We present a model for the coevolution of seed size and germination time within a season when both affect the ability of the seedlings to compete for space. We show that even in the absence of a morphological or physiological constraint between the two traits, a correlation between seed size and germination time is nevertheless likely to evolve. This raises the more general question to what extent a correlation between any two traits should be considered as an a priori constraint or as an evolved means (or instrument) to actually implement a beneficial combination of traits. We derive sufficient conditions for the existence of a positive or a negative correlation. We develop a toy model for seed and seedling survival and seedling growth and use this to illustrate in practice how to determine correlations between seed size and germination time.

We investigated connections between antimicrobial use (AMU), biosecurity, and the numbers of pigs and staff in ten Finnish farrow-to-finish herds. Data on AMU in each herd were collected for 12 months. AMU was quantified as treatment incidences per 1000 days at risk (TI) using the consensus defined daily dose calculation. Biosecurity was scored using the Biocheck.UGent T system. We also examined antimicrobial resistance patterns of indicator E. coli isolated from faeces of selected pigs. In each herd, two groups of five pigs were formed: 1) antimicrobial treatment group (ANT: at least one pig in the litter was identified as sick and treated with antimicrobials) and 2) non-antimicrobial treatment group (NON: the litter was not medicated). Faecal samples were taken from these pigs at 5 and 22 weeks of age, cultured, and indicator E. coli isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibilities. The AMU varied considerably between the herds. Altogether, most of the antimicrobial treatment courses were assigned to weaned piglets. When AMU was quantified as TIs, suckling piglets had the highest TI (mean 46.6), which was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than TIs in fatteners and breeders (9.3 and 7.3, respectively). The difference between TI in suckling and TI in weaned piglets (19.1) was not statistically significant. There was a tendency for a negative correlation between the TI in breeders and the number of sows (r = 0.56, P = 0.09). Larger herds had higher external biosecurity scores than smaller herds (LS-means; 72 vs. 66, P < 0.05). The proportions of E. coli isolates resistant to at least one antimicrobial were higher in pigs at 5 weeks than in pigs at 22 weeks of age (Binomial proportion means; 40.5 % vs. 15.5 %, P < 0.05); as well as proportions of isolates resistant to at least three antimicrobial classes (23.0 % vs. 3.7 %, P < 0.01). These proportions did not differ between the ANT and NON groups at either 5 or 22 weeks of age (P> 0.05). We found few connections: enhanced external biosecurity levels found in the large herds co-occurred with lower use of antimicrobials and herds with low biosecurity scores - especially in the internal subcategories - appeared to have higher proportions of resistant isolates. Conclusively, we suggest that enhancing internal biosecurity might contribute to a reduction in the spreading of antimicrobial resistance in pig herds.

Background & aims: Prognostic significance of metabolically healthy overweight and obesity (MHO) is under debate. However the relationship between MHO and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is less studied. We compared successful aging (longevity plus HRQoL) in men with MHO, metabolically healthy normal weight (MHN) and metabolically unhealthy overweight and obesity (MUO). Methods: In the Helsinki Businessmen Study longitudinal cohort, consisting of men born 1919 to 1934. In 1985/86, overweight (BMI >= 25 kg/m(2)) and metabolic health were determined in 1309 men (median age 60 years). HRQoL was assessed using RAND-36/SF-36 in 2000 and 2007, and all-cause mortality retrieved from registers up to 2018. The proportion of men reaching 90 years was also calculated. Results: Of the men, 469 (35.8%), 538 (41.1%), 276 (21.1%), and 26 (2.0%) were MHN, MHO, MUO and MUN, respectively. During the 32-year follow-up, 72.3% men died. With MHN as reference, adjusted hazard ratio with all-cause mortality was 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93 to 1.27) for MHO, and 1.18 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.47) for MUO. During follow-up, 273 men reached 90 years. With MHN as reference, adjusted odds ratio for MHO was 0.82 (95% CI 0.59 to 1.14) and 0.62 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.95) for MUO. Men in MHN group scored generally highest in RAND-36 HRQoL subscales in 2000 and 2007, of those significantly better in Physical functioning, Role physical, Role emotional, Bodily Pain, and General health sub-scales compared to MHO group in 2000. Conclusions: As compared to MHN, MHO in late midlife does not increase mortality, but impairs odds for successful aging. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Background: Disability retirement is an economic, public health and work life issue causing costs for employees, workplaces and society. Adopting physical activity at middle-age has been associated with reduced risk of sickness absence and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine how changes over time in leisure time physical activity are associated with subsequent disability retirement among midlife employees. Methods: The Helsinki Health Study cohort baseline (phase 1) mail questionnaire survey data were collected in 2000, 2001 and 2002 among 40-60-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland. A phase 2 survey was conducted in 2007 (N = 3943). Respondents were classified into three groups: 1. low-active ( = 14 MET-hours/week in moderate-intensity physical activity) and 3. vigorously active (> = 14 MET-hours/week including vigorous physical activity) at both phases. This yielded nine groups for describing stability and change of leisure time physical activity. Disability retirement data were derived from the registry of the Finnish Centre for Pensions until the end of 2013. A Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for covariates. Results: During the follow-up, 264 (6.7 %) participants retired due to disability. Compared with those who were persistently low-active, those who increased their physical activity from low to vigorous had a lower risk of subsequent disability retirement (HR = 0.38, 95 % CI = 0.15-0.97) when adjusting for age, gender, occupational social class, strenuousness of work, smoking and binge drinking. Similarly, compared with those who were persistently moderately active, those increasing from moderate to vigorous (HR = 0.50, 95 % CI = 0.28-0.86) had a reduced risk. In contrast, those decreasing their physical activity from vigorous to low (HR = 2.42, 95 % CI = 1. 32-4.41) or moderate (HR = 1.70, 95 % CI = 1.03-2.82) had an increased risk, compared with those who were persistently vigorously active. Adjusting for BMI, limiting longstanding illness and prior sickness absence somewhat attenuated the associations. Conclusions: Adopting vigorous physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of disability retirement. Promoting vigorous physical activity among midlife employees may help prevent disability retirement.

