Hyvarinen, M. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2022

Age but not menopausal status is linked to lower resting energy expenditure

ContextIt remains uncertain whether aging before late adulthood and menopause are associated with fat-free mass and fat mass-adjusted resting energy expenditure (REEadj). ObjectivesWe investigated whether REEadj differs between middle-aged and younger women and between middle-aged women with different menopausal statuses. We repeated the age group comparison between middle-aged mothers and their daughters to partially control for genotype. We also explored whether serum estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations explain REEadj in midlife. MethodsWe divided 120 women, including 16 mother-daughter pairs, into age groups; group I (n = 26) consisted of participants aged 17-21, group II (n = 35) of those aged 22-38 and group III (n = 59) of those aged 41-58 years. The women in group III were further categorized as pre- or perimenopausal (n = 19), postmenopausal (n = 30) or postmenopausal hormone therapy users (n = 10). REE was assessed using indirect calorimetry, body composition using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and hormones using immunoassays. ResultsThe REEadj of group I was 126 kcal/d (95% CI: 93-160) higher than that of group III, and the REEadj of group II was 88 kcal/d (95% CI: 49-127) higher. Furthermore, daughters had a 100 kcal/d (95% CI: 63-138 kcal/d) higher REEadj than their middle-aged mothers (all P < 0.001). In group III, REEadj was not lower in postmenopausal women and did not vary by sex hormone concentrations. ConclusionsWe demonstrated that REEadj declines with age in women before late adulthood, also when controlling partially for genetic background, and that menopause may not contribute to this decline.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2021

The colonial legacy of herbaria

Herbarium collections shape our understanding of the worlds flora and are crucial for addressing global change and biodiversity conservation. The formation of such natural history collections, however, are not free from sociopolitical issues of immediate relevance. Despite increasing efforts addressing issues of representation and colonialism in natural history collections, herbaria have received comparatively less attention. While it has been noted that the majority of plant specimens are housed in the global North, the extent of this disparity has not been rigorously quantified to date. Here, by analyzing over 85 million specimen records and surveying herbaria across the globe, we assess the colonial legacy of botanical collections and how we may move towards a more inclusive future. We demonstrate that colonial exploitation has contributed to an inverse relationship between where plant biodiversity exists in nature and where it is housed in herbaria. Such disparities persist in herbaria across physical and digital realms despite overt colonialism having ended over half a century ago, suggesting ongoing digitization and decolonization efforts have yet to alleviate colonial-era discrepancies. We emphasize the need for acknowledging the inconvenient history of herbarium collections and the implementation of a more equitable, global paradigm for their collection, curation, and use.

ecology↗