Immigration Rates Research Articles

82 Assessing the usage of and barriers to using language interpretation services in a Canadian tertiary paediatric center

Abstract Background Canada has one of the highest immigration rates worldwide per population with roughly 447,180 permanent residents welcomed in 2022. Limited-English proficiency (LEP) populations face barriers in accessing health care with implications including delayed presentation, misdiagnosis, poor compliance, decreased patient comprehension, and adverse events. Adequate health care provider training in using language interpretation services (LIS) is crucial to improve the quality of patient care and reduce miscommunication. There is a lack of research in this area in Canadian paediatric populations. Objectives To identify attitudes towards and usage of LIS among health care providers in a tertiary paediatric center, as well as levels of LIS training received. Design/Methods An online survey was developed and distributed to paediatric health care professionals including physicians, residents/fellows, nursing staff, and allied health providers. Survey completion was anonymous and voluntary; data collection occurred from October 2022–February 2023. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data and thematic analysis for free text responses. Results 345 respondents accessed the survey and 281(81%) completed it. Multiple paediatric professions were surveyed with most responses stemming from nursing staff, residents and physicians, and other allied health. 52.8% of respondents encountered a paediatric patient and/or their caregivers with a language barrier in English once per week or more. LIS were used by 53.1% of respondents once per week or more. 51.5% of respondents reported no previous training in using LIS in patient care, and 3.6% reported previous formal training. 57.9% of respondents felt LIS training was very beneficial to their role and 53.7% reported this increased their LIS usage. Overall, in-person interpreters were perceived as the most effective LIS modality followed by video and telephone interpreters. Barriers to using LIS included: inability to access desired modality and/or language; insufficient time; and lack of comfort in effective usage. Conclusion It was evident respondents felt LIS was integral to patient care, especially with an increasingly diverse population. Multiple barriers to using LIS were identified with likely applicability to other Canadian paediatric facilities. Suggested improvements were themed around improving LIS accessibility, improving LIS education and awareness, and increasing access to rare languages. This study has important implications for LIS and paediatric care, including informing educational and advocacy initiatives, policy change, and LIS resource allocation.

Increasing rate of moth species establishment over 120 years shows no deceleration

Abstract Around the world, the number of species establishing outside of their native range has and continues to increase rapidly. Some of these non‐native species are invasive and can cause negative environmental, economic, and social impacts, including declines in native biodiversity. Species can become established either through natural dispersal or with intentional or inadvertent human assistance, but the relative importance of these two modes over time has been little studied. We compiled data on 116 moth species that became established in Great Britain (GB) between 1900 and 2019. We classed each species as either an immigrant, which had colonised naturally, or an adventive, which had colonised through human assistance, and categorised species as feeding on either native or non‐native larval host plants. We found that the rate of moth species establishment has accelerated steadily, at 21% increase per decade, showing no signs of saturation. Immigrant species showed a steady rate of establishment between 1900 and 1935, followed by a significant acceleration of 11% per decade thereafter, which most closely matches the rate of immigrants that feed on native host plants. Immigrants that feed on non‐native host plants show a slower increase across the whole time period compared to all species, of 13% per decade. Adventive species show a similar rate of increase in establishment to all moth species, at a rate of 26% per decade. Adventives on non‐native host plants show a similar trend, but we find evidence for a post‐1980s increase in the rate of establishment for adventives that feed on native host plants. Our results indicate that the global case for enhanced biosecurity, around both the monitoring of natural colonisations and for the horticultural trade, remains very strong as non‐native colonisations are showing no signs of saturation with ongoing environmental and economic change.

The Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale: Development, factor structure, and validity evidence

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to develop and validate the Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale (IRPIS), designed to measure diverse political perspectives on immigration among US voters. The IRPIS was developed following a series of focus groups and refined through a systematic item‐generation process involving expert panels. The scale was validated using a two‐step factor analysis with a nationally representative sample of 1292 US voters, divided into exploratory (n = 632) and confirmatory (n = 660) sub‐samples. The exploratory factor analysis identified seven distinct factors: conservative views, welcoming attitudes, world regions, flexibility, assimilationist expectations, multicultural expectations, and undocumented immigrant rights. Confirmatory factor analysis provided an acceptable fit (CFI = .901; RMSEA = .050), and the scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranging from .89 to .97). Inter‐factor correlations varied, with strong links observed among welcoming attitudes, flexibility, and multicultural expectations (r’s > .80), confirming a polarization between liberal and conservative stances on immigration. These findings suggest that the IRPIS is the first scale specifically designed to assess immigration‐related political orientations in a polarized US context. This tool has important implications for political strategy and policymaking, especially in the context of rising immigration rates and political polarization.Public Significance StatementThe present study validates the Immigration‐Related Political Ideology Scale (IRPIS) using a nationally representative sample of 1292 US voters. Immigration remains a highly polarizing issue, with deeply entrenched ideological differences influencing policy preferences and public discourse. Exploratory factor analysis identified seven distinct factors and confirmed a clear polarization between liberal and conservative views on immigration. The IRPIS represents a critical tool for research, political strategy, and policymaking.

Specialists regulate microbial network and community assembly in subtropical seagrass sediments under differing land use conditions

Microorganisms in the sediment play a pivotal role in the functioning and stability of seagrass ecosystems and their dynamics are influenced by the nutrient acquisition strategies of host plants. While the distinct impacts of microbial generalists and specialists on community dynamics are recognized, their distribution patterns and ecological roles within seagrass ecosystems remain largely unexplored. To address this issue, we conducted an analysis of community assembly processes and co-occurrence relationships of both microbial generalists and specialists within sediment profiles (0–100 cm) from seagrass habitats subjected to differing land use conditions. The results revealed that seagrasses in Yifeng Estuary experienced the large proportion of cultivated land and exhibited higher organic carbon content in the 0–20 cm surface sediment layer. Nitrogen-cycling bacteria were predominantly associated with seagrasses from Yifeng Estuary, whereas Vibrio spp. was more prevalent in seagrasses from Liusha Bay. Notably, seagrass Halophia beccarii (YHB) in Yifeng Estuary harbored higher niche breadths for both microbial generalist and specialist compared to Halodule uninervis (LHU) and Halophia ovalis (LHO) from Liusha Bay. Stochastic processes were pivotal in shaping seagrass sediment microbial communities, with a higher immigration rate observed in YHB, suggesting greater microbial turnover in this area. Additionally, YHB sediment presented lower drift and higher dispersal limitation among generalists compared to LHU and LHO, whereas the pattern was reversed among specialists. Specialists were found to play a crucial role in shaping microbial interactions within YHB sediment, with genera Halioglobus identified as keystone species in the network. The specialists were further found to significantly influence microbial β-diversity in seagrass sediment directly. Overall, our findings illustrated how microbial generalists and specialists were distributed in seagrass sediments in response to land use changes and provided new insights into the potential roles of microbial regulation in degraded seagrass ecosystems.

The Impact of High Immigration in Lithuania: Addressing Challenges and Understanding Consequences