Aposematic animals advertise their toxicity or unpalatability with bright warning coloration. However, acquiring and maintaining chemical defenses can be energetically costly, and consequent associations with other important traits could shape chemical defense evolution. Here, we have tested whether chemical defenses are involved in energetic trade-offs with other traits, or whether the levels of chemical defenses are condition dependent, by studying associations between biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity and a suite of key life-history and fitness traits in a Heliconius butterfly under a controlled laboratory setting. Heliconius butterflies are well known for the diversity of their warning color patterns and widespread mimicry and can both sequester the cyanogenic glucosides of their Passiflora host plants and biosynthesize these toxins de novo. We find energetically costly life-history traits to be either unassociated or to show a general positive association with biosynthesized cyanogenic toxicity. More toxic individuals developed faster and had higher mass as adults and a tendency for increased lifespan and fecundity. These results thus indicate that toxicity level of adult butterflies may be dependent on individual condition, influenced by genetic background or earlier conditions, with maternal effects as one strong candidate mechanism. Additionally, toxicity was higher in older individuals, consistent with previous studies indicating accumulation of toxins with age. As toxicity level at death was independent of lifespan, cyanogenic glucoside compounds may have been recycled to release resources relevant for longevity in these long-living butterflies. Understanding the origins and maintenance of variation in defenses is necessary in building a more complete picture of factors shaping the evolution of aposematic and mimetic systems.

Early life conditions can have a decisive influence on viability later in life. However, the influence of embryo density within a nest or body cavity on subsequent viability has received little attention within an ecological setting. This is surprising given that embryos often compete for limited resources, such as nutrients and oxygen, and this could influence their viability later in life through carry-over and compensatory effects. We show that the density of fertilized eggs within the nests of threespine stickleback males (Gasterosteus aculeatus) influences their viability after hatching. Embryos from larger broods hatch earlier and at a smaller size than those from smaller broods, which reduces their survival until the age of four weeks. This indicates a trade-off between the number and viability of offspring that males can raise to the hatching stage, which could explain the high incidence of partial egg cannibalism in nest-brooding fishes-as a strategy to improve the survival of remaining offspring. These results highlight the importance of considering conditions at the embryonic stage when evaluating the impact of early life conditions on viability and the adaptive value of reproductive decisions.

Individuals at risk of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have low levels of physical activity in childhood due to impaired motor competence; however, physical activity levels in adulthood have not been established. This study sought to determine the impact of DCD risk on physical activity levels in adults using accelerometry measurement. Participants (n = 656) from the Arvo Ylppo Longitudinal Study cohort had their motor competence assessed at the age of five years, and their physical activity quantified via device assessment at the age of 25 years. Between group differences were assessed to differentiate physical activity measures for individuals based on DCD risk status, with general linear modeling performed to control for the effects of sex, body mass index (BMI), and maternal education. Participants at risk of DCD were found to have a lower total number of steps (d = 0.3, p = 0.022) than those not at risk. Statistical modeling indicated that DCD risk status increased time spent in sedentary light activity (beta = 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.3, p = 0.026) and decreased time spent in vigorous physical activity via interaction with BMI (beta = 0.04, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.1, p = 0.025). Sensitivity analysis found that visuomotor impairment did not significantly impact physical activity but did increase the role of DCD risk status in some models. This 20-year-longitudinal study indicated that DCD risk status continues to negatively impact on levels of physical activity into early adulthood.

