-
Size dependent antipredator responses in a fish–shrimp mutualism Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Giovanni Polverino, Topi K. Lehtonen, Andrew Geschke, Tara Callahan, Jessica Urbancic, Bob B. M. Wong
For prey, taking refuge from predators has obvious fitness benefits but may also be costly by impinging on time and effort available for feeding or attracting mates. The antipredator responses of refuge-seeking animals are therefore predicted to vary strategically depending on how threatening they perceive the risk. To test this, we studied the impacts of a simulated predatory threat on the antipredator
-
Evolutionary change in flight-to-light response in urban moths comes with changes in wing morphology Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Evert Van de Schoot, Thomas Merckx, Dieter Ebert, Renate A. Wesselingh, Florian Altermatt, Hans Van Dyck
Moths and other insects are attracted by artificial light sources. This flight-to-light behaviour disrupts their general activity focused on finding resources, such as mating partners, and increases predation risk. It thus has substantial fitness costs. In illuminated urban areas, spindle ermine moths Yponomeuta cagnagella were reported to have evolved a reduced flight-to-light response. Yet, the specific
-
Modulation of cell-mediated immunity during pregnancy in wild bonobos Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Verena Behringer, Caroline Deimel, Julia Ostner, Barbara Fruth, Ruth Sonnweber
During pregnancy, the mammalian immune system must simultaneously protect against pathogens while being accommodating to the foreign fetal tissues. Our current understanding of this immune modulation derives predominantly from industrialized human populations and laboratory animals. However, their environments differ considerably from the pathogen-rich, resource-scarce environments in which pregnancy
-
The latest freshwater giants: a new Peltocephalus (Pleurodira: Podocnemididae) turtle from the Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian Amazon Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 G. S. Ferreira, E. R. Nascimento, E. A. Cadena, M. A. Cozzuol, B. M. Farina, M. L. A. F. Pacheco, M. A. Rizzutto, M. C. Langer
Overkill of large mammals is recognized as a key driver of Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions in the Americas and Australia. While this phenomenon primarily affected mega-mammals, its impact on large Quaternary reptiles has been debated. Freshwater turtles, due to the scarcity of giant forms in the Quaternary record, have been largely neglected in such discussions. Here we present a new giant podocnemidid
-
Male starling floaters preferentially visit nests of males with reduced resource holding potential Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Eduardo Gómez-Llanos, Iraida Redondo, Lorenzo Pérez-Rodríguez, Diego Gil
Floaters are sexually mature individuals that are not able to reproduce by defending breeding resources. Floaters often visit active nests, probably to gather public information or to compete for a nesting site. We tested the hypothesis that floaters preferentially prospect nests in which they have a better chance of taking over, and that they do so by assessing the owners' resource holding potential
-
Effects of leaf silicon on drought performance of tropical tree seedlings Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Marius Klotz, Jörg Schaller, Alicia Madleen Knauft, Blexein Contreras, Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht
Elevated leaf silicon (Si) concentrations improve drought resistance in cultivated plants, suggesting Si might also improve drought performance of wild species. Tropical tree species, for instance, take up substantial amounts of Si, and leaf Si varies markedly at local and regional scales, suggesting consequences for seedling drought resistance. Yet, whether elevated leaf Si improves seedling drought
-
Eggshell colour differences in a classic example of coevolved eggshell mimicry. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Juliana Villa,Phillip A Wisocki,Jacob E Dela Cruz,Daniel Hanley
Avian brood parasitism is a model system for understanding coevolutionary arms races, and the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus, hereafter 'warbler') and its parasite the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus, hereafter 'cuckoo') are prime examples of this coevolutionary struggle. Here, warblers select for egg colour mimicry by rejecting poorly matched cuckoo eggs. Contrary to long-held assumptions
-
Brain size predicts bees' tolerance to urban environments. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Jose B Lanuza,Miguel Á Collado,Ferran Sayol,Daniel Sol,Ignasi Bartomeus
