivering per day over 10 days. We determined the effect of cold acclimation with shivering on overnight fasted oral glucose tolerance (primary outcome) and on skeletal muscle glucose transporter 4 translocation (secondary outcome). We find that cold acclimation with shivering improves oral glucose tolerance, fasting glucose, triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acid concentrations and blood pressure. Cold acclimation with shivering may thus represent an alternative lifestyle approach for the prevention and treatment of obesity-related metabolic disorders. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT04516018 . Sellers, van Beek and colleagues show that intermittent cold exposure for 10 days, which induced 1 h of shivering per day, improves glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism and blood pressure in adults with overweight or obesity.