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Updated single cell reference atlas for the starlet anemone Nematostella vectensis Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-18 Alison G. Cole, Julia Steger, Julia Hagauer, Andreas Denner, Patricio Ferrer Murguia, Paul Knabl, Sanjay Narayanaswamy, Brittney Wick, Juan D. Montenegro, Ulrich Technau
The recent combination of genomics and single cell transcriptomics has allowed to assess a variety of non-conventional model organisms in much more depth. Single cell transcriptomes can uncover hidden cellular complexity and cell lineage relationships within organisms. The recent developmental cell atlases of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a representative of the basally branching Cnidaria
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Obituary: Claus Nielsen 1938–2024 Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Jürgen Heinze, Ulrich Technau
Few scholars have left a deep and remaining influence on generations of zoologists. One of them is certainly Claus Nielsen, who recently passed away at the age of 85 years. Claus Nielsen was on the editorial board of Frontiers in Zoology, the journal of the German Zoological Society, for the last 20 years, since 2003. On behalf of the whole Editorial board and the publisher team, we would like to acknowledge
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Correction: Support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the African Great Lakes region and the description of five new Macrostomum species Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Jeremias N. Brand
Correction: Frontiers in Zoology (2023) 20:31 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-023-00509-9 Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported an error in the spelling of a species name. Based on the taxonomic code of zoology (https://code.iczn.org/formation-and-treatment-of-names/article-32-original-spellings), the species name “Macrostomum schäreri” in the article should be corrected
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Rediscovering the unusual, solitary bryozoan Monobryozoon ambulans Remane, 1936: first molecular and new morphological data clarify its phylogenetic position Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Thomas Schwaha, Sebastian H. Decker, Christian Baranyi, Ahmed J. Saadi
One of the most peculiar groups of the mostly colonial phylum Bryozoa is the taxon Monobryozoon, whose name already implies non-colonial members of the phylum. Its peculiarity and highly unusual lifestyle as a meiobenthic clade living on sand grains has fascinated many biologists. In particular its systematic relationship to other bryozoans remains a mystery. Despite numerous searches for M. ambulans
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Fat accumulation in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) reflects the temperature of prior cold acclimation Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Kaiyuan Zhang, Jing Cao, Zhijun Zhao
Proper adjustments of metabolic thermogenesis play an important role in thermoregulation in endotherm to cope with cold and/or warm ambient temperatures, however its roles in energy balance and fat accumulation remain uncertain. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of previous cold exposure (10 and 0 °C) on the energy budgets and fat accumulation in the striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis)
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Differences in spatial niche of terrestrial mammals when facing extreme snowfall: the case in east Asian forests Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Hiroto Enari, Haruka S. Enari, Tatsuhito Sekiguchi, Motohisa Tanaka, Sohsuke Suzuki
Recent climate changes have produced extreme climate events. This study focused on extreme snowfall and intended to discuss the vulnerability of temperate mammals against it through interspecies comparisons of spatial niches in northern Japan. We constructed niche models for seven non-hibernating species through wide-scaled snow tracking on skis, whose total survey length was 1144 km. We detected a
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New insights into mesoderm and endoderm development, and the nature of the onychophoran blastopore Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Ralf Janssen, Graham E. Budd
Early during onychophoran development and prior to the formation of the germ band, a posterior tissue thickening forms the posterior pit. Anterior to this thickening forms a groove, the embryonic slit, that marks the anterior–posterior orientation of the developing embryo. This slit is by some authors considered the blastopore, and thus the origin of the endoderm, while others argue that the posterior
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Wide-spread dispersal in a deep-sea brooding polychaete: the role of natural history collections in assessing the distribution in quill worms (Onuphidae, Annelida) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Nataliya Budaeva, Stefanie Agne, Pedro A. Ribeiro, Nicolas Straube, Michaela Preick, Michael Hofreiter
Modern integrative taxonomy-based annelid species descriptions are detailed combining morphological data and, since the last decades, also molecular information. Historic species descriptions are often comparatively brief lacking such detail. Adoptions of species names from western literature in the past led to the assumption of cosmopolitan ranges for many species, which, in many cases, were later
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MicroRNA ame-let-7 targets Amdop2 to increase sucrose sensitivity in honey bees (Apis mellifera) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-18 Fang Liu, Hongxia Zhao, Qiang Li, Lixian Wu, Dainan Cao, Yuan Zhang, Zachary Y. Huang
As an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in invertebrates and vertebrates, dopamine plays multiple roles in the life of the honey bee. Dopamine receptors (DA), which specifically bind to dopamine to activate downstream cascades, have been reported to be involved in honey bee reproduction, division of labour, as well as learning and motor behaviour. However, how dopamine receptors regulate honey