The rapid conversion of natural habitats to anthropogenic landscapes is threatening insect pollinators worldwide, raising concern regarding the negative consequences on their fundamental role as plant pollinators. However, not all pollinators are negatively affected by habitat conversion, as certain species find appropriate resources in anthropogenic landscapes to persist and proliferate. The reason
-
Sexual selection for extreme physical performance in a polygynous bird is associated with exceptional sex differences in oxygen carrying capacity. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Peter Santema,Luke Eberhart-Hertel,Mihai Valcu,Bart Kempenaers
In many animals, males compete for access to fertile females. The resulting sexual selection leads to sex differences in morphology and behaviour, but may also have consequences for physiology. Pectoral sandpipers are an arctic-breeding polygynous shorebird in which males perform elaborate displays around-the-clock and move over long distances to sample potential breeding sites, implying the need for
-
Paternal environment effects are driven by female reproductive fluid but not sperm age in an external fertilizer. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Jessica H Hadlow,Rowan A Lymbery,Jonathan P Evans
Sperm ageing after ejaculation can generate paternal environment effects that impact offspring fitness. In many species, female reproductive fluids (FRFs), i.e. ancillary fluids released by eggs or within the female reproductive tract, may protect sperm from ageing and can additionally interact with sperm to influence offspring viability. This raises the intriguing prospect that FRFs may alleviate
-
Embryonic exposure to artificial light at night impairs learning abilities and their covariance with behavioural traits in teleost fish. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato,Gaia De Russi,Stefano Cannicci,Elena Maggi,Cristiano Bertolucci
The natural light cycle has profound effects on animals' cognitive systems. Its alteration owing to human activities, such as artificial light at night (ALAN), affects the biodiversity of mammalian and avian species by impairing their cognitive functions. The impact of ALAN on cognition, however, has not been investigated in aquatic species, in spite of the common occurrence of this pollution along
-
Foraging mode constrains the evolution of cephalic horns in lizards and snakes. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Federico Banfi,Shai Meiri,Richard Shine,Raoul Van Damme,Simon Baeckens
A phylogenetically diverse minority of snake and lizard species exhibit rostral and ocular appendages that substantially modify the shape of their heads. These cephalic horns have evolved multiple times in diverse squamate lineages, enabling comparative tests of hypotheses on the benefits and costs of these distinctive traits. Here, we demonstrate correlated evolution between the occurrence of horns
-
Overcoming the congenitally disadvantageous mutation through adaptation to environmental UV exposure in land snails. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Shun Ito,Satoshi Chiba,Junji Konuma
Congenital fitness-disadvantageous mutations are not maintained in the population; they are purged from the population through processes such as purifying selection. However, these mutations could persist in the population as polymorphisms when it is advantageous for the individuals carrying them in adapting to a specific external environment. We tested this hypothesis using the dimorphic land snail
-
Small increases in ambient temperature reduce offspring body mass in an equatorial mammal. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Monil Khera,Kevin Arbuckle,Francis Mwanguhya,Solomon Kyabulima,Kenneth Mwesige,Robert Businge,Jonathan D Blount,Michael A Cant,Hazel J Nichols
Human-induced climate change is leading to temperature rises, along with increases in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves. Many animals respond to high temperatures through behavioural thermoregulation, for example by resting in the shade, but this may impose opportunity costs by reducing foraging time (therefore energy supply), and so may be most effective when food is abundant. However, the
-
Birds are better at regulating heat loss through their legs than their bills: implications for body shape evolution in response to climate. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Alexandra McQueen,Ryan Barnaby,Matthew R E Symonds,Glenn J Tattersall
Endotherms use their appendages-such as legs, tails, ears and bills-for thermoregulation by controlling blood flow to near-surface blood vessels, conserving heat when it is cold, and dissipating heat in hot conditions. Larger appendages allow greater heat dissipation, and appendage sizes vary latitudinally according to Allen's rule. However, little is known about the relative importance of different