Gut microbiota is expected to coevolve with the host's physiology and may play a role in adjusting the host's energy metabolism to suit the host's environment. To evaluate the effects of both evolved host metabolism and the environmental context in shaping the gut microbiota, we used a unique combination of (1) experimental evolution to create selection lines for a fast metabolism and (2) a laboratory-to-field translocation study. Mature bank voles Myodes glareolus from lines selected for high aerobic capacity (A lines) and from unselected control (C lines) were released into large (0.2 ha) outdoor enclosures for longitudinal monitoring. To examine whether the natural environment elicited a similar or more pronounced impact on the gut microbiota of the next generation, we also sampled the field-reared offspring. The gut microbiota were characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of fecal samples. The artificial selection for fast metabolism had minimal impact on the gut microbiota in laboratory conditions but in field conditions, there were differences between the selection lines (A lines vs. C lines) in the diversity, community, and resilience of the gut microbiota. Notably, the selection lines differed in the less abundant bacteria throughout the experiment. The lab-to-field transition resulted in an increase in alpha diversity and an altered community composition in the gut microbiota, characterized by a significant increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and a decrease of Patescibacteria. Also, the selection lines showed different temporal patterns in changes in microbiota composition, as the average gut microbiota alpha diversity of the C lines, but not A lines, was temporarily reduced during the initial transition to the field. In surviving young voles, the alpha diversity of gut microbiota was significantly higher in A-line than C-line voles. These results indicate that the association of host metabolism and gut microbiota is context-specific, likely mediated by behavioral or physiological modifications in response to the environment.

Aims To assess whether disturbances in glucose regulation are associated with impairment in physical performance during a 10-year follow-up. Methods 475 Men and 603 women from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study were studied. Glucose regulation was evaluated with a 2-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 2001-2004. Subjects were categorised as having either impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), newly diagnosed diabetes or previously known diabetes. Physical performance was assessed approximately 10 years later using the validated senior fitness test (SFT). The relationship between glucose regulation and the overall SFT score was estimated using multiple linear regression models. Results The mean age was 70.8 years for men and 71.0 years for women when physical performance was assessed. The mean SFT score for the whole population was 45.0 (SD 17.5) points. The SFT score decreased gradually with increased impairment in glucose regulation. Individuals with previously known diabetes had the lowest overall SFT score in the fully adjusted model (mean difference compared to normoglycaemic individuals -11.56 points, 95% CI - 16.15 to - 6.98, p <0.001). Both individuals with newly diagnosed diabetes and individuals with IGT had significantly poorer physical performance compared to those with normoglycaemia. No significant difference in physical performance was found between those with IFG and those with normoglycaemia. Conclusions Among older people, impaired glucose regulation is strongly related with poor physical performance. More severe disturbances in glucose regulation are associated with a greater decrease in physical function, indicating the importance of diagnosing these disturbances at an early stage.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders and injuries are common causes of morbidity and loss of active, physically demanding training days in military populations. We evaluated the incidence, diagnosis, and risk factors of knee disorders and injuries in male Finnish military conscripts. Methods: The study population comprised 5 cohorts of 1000 men performing their military service, classified according to birth year (1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, and 1989). Follow-up time for each conscript was the individual conscript's full, completed military service period. Data for each man were collected from a standard pre-information questionnaire used by defense force healthcare officials and from all original medical reports of the garrison healthcare centers. Background variables for risk factor analysis included the conscripts' service data, i.e., service class (A, B), length of military service, age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), underweight, overweight, obesity, smoking habit, education, diseases, injuries, and subjective symptoms. Results: Of the 4029 conscripts, 853 visited healthcare professionals for knee symptoms during their military service, and 103 of these had suffered a knee injury. Independent risk factors for the incidence of knee symptoms were: older age; service class A; overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)); smoking habit; comprehensive school education only; and self-reported previous symptoms of the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and gastrointestinal system. The majority of visits to garrison healthcare services due to knee symptoms occurred during the first few months of military service. Knee symptoms were negatively correlated with self-reported mental and behavioral disorders. Conclusions: The present study highlights the frequency of knee disorders and injuries in young men during physically demanding military training. One-fifth of the male conscripts visited defense force healthcare professionals due to knee symptoms during their service period. Independent risk factors for the incidence of knee symptoms during military service were age at military service; military service class A; overweight; smoking habit; comprehensive school education only; and self-reported previous symptoms of the musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, or gastrointestinal system. These risk factors should be considered when planning and implementing procedures to reduce knee disorders and injuries during compulsory military service.