The maxim "too much of a good thing can turn sour" holds significant relevance across diverse aspects of life, indicating that exceeding optimal thresholds may result in negative outcomes if not carefully regulated; this principle can be observed in the context of immigration rates in Lithuania, an Eastern European country experiencing significant influxes of foreign nationals. Immigration, defined as the movement of individuals into a country for specific purposes, can lead to adverse consequences when unregulated, such as overcrowding, strained social amenities, increased costs due to heightened demand, and potential rises in crime rates. Lithuania has welcomed foreigners for work, business, research, studies, and other purposes. Additionally, the unstable situation in Ukraine has prompted the Lithuanian government to extend support to Ukrainian citizens, offering incentives such as subsidized education and various forms of assistance. However, the generous immigration policies have faced challenges. The Migration Department, under the Ministry of Interior, recently announced impending stricter immigration laws due to identified irregularities, including instances of fraudulent marriages with Lithuanian citizens. Moreover, the increased cost of amenities, food prices, and housing have raised concerns about the sustainability of current immigration levels. This research focuses on examining the immigration and emigration rates in Lithuania and their economic impact over a decade (2013-2022). The study will involve sourcing data from official websites, conducting statistical analyses, and drawing insights from the analyzed data. The goal is to postulate findings, offer recommendations, and draw conclusions on the relationship between immigration rates and economic outcomes in Lithuania.

Too Cold to Venture There? January Temperature and Immigrant Self-Employment Across the United States

Immigrants in the United States have higher self-employment rates than native-born Americans. However, immigrant self-employment rates vary considerably across areas of the country. The authors examine the percentage of immigrant workers in local areas who are self-employed (i.e., the self-employment rate for the foreign born). Areas with colder winter temperatures have especially low self-employment rates among their immigrant populations compared to warmer areas. The relationship between winter temperature and immigrant self-employment persists after controlling for numerous individual and local area characteristics. The relationship holds for numerous subsamples of immigrants but is strongest for immigrants arriving to the United States as adults. Child immigrants and native-born Americans exhibit a weaker relationship, possibly because of previous exposure and attachment to particular locations chosen by their parents that constrain the migration responses of potential entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial immigrants arriving to the country as adults appear especially footloose and particularly responsive to January temperatures in their location decisions.

Evaluation of Population Management Based on Trap-Neuter-Return and Trap-Neuter-Adoption Practices in a Free-Roaming Cat Colony in the Federal District, Brazil.

Overpopulation of domestic animals leads to various problems, such as the formation of feline colonies. Population management methods for these colonies have been studied previously; however, no scientific consensus has been reached. This study evaluated the use of trap-neuter-return (TNR) in a free-roaming cat colony in Brazil's Federal District. The study was conducted over 18 months and involved 157 cats that had not previously been managed. The experiment had three parts: recognition and preparation, TNR intervention, and monitoring. The results showed a 47.8% reduction in colony size. Additionally, 98.8% of the animals were sterilized. The adoption, death, disappearance, abandonment, and immigration rates were 19.7%, 14.0%, 14.0%, 7.6%, and 4.5%, respectively. The TNR experiment conducted in the proposed manner, which included detailed pre-planning, mass sterilization, active management, continuous monitoring, and educational actions, proved to be efficient and humane. However, guidelines aimed at managing animal populations, promoting adoption, preventing abandonment, and educating people about responsible pet ownership are essential for achieving sustainable results.

Migration for Business: A Case Study of Goa

As the government eases out of economic activities and its role as an employer declines over time, there is a growing focus on attracting business and entrepreneurship and creating a conducive environment for their growth. Goa witnesses high rates of in-migration from the rest of India. However, census data reveal that of the total migration to Goa, only 2.7% of it is for business. This study uses census data to analyse the relative importance of population, distance, literacy and gross state domestic product (GSDP) in the volume and direction of migration flows through a gravity model analysis. In the case of population, it is observed that a high population at the source state means a higher degree of outmigration. This may be due to greater competition for scarce resources and lower costs of setting up business in the destination. The highest numbers of business migrants are from the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, which indicates that distance may be a deterrent to mobility, especially among women migrants. Educational attainment is not a very important determinant of migration for business. Similarly, economic growth does not seem to deter outmigration, indicating that better opportunities and cost-minimization at the destination may spur migration in spite of high economic growth in the home state. From the field study, it is observed that the majority of the businesspersons are Hindu males from the general caste. While economic factors serve as important push and pull factors, social factors are an important pull factor and determine the ease of settlement in the host state. They come to Goa for the long term and intend to settle here. They own land and housing. Though many are small businesses, through their consumption and investment activities, they play an important role in promoting growth in the state. The process of migration is self-sustaining as many bring their family members, relatives and neighbours and help settle them in business in related fields.