-
The efficiency of varying methods and degrees of time compensation for the solar azimuth. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Richard Massy,Karl R Wotton
Daytime migrants are known to orientate using the position of the sun, compensating for its changing position throughout the day with a 'time-compensated sun compass'. This compass has been demonstrated in many migratory species, with various degrees of accuracy for the actual movement of the sun. Here, we present a model for differing levels of compensation for the solar ephemeris that shows that
-
Exaggerated mandibles are correlated with enhanced foraging efficacy in male Auckland tree wētā. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Bridgette Farnworth,Samuel Purdie,Priscilla M Wehi,Christina J Painting
Sexual selection has driven the evolution of weaponry for males to fight rivals to gain access to females. Although weapons are predicted to increase males' reproductive success, they are also expected to incur costs and may impair functional activities, including foraging. Using feeding assays, we tested whether the enlarged mandibles of Auckland tree wētā (Hemideina thoracica) impact feeding activity
-
Robust evidence for bats as reservoir hosts is lacking in most African virus studies: a review and call to optimize sampling and conserve bats. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Natalie Weber,Martina Nagy,Wanda Markotter,Juliane Schaer,Sébastien J Puechmaille,Jack Sutton,Liliana M Dávalos,Marie-Claire Dusabe,Imran Ejotre,M Brock Fenton,Mirjam Knörnschild,Adrià López-Baucells,Rodrigo A Medellin,Markus Metz,Samira Mubareka,Olivier Nsengimana,M Teague O'Mara,Paul A Racey,Merlin Tuttle,Innocent Twizeyimana,Amanda Vicente-Santos,Marco Tschapka,Christian C Voigt,Martin Wikelski
Africa experiences frequent emerging disease outbreaks among humans, with bats often proposed as zoonotic pathogen hosts. We comprehensively reviewed virus-bat findings from papers published between 1978 and 2020 to evaluate the evidence that African bats are reservoir and/or bridging hosts for viruses that cause human disease. We present data from 162 papers (of 1322) with original findings on (1)
-
Microbiome and photoperiod interactively determine thermal sensitivity of polar and temperate diatoms. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Jakob K Giesler,Tilmann Harder,Sylke Wohlrab
The effect of temperature on ectothermic organisms in the context of climate change has long been considered in isolation (i.e. as a single driver). This is challenged by observations demonstrating that temperature-dependent growth is correlated to further factors. However, little is known how the chronobiological history of an organism reflected in its adaptation to re-occurring cyclic patterns in
-
Formica fusca ants use aphid supplemented foods to alleviate effects during the acute phase of a fungal infection. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Jason Rissanen,Danaë Nyckees,Torsten Will,Heikki Helanterä,Dalial Freitak
The modulation of nutritional intake by animals to combat pathogens is a behaviour that is receiving increasing attention. Ant studies using isolated compounds or nutrients in artificial diets have revealed a lot of the dynamics of the behaviour, but natural sources of medicine are yet to be confirmed. Here we explored whether Formica fusca ants exposed to a fungal pathogen can use an artificial diet
-
A distinct neurogenomic response to a trade-off between social challenge and opportunity in male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 T A Barbasch,C Behrens,M McLain,E Arredondo,A M Bell
Animals frequently make adaptive decisions about what to prioritize when faced with multiple, competing demands simultaneously. However, the proximate mechanisms of decision-making in the face of competing demands are not well understood. We explored this question using brain transcriptomics in a classic model system: threespined sticklebacks, where males face conflict between courtship and territorial
-
Centralized red muscle in Odontaspis ferox and the prevalence of regional endothermy in sharks. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Haley R Dolton,Edward P Snelling,Robert Deaville,Andrew L Jackson,Matthew W Perkins,Jenny R Bortoluzzi,Kevin Purves,David J Curnick,Catalina Pimiento,Nicholas L Payne
The order Lamniformes contains charismatic species such as the white shark Carcharodon carcharias and extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon, and is of particular interest given their influence on marine ecosystems, and because some members exhibit regional endothermy. However, there remains significant debate surrounding the prevalence and evolutionary origin of regional endothermy in the order
