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- Brose, Ulrich, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting the consequences of species lossusing size-structured biodiversity approaches
- 2017
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Ingår i: Biological Reviews. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1464-7931 .- 1469-185X. ; 92:2, s. 684-697
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the consequences of species loss in complex ecological communities is one of the great challenges in current biodiversity research. For a long time, this topic has been addressed by traditional biodiversity experiments. Most of these approaches treat species as trait-free, taxonomic units characterizing communities only by species number without accounting for species traits. However, extinctions do not occur at random as there is a clear correlation between extinction risk and species traits. In this review, we assume that large species will be most threatened by extinction and use novel allometric and size-spectrum concepts that include body mass as a primary species trait at the levels of populations and individuals, respectively, to re-assess three classic debates on the relationships between biodiversity and (i) food-web structural complexity, (ii) community dynamic stability, and (iii) ecosystem functioning. Contrasting current expectations, size-structured approaches suggest that the loss of large species, that typically exploit most resource species, may lead to future food webs that are less interwoven and more structured by chains of interactions and compartments. The disruption of natural body-mass distributions maintaining food-web stability may trigger avalanches of secondary extinctions and strong trophic cascades with expected knock-on effects on the functionality of the ecosystems. Therefore, we argue that it is crucial to take into account body size as a species trait when analysing the consequences of biodiversity loss for natural ecosystems. Applying size-structured approaches provides an integrative ecological concept that enables a better understanding of each species' unique role across communities and the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss.
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| 2. |
- Escudier, Bernard, et al.
(författare)
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Multidisciplinary management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the era of targeted therapies
- 2012
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Ingår i: Cancer Treatment Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 0305-7372 .- 1532-1967. ; 38:2, s. 127-132
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of targeted agents to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has significantly extended progression-free and overall survival but raises issues relating to the long-term delivery of care and the sustained monitoring of efficacy and toxicities, certain of which have not previously been experienced. In this paper, an expert group of medical oncologists, urologists and oncology nurses and pharmacists review and make informal recommendations on the multidisciplinary management of mRCC in the light of progress made and problems that have arisen. Decentralisation of care, with a shift in emphasis from large to small hospitals and possibly to the community, may offer advantages of cost and convenience. However, the major responsibility for care should continue to lie with clinicians (either medical oncologists or urologists) with extensive experience in mRCC, assisted by specialist nurses, and working in centres with facilities adequate to monitor efficacy and manage toxicities. That said, the extended survival of patients emphasises the importance of compliance and the long-term prevention, detection and management of side effects. Much of this will take place in the community. There is therefore a need for multidisciplinary working to extend beyond specialist centres to include general practitioners, community nurses and pharmacists. Although this paper focuses on mRCC, many of the considerations discussed are also relevant to the management of more common solid tumours in the era of targeted therapy.
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