Dispersal limitation determines the ecological processes that regulate the seasonal assembly of bacterial communities in a subtropical river.

Bacteria play a crucial role in pollutant degradation, biogeochemical cycling, and energy flow within river ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms governing bacterial community assembly and their response to environmental factors at seasonal scales in subtropical rivers remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing on water samples from the Liuxi River to investigate the composition, assembly processes, and co-occurrence relationships of bacterial communities during the wet season and dry season. The results demonstrated that seasonal differences in hydrochemistry significantly influenced the composition of bacterial communities. A more heterogeneous community structure and increased alpha diversity were observed during the dry season. Water temperature emerged as the primary driver for seasonal changes in bacterial communities. Dispersal limitation predominantly governed community assembly, however, during the dry season, its contribution increased due to decreased immigration rates. Co-occurrence network analysis reveals that mutualism played a prevailing role in shaping bacterial community structure. Compared to the wet season, the network of bacterial communities exhibited higher modularity, competition, and keystone species during the dry season, resulting in a more stable community structure. Although keystone species displayed distinct seasonal variations, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were consistently abundant keystone species maintaining network structure in both seasons. Our findings provide insights into how bacterial communities respond to seasonal environmental changes, uncovering underlying mechanisms governing community assembly in subtropical rivers, which are crucial for the effective management and conservation of riverine ecosystems.

The Association of Acculturation and Well-Being: Second-Generation Immigrants in Switzerland

In recent decades, there has been a rapid increase in immigration rates throughout Europe, and many immigrants remained permanently. As a result, a substantial part of society are second-generation immigrants. Despite an increase in research related to this population, predominantly from the US, it remains unknown, whether growing up and living in two cultures fosters immigrants’ subjective well-being. The present study investigated the association between acculturation (here heritage and mainstream culture orientation) and subjective well-being of second-generation immigrants in Switzerland. We further ran a multigroup analyses for women and men separately. Data of N = 492 adult children of immigrants (66% women; Mage = 32.39, SDage = 10.46) were analyzed. Structural equation modelling showed that both orientation toward heritage and toward mainstream culture were positively related to subjective well-being, and that this was moderated by gender. Furthermore, the interaction between both kinds of orientation had a significant effect on subjective well-being. The study addresses several gaps in the existing research literature in three key ways: (1) it adds a European perspective; (2) it focuses on understudied second-generation immigrants; (3) it measures acculturation bilinear and multidimensional, as is required theoretically. Moreover, the findings may contribute to a more nuanced public discourse, where the significance of both mainstream orientation and heritage culture is occasionally called into question.

The Impact of Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy on the Employment Rates of High-Skilled Immigrants

This study examines the impact of Canada’s multiculturalism policy on the employment rates of high-skilled immigrants in STEM fields from 2000 to 2020. Utilizing a quantitative research design, the study integrates cross-sectional and longitudinal data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) to provide a comprehensive analysis. The findings indicate that multiculturalism policies have had a generally positive effect on the employment outcomes of high-skilled immigrants, particularly through initiatives supporting credential recognition, language training, and inclusive hiring practices. However, significant challenges remain, including difficulties in foreign credential recognition, language barriers, and systemic biases in hiring practices. By comparing employment trends and analyzing factors influencing employment outcomes, the study highlights the areas where policy and support measures need to be strengthened to enhance the integration of high-skilled immigrants into Canada’s STEM workforce. The study concludes with recommendations for policymakers and employers to further improve the effectiveness of multiculturalism policies and support the successful employment of high-skilled immigrants.

Semiparametric inference of effective reproduction number dynamics from wastewater pathogen surveillance data.