-
Sex-related communicative functions of voice spectral energy in human chorusing. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Peter E Keller,Jennifer Lee,Rasmus König,Giacomo Novembre
Music is a human communicative art whose evolutionary origins may lie in capacities that support cooperation and/or competition. A mixed account favouring simultaneous cooperation and competition draws on analogous interactive displays produced by collectively signalling non-human animals (e.g. crickets and frogs). In these displays, rhythmically coordinated calls serve as a beacon whereby groups of
-
Extra terrestrials: drought creates niche space for rare invertebrates in a large-scale and long-term field experiment. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Thomas W H Aspin,Kieran Khamis,Thomas J Matthews,Gavin M D Williams,Fredric M Windsor,Guy Woodward,Mark E Ledger
Freshwater habitats are drying more frequently and for longer under the combined pressures of climate change and overabstraction. Unsurprisingly, many aquatic species decline or become locally extinct as their benthic habitat is lost during stream droughts, but less is known about the potential 'winners': those terrestrial species that may exploit emerging niches in drying riverbeds. In particular
-
Correction: 'Greater male variability in daily energy expenditure develops through puberty' (2023), by Halsey et al. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-01
-
'Dysgenic fertility' is an ideological, not a scientific, concept. A Comment on: 'Stability and change in male fertility patterns by cognitive ability across 32 birth cohorts' (2023), by Bratsberg & Rogeberg. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Rebecca Sear,Cathryn Townsend
Recently Bratsberg & Rogeberg (2023) presented an analysis in Biology Letters of how cognitive ability is associated with fertility in Norwegian men. Our concern relates to the theoretical framework of this paper. The analysis is framed around the concept of 'dysgenic fertility', which is treated throughout as a scientific theory, but 'dysgenic fertility' is not science, it is an ideological concept
-
Differential proteome profiling of bacterial culture supernatants reveals candidates for the induction of oral immune priming in the red flour beetle. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Zoe Marie Länger,Moritz Baur,Ana Korša,Jürgen Eirich,Ana Sofia Lindeza,Caroline Zanchi,Iris Finkemeier,Joachim Kurtz
Most organisms are host to symbionts and pathogens, which led to the evolution of immune strategies to prevent harm. Whilst the immune defences of vertebrates are classically divided into innate and adaptive, insects lack specialized cells involved in adaptive immunity, but have been shown to exhibit immune priming: the enhanced survival upon infection after a first exposure to the same pathogen or
-
Protection of a defensive symbiont does not constrain the composition of the multifunctional hydrocarbon profile in digger wasps. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Chantal Selina Ingham,Tobias Engl,Martin Kaltenpoth
Hydrocarbons (HCs) fulfil indispensable functions in insects, protecting against desiccation and serving chemical communication. However, the link between composition and function, and the selection pressures shaping HC profiles remain poorly understood. Beewolf digger wasps (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) use an antennal gland secretion rich in linear unsaturated HCs to form a hydrophobic barrier around
-
Male responses to sperm competition risk associated with increased macronutrient intake and reduced lifespan. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-25 Leigh W Simmons,Hwei-Ling Chan
Increased expenditure on the ejaculate is a taxonomically widespread male response to sperm competition. Increased ejaculate expenditure is assumed to come at a cost to future reproduction, otherwise males should always invest maximally. However, the life-history costs of strategic ejaculation are not well documented. Macronutrient intake is known to affect the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan
-
Improving the biological realism of predator-prey size relationships in food web models alters ecosystem dynamics. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-25 Kieran J Murphy,Gretta T Pecl,Jason D Everett,Ryan F Heneghan,Shane A Richards,Anthony J Richardson,Jayson M Semmens,Julia L Blanchard
Body-size relationships between predators and prey exhibit remarkable diversity. However, the assumption that predators typically consume proportionally smaller prey often underlies size-dependent predation in ecosystem models. In reality, some animals can consume larger prey or exhibit limited changes in prey size as they grow larger themselves. These distinct predator-prey size relationships challenge
