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Detecting biodiversity change and identifying its causes is challenging because biodiversity is multifaceted and temporal data often contain bias. Here, we model temporal change in species' abundance and biomass by using extensive data describing the population sizes and trends of native breeding birds in the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). In addition, we explore how species' population trends vary with species' traits. We demonstrate significant change in the bird assemblages of the UK and EU, with substantial reductions in overall bird abundance and losses concentrated in a relatively small number of abundant and smaller sized species. By contrast, rarer and larger birds had generally fared better. Simultaneously, overall avian biomass had increased very slightly in the UK and was stable in the EU, indicating a change in community structure. Abundance trends across species were positively correlated with species' body mass and with trends in climate suitability, and varied with species' abundance, migration strategy and niche associations linked to diet. Our work highlights how changes in biodiversity cannot be captured easily by a single number; care is required when measuring and interpreting biodiversity change given that different metrics can provide very different insights. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The achievements of Michael Faraday in the fields of electricity and electrochemistry have led some to describe him as the greatest experimental scientist in history. Charles Dickens was the creative genius behind some of the most memorable characters in literature. In this article, we share an historical account of how the collaboration of these two men promoted science education in Victorian Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor numbers have declined greatly in England since the early 1980s for reasons that are not yet fully understood. It has been suggested that the species’ decline may be linked to the increase in Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major, changes in woodland habitat quality (such as deadwood abundance) and landscape-scale changes in tree abundance. We tested some of these hypotheses by comparing the characteristics of woods in southern England where the species is still relatively numerous with those of woods used in the 1980s before the major decline. In each time period, habitat, predator and landscape information from woods known to be occupied by Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers was compared with those found to be unoccupied during surveys. Before the main period of decline, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers used oak-dominated, mature, open woods with a large amount of standing deadwood. Habitat use assessed from recent data was very similar, the species being present in mature, open, oak-dominated woodlands. There was a strong relationship between wood use probability and the extent of woodland within a 3-km radius, suggesting selection for more heavily wooded landscapes. In recent surveys, there was no difference in deadwood abundance or potential predator densities between occupied and unoccupied woods. Habitat management should focus on creating and maintaining networks of connected woodlands in areas of mature, open woods. Finer-scale habitat selection by Lesser Spotted Woodpecker within woodlands should be assessed to aid development of beneficial management actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young AL, Peters CJ, Pocock PV, Millson CE, Prasad KR. Do smaller adults wait longer for liver transplantation? A comparison of the UK and the USA data. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2009.01037.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. The number of patients on the UK and the USA liver transplant list is increasing. As size match is an important factor in the UK organ allocation, we studied the effect of recipient size on liver transplantation in the UK and the USA. Methods: The UK Transplant and United Network for Organ Sharing databases were used to assess difference in access to transplantation between smaller adult patients and their larger counterparts over three time periods. Subsequently, proportions of split, NHBD and living-donor transplants were analyzed. Results: There were 1576 UK and 29 150 USA patients in our analysis. The UK small patients have been significantly disadvantaged in access to transplantation particularly in early years and in adult only transplant units. This contrasts to the USA where smaller patients have never been disadvantaged and transplantation rates are steadily increasing. Split-liver transplants are being carried out in increasing numbers in the UK but not the USA. Conclusions: Small adults are still less likely to be transplanted at six months in adult only units in the UK. The lack of size matched organs for smaller adults and the overall decrease in rates of transplantation in the UK may be remedied by careful consideration of allocation policy and increased use of innovative techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have suggested that the neglect of stand management is having a detrimental effect on the habitat of a number of woodland birds in Britain. The remedy, to reinstate active management, appears to run counter to a number of other conservation recommendations such as re-wilding and naturalizing of stands. We attempt to unpick this apparent conflict by considering the resource needs of British woodland birds relative to those of birds elsewhere in Europe, and whether these needs differ between those with declining and those with increasing populations. We also consider how these requirements relate to stand management and stand dynamics and consider options for future management. We found that whilst stand stage per se did not discriminate between the declining and increasing species pools, correspondence analysis suggested that there were differences between the groups in their preferred habitat features. Declining woodland birds in Britain appear to be most closely associated with the presence of deciduous trees in the stand, an open canopy, and ecotonal structures. Species present in the near continent, but not in Britain, were associated with deciduous snags, large trees, canopy layer and holes. Species increasing in Britain were located between these groups on an axis of woodland maturity, and most strongly associated with habitat features of canopy layer and holes. Stand management can help provide the structures apparently preferred by many of the declining species and, if targeted, can deliver them at a more rapid rate than development of similar features through natural stand dynamics. However, there are often multiple pathways to particular structures and a single recommendation of active management is likely to be insufficient to secure the necessary features in most situations. In addition, habitat features important in Europe as a whole may not be the most critical at a local or regional scale. The varying requirements of the different species pools suggest that greater recognition of this would be appropriate in developing conservation strategies in different regions, and greater clarity is desirable over conservation objectives and habitat structures for particular woodlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-environment incentives form a central mechanism supporting changes to land management to provide public benefits. This study assesses the medium-term effects of woodland management on 13 target, specialist woodland bird species, as well as other woodland birds in a single region of the UK. The abundance of breeding birds (using two methods: point counts and territory mapping) and metrics of woodland structure were recorded on sites with Woodland Improvement Grants (improvement sites) and nearby comparison sites (control sites). Initial measurements were made prior to management and repeated 7–9 years later. A separate comparison of changes in bird abundance was made between the managed woodland sites and woodland from similar landscapes surveyed as part of the national Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). There was an increase in abundance of target species on improvement sites compared to a decrease on both control sites and BBS sites, although this was only evident from point count data. The effects on target species were stronger than for other woodland specialists and there was no apparent effect on woodland generalists, suggesting that the management interventions were appropriate for the target species. Changes in woodland structure were generally consistent with the expected effect of management, with lower tree density and greater Bramble (Rubus sp.) cover. However, contrary to the aim of increasing understorey cover, a reduction was recorded within the 2–10 m height category in improvement sites. This contrast is due to the removal of young trees during thinning affecting this height band and the short time period since management to allow regrowth. Our findings show that bespoke management supported through government agri-environment incentives can have a positive impact on target woodland birds. For managed forests, identifying species requirements and how management can be adapted to improve their habitats can be an effective way of delivering biodiversity gains when financial incentives are provided to achieve policy goals. • Impact of management incentives targeted at specialist woodland birds was tested. • Change in birds and woodland structure were recorded from managed and control sites. • Management had a positive effect on target species abundance. • Management led to mainly expected changes in woodland structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]