Concentrations of pathogen genomes measured in wastewater have recently become available as a new data source to use when modeling the spread of infectious diseases. One promising use for this data source is inference of the effective reproduction number, the average number of individuals a newly infected person will infect. We propose a model where new infections arrive according to a time-varying immigration rate which can be interpreted as an average number of secondary infections produced by one infectious individual per unit time. This model allows us to estimate the effective reproduction number from concentrations of pathogen genomes, while avoiding difficulty to verify assumptions about the dynamics of the susceptible population. As a byproduct of our primary goal, we also produce a new model for estimating the effective reproduction number from case data using the same framework. We test this modeling framework in an agent-based simulation study with a realistic data generating mechanism which accounts for the time-varying dynamics of pathogen shedding. Finally, we apply our new model to estimating the effective reproduction number of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, in Los Angeles, CA, using pathogen RNA concentrations collected from a large wastewater treatment facility.

Ternary spatial reconstruction of ecological migration in Jiaochang Village

In 2020, the total number of ecological migrants in China reached 48.73 million; To address this situation, this study focuses on Jiaochang Village in Sichuan Province as an example in order to examine the living spaces of ecological migrants after immigration. Based on Lefebvre's Ternary Space Theory, this study analyzed the spatial reconstruction of an ecological immigrant village on the basis of rural revitalization on three levels, i.e., residential space, social space, and spiritual space, by using the methods of geographic information comparison, field building surveys, structured interviews, and social network analysis. At the same time, by comparing the eco-migrants’ situations before and after relocation, in addition to comparing them with those of the indigenous villagers, the adaptation of the ecological migrants in the above-mentioned ternary space was examined. The results showed a difference in living space for the ecological immigrants and the indigenous people, but the difference in living space for the migrants before and after relocation was larger. There was little difference in social spaces for the migrants and the indigenous villagers. The unemployment rate of the ecological immigrants was higher, and the interaction intensity in their work network was smaller. The spiritual space of the immigrants appeared very different from that of the indigenous people. The migrants' spiritual condition was slightly worse, but the preservation of traditions was stronger for the immigrants than for the indigenous people. The living and social spaces of the ecological immigrants were basically reconstructed, whereas the spiritual space requires more time to be organized.

Using Twitter to investigate discourse on immigration: the role of values in expressing polarized attitudes toward asylum seekers during the closure of Roxham Road

IntroductionThe world is witnessing an escalating migration crisis, and Canada, with its historically high immigration rates, is experiencing a rise in the number of asylum seekers entering the country as well. Despite generally positive Canadian attitudes toward newcomers, there is a notable division in opinions about welcoming them. Past studies suggest personal values significantly shape these attitudes, particularly conservation (resistance to change) and self-transcendence (concern for others). However, little research has examined if these values manifest in social media discussions about immigration, especially at times when policies change. This study examines how the discourse on immigration changes following the announcement of the closure of Roxham Road, a debated irregular border crossing between the US and Canada used by asylum seekers.MethodIn total, 33,459 Tweets referencing Roxham Road were collected over the course of 1 week (before, during, and after the closure). We used the Personal Values Dictionary to automatically assess references to personal values (i.e., conservation and self-transcendence) in the Tweets.ResultsThe results indicate that expression of the values of conservation and self-transcendence were prevalent in discourse surrounding the closure of Roxham Road. Tweets expressing conservation had a negative tone, whereas Tweets expressing self-transcendence had a positive tone. Analyzing sentiment over time, Tweets reflecting conservation became less negative immediately after the closure, whereas Tweets reflecting self-transcendence values became more positive.DiscussionThe research highlights the interplay between personal values and policy change on immigration discourse and emphasizes the need for more analyses on how personal values are expressed in the public domain.