-
Unicellular and multicellular developmental variations in algal zygotes produce sporophytes. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-18 Yusuke Horinouchi,Tatsuya Togashi
The emergence of sporophytes, that is, diploid multicellular bodies in plants, facilitated plant diversification and the evolution of complexity. Although sporophytes may have evolved in an ancestral alga exhibiting a haplontic life cycle with a unicellular diploid and multicellular haploid (gametophyte) phase, the mechanism by which this novelty originated remains largely unknown. Ulotrichalean marine
-
Parasite-mediated manipulation? Toxoplasma gondii infection increases risk behaviour towards culling in red deer. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-18 Matteo Nava,Luca Corlatti,Nicoletta Formenti,Tiziana Trogu,Luca Pedrotti,Alessandro Gugiatti,Paolo Lanfranchi,Camilla Luzzago,Nicola Ferrari
Parasites can modify host behaviour to increase their chances of survival and transmission. Toxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed protozoan whose ability to modify host behaviour is well known in taxa such as rats and humans. Less well known are the effects on the behaviour of wild species, with the exception of a few studies on primates and carnivores. Taking advantage of a culling activity
-
Frightened of giants: fear responses to elephants approach that of predators. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Robert J Fletcher,Amanda O'Brien,Timothy F Hall,Maggie Jones,Alex D Potash,Laurence Kruger,Phumlile Simelane,Kim Roques,Ara Monadjem,Robert A McCleery
Animals are faced with a variety of dangers or threats, which are increasing in frequency with ongoing environmental change. While our understanding of fearfulness of such dangers is growing in the context of predation and parasitism risk, the extent to which non-trophic, interspecific dangers elicit fear in animals remains less appreciated. We provide an experimental test for fear responses of savannah
-
Succinate-mediated reactive oxygen species production in the anoxia-tolerant epaulette (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) and grey carpet (Chiloscyllium punctatum) sharks. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Jules B L Devaux,Anthony J R Hickey,Gillian M C Renshaw
Anoxia/re-oxygenation (AR) results in elevated unchecked oxidative stress and mediates irreversible damage within the brain for most vertebrates. Succinate accumulation within mitochondria of the ischaemic brain appears to increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon re-oxygenation. Two closely related elasmobranchs, the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) and the grey carpet
-
Unlocking the symmetric transfer of irrelevant information: gene-environment interplay and enhanced interhemispheric cross-talk. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-11 Cinzia Chiandetti,Andrea Dissegna,Lesley J Rogers,Massimo Turatto
Hemispheric specialization influences stimulus processing and behavioural control, affecting responses to relevant stimuli. However, most sensory input is irrelevant and must be filtered out to prevent interference with task-relevant behaviour, a process known as habituation. Despite habituation's vital role, little is known about hemispheric specialization for this brain function. We conducted an
-
What's the rumpus? Resident temperate forest birds approach an unfamiliar neotropical alarm call across three continents. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Jonah S Dominguez,Marko Rakovic,Donglai Li,Henry S Pollock,Shelby Lawson,Ivana Novcic,Xiangting Su,Qisha Zeng,Roqaya Al-Dhufari,Shanelle Johnson-Cadle,Julia Boldrick,Mac Chamberlain,Mark E Hauber
Alarm signals have evolved to communicate pertinent threats to conspecifics, but heterospecifics may also use alarm calls to obtain social information. In birds, mixed-species flocks are often structured around focal sentinel species, which produce reliable alarm calls that inform eavesdropping heterospecifics about predation risk. Prior research has shown that Neotropical species innately recognize
-
iNaturalist is an open science resource for ecological genomics by enabling rapid and tractable records of initial observations of sequenced biological samples. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Jay Keche Goldberg
The rapidly growing body of publicly available sequencing data for rare species and/or wild-caught samples is accelerating the need for detailed records of the samples used to generate datasets. Many already published datasets are unlikely to ever be reused, not due to problems with the data themselves, but due to their questionable or unverifiable origins. In this paper, I present iNaturalist-a pre-existing