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The oral sensory organs in Bathochordaeus stygius (Tunicata Appendicularia) are unique in structure and homologous to the coronal organ Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-15 Mai-Lee Van Le, Lisa-Marie Müller, Thomas Stach
Appendicularia consists of approximately 70 purely marine species that belong to Tunicata the probable sister taxon to Craniota. Therefore, Appendicularia plays a pivotal role for our understanding of chordate evolution. In addition, appendicularians are an important part of the epipelagic marine plankton. Nevertheless, little is known about appendicularian species, especially from deeper water. Using
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Frequency jumps and subharmonic components in calls of female Odorrana tormota differentially affect the vocal behaviors of male frogs Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 Yatao Wu, Xiuli Luo, Pan Chen, Fang Zhang
Studies have demonstrated that the sounds of animals from many taxa with nonlinear phenomena (NLP)—caused by nonlinear characteristics of vocal organ dynamics that lead to nonlinear vocal phenomena—can influence the behavior of receivers. However, the specific functions of different NLP components have received less attention. In most frog species, females produce few or no vocalizations; in contrast
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Using fuzzy logic to compare species distribution models developed on the basis of expert knowledge and sampling records Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 David Romero, Raúl Maneyro, José Carlos Guerrero, Raimundo Real
Experts use knowledge to infer the distribution of species based on fuzzy logical assumptions about the relationship between species and the environment. Thus, expert knowledge is amenable to fuzzy logic modelling, which give to propositions a continuous truth value between 0 and 1. In species distribution modelling, fuzzy logic may also be used to model, from a number of records, the degree to which
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Holding in the stream: convergent evolution of suckermouth structures in Loricariidae (Siluriformes) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Wencke Krings, Daniel Konn-Vetterlein, Bernhard Hausdorf, Stanislav N. Gorb
Suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae) are a highly speciose and diverse freshwater fish family, which bear upper and lower lips forming an oral disc. Its hierarchical organisation allows the attachment to various natural surfaces. The discs can possess papillae of different shapes, which are supplemented, in many taxa, by small horny projections, i.e. unculi. Although these attachment structures
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Despite genetic isolation in sympatry, post-copulatory reproductive barriers have not evolved between bat- and human-associated common bedbugs (Cimex lectularius L.) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-10 Markéta Sasínková, Ondřej Balvín, Jana Vandrovcová, Christian Massino, Alfons R. Weig, Klaus Reinhardt, Oliver Otti, Tomáš Bartonička
The common bedbug Cimex lectularius is a widespread ectoparasite on humans and bats. Two genetically isolated lineages, parasitizing either human (HL) or bat (BL) hosts, have been suggested to differentiate because of their distinct ecology. The distribution range of BL is within that of HL and bedbugs live mostly on synanthropic bat hosts. This sympatric co-occurrence predicts strong reproductive
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Comparative metabolomics analysis reveals high-altitude adaptations in a toad-headed viviparous lizard, Phrynocephalus vlangalii Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Xuejing Zhang, Shengkang Men, Lun Jia, Xiaolong Tang, Kenneth B. Storey, Yonggang Niu, Qiang Chen
Extreme environmental conditions at high altitude, such as hypobaric hypoxia, low temperature, and strong UV radiation, pose a great challenge to the survival of animals. Although the mechanisms of adaptation to high-altitude environments have attracted much attention for native plateau species, the underlying metabolic regulation remains unclear. Here, we used a multi-platform metabolomic analysis
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Effects of reduced kinematic and social play experience on affective appraisal of human-rat play in rats Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Quanxiao Liu, Tereza Ilčíková, Mariia Radchenko, Markéta Junková, Marek Špinka
Play is a common and developmentally important behaviour in young mammals. Specifically in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), reduced opportunity to engage in rough-and-tumble (RT) play has been associated with impaired development in social competence. However, RT play is a complex behaviour having both a kinematic aspect (i.e., performing complex 3D manoeuvres during play fights) and a social aspect
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Age, brood fate, and territory quality affect nest-site fidelity in white stork Ciconia ciconia Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Joanna T. Bialas, Joachim Siekiera, Artur Siekiera, Wiesław Chromik, Łukasz Dylewski, Marcin Tobolka
A particular type of site fidelity is faithfulness to the nest site, where birds are not only reoccupying breeding territories but also reusing nests built in previous breeding seasons. Staying faithful to the nest site is believed to be an adaptive strategy, and based on the ability to predict an individual's own breeding success, a hypothesis of “win-stay:loose-switch” was proposed. In this study
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Evolutionary trade-off between innate and acquired immune defences in birds Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-08 Piotr Minias, Wei-Xuan V. -H. Peng, Kevin D. Matson
The development, maintenance, and use of immune defences are costly. Therefore, animals face trade-offs in terms of resource allocation within their immune system and between their immune system and other physiological processes. To maximize fitness, evolution may favour investment in one immunological defence or subsystem over another in a way that matches a species broader life history strategy.