New insights on immigration, fiscal policy and unemployment rate in EU countries – A quantile regression approach

Free movement of production factors in the enlarged EU has led to immigration flows from East to West and from South to North with a significant impact on EU labor markets. Fiscal federalism also determined large immigration flows into EU area and affected unemployment rate in the EU countries. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of factors such as number of immigrants, tax on profits, social contributions, economic growth and population growth on unemployment rates in EU area using a panel quantile regression and an PMG-ARDL approach as robustness test during 1991–2020. The results show a positive association between population growth and unemployment rate, whereas the remaining exogenous factors are negatively associated with unemployment rate. Still, social contributions are statistically significant only for upper quantiles. The overall impact of social contribution on unemployment rate is positive as per PMG-ARDL estimations. We have also demonstrated that the immigrant flows impact on unemployment rate is very weak. The factors that are exerting the most significance influence on unemployment rate, are economic and population growth, followed by tax on profits. Findings support policy recommendation in EU area in terms of fiscal policy.

Distinct strategies of the habitat generalists and specialists in the Arctic sediments: Assembly processes, co-occurrence patterns, and environmental implications

Microorganisms could be classified as habitat generalists and specialists according to their niche breadth, uncovering their survival strategy is a crucial topic in ecology. Here, differences in environmental adaptation, community assemblies, co-occurrence patterns, and ecological functions between generalists and specialists were explored in the Arctic marine sediments. Compared to specialists, generalists showed lower alpha diversity but stronger environmental adaption, and dispersal limitation contributed more to the community assembly of specialists (74 %) than generalists (46 %). Furthermore, the neutral theory model demonstrated that generalists (m = 0.20) had a higher immigration rate than specialists (m = 0.02), but specialists exhibited more complex co-occurrence patterns than generalists. Our results also found that generalists may play more important roles in C, N, S metabolism but are weaker in carbon fixation and xenobiotic biodegradation and metabolism. This study would broaden our understanding of bacterial generalists' and specialists' survival strategies, and further reveal their ecological functions in marine sediments.

Identity threat through the lens of heritage language maintenance: second-generation Indian diaspora in Sydney, Australia

ABSTRACT Australia’s demographic is transforming rapidly due to its increasing immigration rate, leading to the diversification of its linguistic and cultural landscape and resources. This makes it integral to study and understand the linguistic skills and repertoire of migrants, and its impacts on their identity formation and threat. Despite Indian migrants’ growing population rate in Australia, there is a scarcity of studies on their linguistic skills and repertoire. To fill in this gap, a large-scale study was conducted in Sydney, Australia. This paper explores 54 second-generation Indian migrants’ proficiency in two Indian heritage languages: Hindi and an Indian regional language that they spoke the most. Either of these languages could be their first or other language. This is followed by an evaluation of their language practices in the home and public domains. The results of their proficiency in Indian heritage languages and their language preference and use are fundamental in inferring their attitudes towards their ethnic identity in a transnational context.

Far-Right Extremism, Elections and Hate Crime: A Temporal Evaluation of Bias-Motivated Violence in Slovakia

Abstract The present study provides an initial attempt to assess the impact of extremist right electoral support on racially motivated and extremist violent crime rates across Slovak regions. We transcend previous research by examining associations between national and regional elections, immigration rates, vote-shares, and violent hate crime rates utilizing temporal statistics on racially motivated and extremist violent crimes, which are linked with data on support for nationalist parties and on indicators of socio-economic development. Results illustrate that extreme right parties matter, such that the higher their electoral vote-shares, the higher the violent hate crime incidence and victimization rates. We, also, find that high immigration rates strengthen the effect of electoral vote-shares on bias crime in Slovakia.

The role of organisational- and country-level factors in the volume and public visibility of business and management research.