-
Parental early life environments drive transgenerational plasticity of offspring metabolism in a freshwater fish (Danio rerio). Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-10-04 Melanie D Massey,Anne C Dalziel
Parental experiences can lead to changes in offspring phenotypes through transgenerational plasticity (TGP). TGP is expected to play a role in improving the responses of offspring to changes in climate, but little is known about how the early lives of parents influence offspring TGP. Here, we use a model organism, zebrafish (Danio rerio), to contrast the effects of early and later life parental thermal
-
Visual feedback influences the consistency of the locomotor pattern in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 Max J Kurz,John R Hutchinson
Elephants are atypical of most quadrupeds in that they maintain the same lateral sequence footfall pattern across all locomotor speeds. It has been speculated that the preservation of the footfall patterns is necessary to maintain a statically stable support polygon. This should be a particularly important constraint in large, relatively slow animals. This suggests that elephants must rely on available
-
Female reproductive fluid and male seminal fluid: a non-gametic conflict for post-mating control. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 Livia Pinzoni,Lisa Locatello,Clelia Gasparini,Maria Berica Rasotto
Growing evidence shows that non-gametic components released by both males and females can significantly drive sperm competition outcomes. Seminal fluid (SF) was shown to influence paternity success by affecting rival males' sperm performance, and, in some species with male alternative reproductive tactics, to selectively decrease the fertilization success of males of the opposite tactic. Female reproductive
-
Mitochondrial uniparental inheritance achieved after fertilization challenges the nuclear-cytoplasmic conflict hypothesis for anisogamy evolution. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-27 Tatsuya Togashi,Geoff A Parker,Yusuke Horinouchi
In eukaryotes, a fundamental phenomenon underlying sexual selection is the evolution of gamete size dimorphism between the sexes (anisogamy) from an ancestral gametic system with gametes of the same size in both mating types (isogamy). The nuclear-cytoplasmic conflict hypothesis has been one of the major theoretical hypotheses for the evolution of anisogamy. It proposes that anisogamy evolved as an
-
Greater male variability in daily energy expenditure develops through puberty. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-20 Lewis G Halsey,Vincent Careau,Philip N Ainslie,Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo,Lene F Andersen,Liam J Anderson,Leonore Arab,Issad Baddou,Linda Bandini,Kweku Bedu-Addo,Ellen E Blaak,Stephane Blanc,Alberto G Bonomi,Carlijn V C Bouten,Pascal Bovet,Soren Brage,Maciej S Buchowski,Nancy Butte,Stephan G Camps,Regian Casper,Graeme L Close,Lisa H Colbert,Jamie A Cooper,Richard Cooper,Prasangi Dabare,Sai Krupa Das,Peter
There is considerably greater variation in metabolic rates between men than between women, in terms of basal, activity and total (daily) energy expenditure (EE). One possible explanation is that EE is associated with male sexual characteristics (which are known to vary more than other traits) such as musculature and athletic capacity. Such traits might be predicted to be most prominent during periods
-
Phylogenomics of weevils revisited: data curation and modelling compositional heterogeneity. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-20 Yan-Da Li,Michael S Engel,Erik Tihelka,Chenyang Cai
Weevils represent one of the most prolific radiations of beetles and the most diverse group of herbivores on land. The phylogeny of weevils (Curculionoidea) has received extensive attention, and a largely satisfactory framework for their interfamilial relationships has been established. However, a recent phylogenomic study of Curculionoidea based on anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) data yielded an
-
No phylogenetic evidence for angiosperm mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-13 Jamie B Thompson,Santiago Ramírez-Barahona
The Cretaceous-Palaeogene mass extinction event (K-Pg) witnessed upwards of 75% of animal species going extinct, most notably among these are the non-avian dinosaurs. A major question in macroevolution is whether this extinction event influenced the rise of flowering plants (angiosperms). The fossil record suggests that the K-Pg event had a strong regional impact on angiosperms with up to 75% species
-
Preliminary evidence of an increased susceptibility to face pareidolia in postpartum women. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-13 Jessica Taubert,Samantha Wally,Barnaby J Dixson
