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The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.

Friedland, K. D., MacLean, J. C., Hansen, L. P., Peyronnet, A. J., Karlsson, L., Reddin, D. G., Ó Maoiléidigh, N., and McCarthy, J. L. 2009. The recruitment of Atlantic salmon in Europe. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 289–304. The stock complex of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in Europe has experienced a multidecadal decline in recruitment, resulting in the lowest stock abundances observed since 1970. Here, physical forcing, biological interactions, and the resultant growth response of post-smolt salmon are examined with a view to understanding the mechanism controlling recruitment. Sea surface temperature (SST) has increased in the Northeast Atlantic, with the pattern and seasonal change in SST negatively correlated with post-smolt survival during summer and in a region that spatially matches the post-smolt nursery. Constituents of the pelagic foodweb, including potential post-smolt food and plankton that may affect post-smolt forage, have changed on a decadal scale and correlate with salmon survival. Retrospective growth analyses of eight stock/sea age components show that post-smolt growth during summer is positively correlated with salmon survival and recruitment. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation appears to be a more closely aligned climate forcing index than the North Atlantic Oscillation with respect to salmon recruitment. European Atlantic salmon recruitment appears to be governed by factors that affect the growth of post-smolts during their first summer at sea, including SST and forage abundances; growth appears to mediate survival by the functional relationship between post-smolts and their predators.

BACKGROUND: Conditional survival estimates provide critical prognostic information for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). Efficacy, safety, and conditional survival outcomes were assessed in CheckMate 214 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02231749) with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. METHODS: Patients with untreated aRCC were randomized to receive nivolumab (NIVO) (3 mg/kg) plus ipilimumab (IPI) (1 mg/kg) every 3 weeks for 4 cycles, then either NIVO monotherapy or sunitinib (SUN) (50 mg) daily (four 6-week cycles). Efficacy was assessed in intent-to-treat, International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium intermediate-risk/poor-risk, and favorable-risk populations. Conditional survival outcomes (the probability of remaining alive, progression free, or in response 2 years beyond a specified landmark) were analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 67.7 months; overall survival (median, 55.7 vs 38.4 months; hazard ratio, 0.72), progression-free survival (median, 12.3 vs 12.3 months; hazard ratio, 0.86), and objective response (39.3% vs 32.4%) benefits were maintained with NIVO+IPI versus SUN, respectively, in intent-to-treat patients (N = 550 vs 546). Point estimates for 2-year conditional overall survival beyond the 3-year landmark were higher with NIVO+IPI versus SUN (intent-to-treat patients, 81% vs 72%; intermediate-risk/poor-risk patients, 79% vs 72%; favorable-risk patients, 85% vs 72%). Conditional progression-free survival and response point estimates were also higher beyond 3 years with NIVO+IPI. Point estimates for conditional overall survival were higher or remained steady at each subsequent year of survival with NIVO+IPI in patients stratified by tumor programmed death ligand 1 expression, grade ≥3 immune-mediated adverse event experience, body mass index, and age. CONCLUSIONS: Durable clinical benefits were observed with NIVO+IPI versus SUN at 5 years, the longest phase 3 follow-up for a firstline checkpoint inhibitor-based combination in patients with aRCC. Conditional estimates indicate that most patients who remained alive or in response with NIVO+IPI at 3 years remained so at 5 years.

Measuring mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests is challenging, and methods that reduce effort while maximizing success are crucial for long‐term monitoring programmes. Commonly used methods to assess mammal biodiversity may require substantial sampling effort to be effective. Genetic methods are a new and important sampling tool on the horizon, but obtaining sufficient DNA samples can be a challenge. We evaluated the efficacy of using parasitic leeches Haemadipsa spp., as compared to camera trapping, to sample biodiversity. We collected 200 leeches from four forest patches in northeast Bangladesh, and identified recent vertebrate hosts using Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene extracted from each individual leech's blood meals. We then compared these data to species data from camera trapping conducted in the same forest patches. Overall, 41.9% of sequenced leeches contained amplifiable non‐human mammal DNA. Four days of collecting leeches led to the identification of 12 species, compared to 26 species identified in 1,334 camera trap nights. Synthesis and applications. After assessing the cost, effort and power of each technique, there are pros and cons to both camera trapping and leech blood meal analysis. Camera trapping and leech collection appear to be complementary approaches. When used together, they may provide a more complete monitoring tool for mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests. Managers should consider adding leech collection to their biodiversity monitoring toolkit, as improved information will allow managers to create more effective conservation programmes.

Indices of the monthly post-smolt growth of three maturity groups of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from the Drammen River in Norway were examined. Scale samples were collected from 1983 to 2003, providing a retrospective growth history for 2854 individuals. Overall post-smolt growth of all three maturity groups decreased throughout the study period. When the post-smolt year was segmented into 8 monthly indices, there was a significant decline in growth during the fourth and fifth month, typically months of maximum growth. The pre-fishery abundance of one and two seawinter fish from Norway also showed a decline throughout the study period and was positively correlated to the post-smolt growth of fish returning to the Drammen River. Freshwater growth was negatively correlated to the pre-fishery abundance, thus indicating that factors affecting postsmolt growth during the fourth and fifth months at sea may be responsible for declining return numbers in Norway.

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