Using a multilevel modelling approach to analyse a novel dataset of academic publications at all business schools in 11 European countries, this paper finds that the influence of organisational- and country-level contextual factors on researchers varies considerably based on the type of institution and the development level of the country they are located in. At the organisational-level, we find that greater spatial connectivity-operationalised through proximity to nearby business schools, rail stations, and airports-is positively related to scientific research volume and public dissemination (news mentions). While this result is significant only for high-income countries (above EU-average 2018 GDP per capita), this is likely because the low-income countries (below EU-average 2018 GDP per capita) examined here lack a 'critical mass' of well-connected universities to generate observable agglomeration effects. At the country-level, the results indicate that in high-income countries, less prestigious schools benefit from higher rates of recent international immigration from any foreign country, providing a direct policy pathway for increasing research output for universities that aren't already well-known enough to attract the most talented researchers. In low-income countries, recent immigration rates are even stronger predictors of research performance across all levels of institutional prestige; more open immigration policies would likely benefit research performance in these countries to an even greater extent. Finally, the paper's results show that, in low-income countries, a composite measure of a country's quality of life (including self-rated life satisfaction, health, working hours, and housing overcrowding) is positively related to research outcomes through its interaction with school prestige. This suggests that the lower a country's quality of life, the more researchers are incentivised to produce higher levels of research output. While this may in part reflect the greater disparities inherent in these countries' economic systems, it is noteworthy-and perhaps concerning-that we have observed a negative correlation between country-level quality of life and research performance in low-income countries, which is particularly felt by researchers at less prestigious institutions.

Habitat requirements of deadwood‐dependent invertebrates that occupy tree hollows

ABSTRACTTree hollows support a specialised species‐rich fauna. We review the habitat requirements of saproxylic (= deadwood dependent) invertebrates which occupy tree hollows. We focus on studies quantifying relationships between species occurrence patterns and characteristics of tree hollows, hollow trees, and the surrounding landscape. We also explore the processes influencing species occurrence patterns by reviewing studies on the spatio‐temporal dynamics of populations, including their dispersal and genetic structure. Our literature search in the database Scopus identified 52 relevant publications, all of which were studies from Europe. The dominant taxonomic group studied was beetles. Invertebrates in hollow trees were often more likely to be recorded in trees with characteristics reflecting a large amount of resources or a stable and warm microclimate, such as a large diameter, large amounts of wood mould (= loose material accumulated in the hollows mainly consisting of decaying wood), a high level of sun exposure, and with entrance holes that are large and either at a low or high height, and in dry hollows, with entrances not directed upwards. A stable microclimate is probably a key factor why some species of saproxylic invertebrates are confined to tree hollows. Other factors that are different in comparison to downed dead wood is the fact that hollows at a given height from the ground provide shelter from ground‐living predators, that hollows persist for longer, and that the content of nutrients might be enhanced by the accumulation of dead leaves, insect frass, and remains from dead insects. Several studies have identified a positive relationship between species occupancy per tree and the amount of habitat in the surrounding landscape, with a variation in the spatial scale at which characteristics of the surrounding landscape had the strongest effect over spatial scales from 200 to 3000 m. We found empirical support for the extinction threshold hypothesis, which predicts that the frequency of species presence per tree is greater if a certain number of trees are aggregated into a few large clusters of hollow trees rather than distributed among many small clusters. Observed thresholds in species occurrence patterns can be explained by colonisation–extinction dynamics, with species occupancy per tree influenced by variation in rates of immigration. Consistent with this assumption, field studies suggest that dispersal rate and range can be low for invertebrates occupying tree hollows, although higher in a warmer climate. For one species in which population dynamics has been studied over 25 years (Osmoderma eremita), the observed population dynamics have characteristics of a “habitat‐tracking metapopulation”, as local extinctions from trees occur possibly because those trees become unsuitable as well as due to stochastic processes in small populations. The persistence of invertebrate fauna confined to tree hollows may be improved by prolonging the standing life of existing hollow trees. It is also important to recruit new generations of hollow trees, preferably close to existing larger groups of hollow trees. Thus, the spatio‐temporal dynamics of hollow trees is crucial for the invertebrate fauna that rely upon them.