As primates, we are hypersensitive to faces and face-like patterns in the visual environment, hence we often perceive illusory faces in otherwise inanimate objects, such as burnt pieces of toast and the surface of the moon. Although this phenomenon, known as face pareidolia, is a common experience, it is unknown whether our susceptibility to face pareidolia is static across our lifespan or what factors
-
On ability of perch to colonize new waterbodies-indirect evidence and sticky facts. A Comment on: 'Multiple lines and levels of evidence for avian zoochory promoting fish colonization of artificial lakes' (2023), by Garcia et al. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-13 Anti Vasemägi,Magnus Huss,Anna Gårdmark,Mikhail Ozerov
-
Handedness and individual roll-angle specialism when plunge diving in the northern gannet. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-06 Ashley Bennison,Bethany L Clark,Stephen C Votier,John L Quinn,Jamie Darby,Mark Jessopp
Many vertebrates show lateralized behaviour, or handedness, where an individual preferentially uses one side of the body more than the other. This is generally thought to be caused by brain lateralization and allows functional specializations such as sight, locomotion, and decision-making among other things. We deployed accelerometers on 51 northern gannets, Morus bassanus, to test for behavioural
-
Experimental light at night explains differences in activity onset between urban and forest great tits. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-09-06 Ciara L O McGlade,Pablo Capilla-Lasheras,Robyn J Womack,Barbara Helm,Davide M Dominoni
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is rapidly increasing and so is scientific interest in its ecological and evolutionary consequences. In wild species, ALAN can modify and disrupt biological rhythms. However, experimental proof of such effects of ALAN in the wild is still scarce. Here, we compared diel rhythms of incubation behaviour, inferred from temperature sensors, of female great tits (Parus major)
-
Phylogeny of the carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopinae) highlights repeated evolution of sociality. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-30 Trevor Sless,Sandra Rehan
Many groups of animals have evolved social behaviours in different forms, from intimate familial associations to the complex eusocial colonies of some insects. The subfamily Xylocopinae, including carpenter bees and their relatives, is a diverse clade exhibiting a wide range of social behaviours, from solitary to obligate eusociality with distinct morphological castes, making them ideal focal taxa
-
Gilsonicaris from the Lower Devonian Hunsrück slate is a eunicidan annelid and not the oldest crown anostracan crustacean. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-30 P Gueriau,L A Parry,N Rabet
The Lower Devonian (Lower Emsian, -400 Myr) roof slates of the Hunsrück in southeastern Germany have delivered a highly diverse and exceptionally preserved marine fauna that provides a unique snapshot into the anatomy and ecology of a wide range of Palaeozoic animals. Several of the described taxa, however, remain enigmatic in their affinity, at least until new pyritized features hidden under the surface
-
Density independent decline from an environmentally transmitted parasite. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-23 Scott Carver,Zachary M Lewin,Leah G Burgess,Vicky Wilkinson,Jason Whitehead,Michael M Driessen
Invasive environmentally transmitted parasites have the potential to cause declines in host populations independent of host density, but this is rarely characterized in naturally occurring populations. We investigated (1) epidemiological features of a declining bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) population in central Tasmania owing to a sarcoptic mange (agent Sarcoptes scabiei) outbreak, and (2)
-
Pacific oysters do not compensate growth retardation following extreme acidification events. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-16 Mathieu Lutier,Fabrice Pernet,Carole Di Poi
Ocean acidification caused by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions alters the growth of marine calcifiers. Although the immediate effects of acidification from global ocean models have been well studied on calcifiers, their recovery capacity over a wide range of pH has never been evaluated. This aspect is crucial because acidification events that arise in coastal areas can far exceed global ocean
-
Maternal provisioning interacts with incubation temperature to affect hatchling mercury exposure in an oviparous reptile. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-09 Josiah M Johnson,Christopher R Smaga,Samantha L Bock,Benjamin B Parrott
The thermal environment experienced by developing embryos can influence the utilization of maternally provisioned resources. Despite being particularly consequential for oviparous ectotherms, these dynamics are largely unexplored within ecotoxicological frameworks. Here, we test if incubation temperature interacts with maternally transferred mercury to affect subsequent body burdens and tissue distributions
-
Downsized: gray whales using an alternative foraging ground have smaller morphology. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-09 K C Bierlich,A Kane,L Hildebrand,C N Bird,A Fernandez Ajo,J D Stewart,J Hewitt,I Hildebrand,J Sumich,L G Torres
Describing individual morphology and growth is key for identifying ecological niches and monitoring the health and fitness of populations. Eastern North Pacific ((ENP), approximately 16 650 individuals) gray whales primarily feed in the Arctic/sub-Arctic regions, while a small subgroup called the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG, approximately 212 individuals) instead feeds between northern California
-
Flight for fish in drug discovery: a review of zebrafish-based screening of molecules. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-08-02 Surjya Narayan Dash,Lipika Patnaik
Human disease and biological practices are modelled in zebrafish (Danio rerio) at various phases of drug development as well as toxicity evaluation. The zebrafish is ideal for in vivo pathological research and high-resolution investigation of disease progress. Zebrafish has an advantage over other mammalian models, it is cost-effective, it has external development and embryo transparency, easy to apply
-
Boldness is not associated with dynamic performance capacity in hermit crabs. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Winne Courtene-Jones,Mark Briffa
Boldness, the way an individual reacts to risk, is a commonly studied personality trait in animals. Consistent among-individual differences in startle response durations (latency to recover from a startling stimulus) are frequently assumed to reflect variation in boldness. An alternative explanation is that these latencies are not directly driven by variation in responses to information on risk, but
-
Repeated parallel differentiation of social learning differences in benthic and limnetic threespine stickleback fish. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-26 Jason Keagy,Whitley Lehto,Ross Minter,Sarah Machniak,Oynx Baird,Janette W Boughman
Individuals can reduce sampling costs and increase foraging efficiency by using information provided by others. One simple form of social information use is delayed local enhancement or increased interest in a location because of the past presence of others. We tested for delayed local enhancement in two ecomorphs of stickleback fish, benthic and limnetic, from three different lakes with putative independent
-
Keep numbers in view: red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) learn to discriminate relative quantities. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-19 Xiaoqian Sun,Yige Piao,Tongliang Wang,Jichao Wang,Jinzhong Fu,Jianguo Cui
The ability to discriminate relative quantities, one of the numerical competences, is considered an adaptive trait in uncertain environments. Besides humans, previous studies have reported this capacity in several non-human primates and birds. Here, we test whether red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) can discriminate different relative quantities. Subjects were first trained to distinguish
-
Crossmodal association between visual and acoustic cues in a tortoise (Testudo hermanni). Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-19 Maria Loconsole,Gionata Stancher,Elisabetta Versace
Humans spontaneously match information coming from different senses, in what we call crossmodal associations. For instance, high-pitched sounds are preferentially associated with small objects, and low-pitched sounds with larger ones. Although previous studies reported crossmodal associations in mammalian species, evidence for other taxa is scarce, hindering an evolutionary understanding of this phenomenon
-
A genetic glimpse of the Chinese straight-tusked elephants. Biol. Lett. (IF 3.3) Pub Date : 2023-07-19 Haifeng Lin,Jiaming Hu,Sina Baleka,Junxia Yuan,Xi Chen,Bo Xiao,Shiwen Song,Zhicheng Du,Xulong Lai,Michael Hofreiter,Guilian Sheng
Straight-tusked elephants (genus: Palaeoloxodon) including their island dwarf forms are extinct enigmatic members of the Pleistocene megafauna and the most common Pleistocene elephants after the mammoths. Their taxonomic placement has been revised several times. Using palaeogenomic evidence, previous studies suggested that the European P. antiquus has a hybrid origin, but no molecular data have been