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Support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the African Great Lakes region and the description of five new Macrostomum species Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-09-05 Jeremias N. Brand
The African Great Lakes have long been recognized as an excellent location to study speciation. Most famously, cichlid fishes have radiated in Lake Tanganyika and subsequently spread into Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria, where they again radiated. Other taxa have diversified in these lakes, such as catfish, ostracods, gastropods, and Monegenean gill parasites of cichlids. However, these radiations have
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Food patch use of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) varies with personality traits Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-31 Chunlin Li, Xinyu Zhang, Lin Cheng, Baowei Zhang, Feng Zhang
The classic optimal foraging theory (OFT) predicts animals’ food patch use assuming that individuals in a population use the same strategy while foraging. However, due to the existence of animal personality, i.e. repeatable inter-individual differences and intra-individual consistency in behaviours over time and/or across contexts, individuals often exhibit different behavioural strategies, challenging
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Minimal resin embedding of SBF-SEM samples reduces charging and facilitates finding a surface-linked region of interest Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-29 Barbora Konopová, Jiří Týč
For decoding the mechanism of how cells and organs function information on their ultrastructure is essential. High-resolution 3D imaging has revolutionized morphology. Serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) offers non-laborious, automated imaging in 3D of up to ~ 1 mm3 large biological objects at nanometer-scale resolution. For many samples there are obstacles. Quality imaging is
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Third-party intervention and post-conflict behaviour in agonistic encounters of pigs (Sus scrofa) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-17 Nicole Maffezzini, Simon P. Turner, J. Elizabeth Bolhuis, Gareth Arnott, Irene Camerlink
Third-party interference in agonistic contests entails a deliberate intervention in an ongoing fight by a bystanding individual (third party) and may be followed by post-conflict social behaviour to provide support to a specific individual. The mechanisms behind third-party intervention are, however, still largely understudied. The aim of this study was to investigate third-party interference, with
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Body mass is associated with hibernation length, body temperature, and heart rate in free-ranging brown bears Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-17 Alina L. Evans, Boris Fuchs, Navinder J. Singh, Alexandra Thiel, Sylvain Giroud, Stephane Blanc, Timothy G. Laske, Ole Frobert, Andrea Friebe, Jon E. Swenson, Jon M. Arnemo
Despite centuries of research, debate remains on the scaling of metabolic rate to mass especially for intraspecific cases. The high variation of body mass within brown bears presents a unique opportunity to study the intraspecific effects of body mass on physiological variables. The amplitude of metabolic rate reduction in hibernators is dependent on body mass of the species. Small hibernators have
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Terebra steering in chalcidoid wasps Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-08-08 Benjamin Eggs, Stefan Fischer, Michael Csader, István Mikó, Alexander Rack, Oliver Betz
Various chalcidoid wasps can actively steer their terebra (= ovipositor shaft) in diverse directions, despite the lack of terebral intrinsic musculature. To investigate the mechanisms of these bending and rotational movements, we combined microscopical and microtomographical techniques, together with videography, to analyse the musculoskeletal ovipositor system of the ectoparasitoid pteromalid wasp
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Age-related mating rates among ecologically distinct lineages of bedbugs, Cimex lectularius Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-28 Tomáš Bartonička, Jana Křemenová, Ondřej Balvín, Zdeněk Šimek, Oliver Otti
Understanding how many mates an animal has in its lifetime is a critical factor in sexual selection. At the same time, differences in an organism's ecology, such as the quantity and quality of food, could be reflected in different mating rates. Mating rate had a significant effect on female net fitness (i.e., lifetime offspring production), however, laboratory measurements cannot well mirror the situation
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Effects of meteorological conditions on brood care in cooperatively breeding carrion crow and consequences on reproductive success Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-24 Eva Trapote, Daniela Canestrari, Vittorio Baglione
Meteorological stressors (e.g., temperature and rain shortage) constrain brood provisioning in some bird species, but the consequences on reproductive success have been rarely quantified. Here we show, in a cooperatively breeding population of carrion crow Corvus corone in Spain, that individual feeding rates decreased significantly with rising air temperatures both in breeders and helpers, while lack
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Variations in small-scale movements of, Rousettus aegyptiacus, a Marburg virus reservoir across a seasonal gradient Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-18 Matthew R. Wood, J. Low de Vries, Jonathan H. Epstein, Wanda Markotter
Bats are increasingly being recognized as important hosts for viruses, some of which are zoonotic and carry the potential for spillover within human and livestock populations. Biosurveillance studies focused on assessing the risk of pathogen transmission, however, have largely focused on the virological component and have not always considered the ecological implications of different species as viral
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First 3-D reconstruction of copulation in Lepidoptera: interaction of genitalia in Tortrix viridana (Tortricidae) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-07-11 Boyan Zlatkov, Vladislav Vergilov, José Vicente Pérez Santa-Rita, Joaquín Baixeras
The process of copulation in Lepidoptera is understudied and poorly understood from a functional perspective. The purpose of the present paper is to study the interaction of the male and female genitalia of Tortrix viridana Linnaeus, 1758 via three-dimensional models of pairs fixed during copulation. Other techniques (confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and histology) were
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Proteins from toad’s parotoid macroglands: do they play a role in gland functioning and chemical defence? Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-06-16 Krzysztof Kowalski, Paweł Marciniak, Leszek Rychlik
Parotoid gland secretion of bufonid toads is a rich source of toxic molecules that are used against predators, parasites and pathogens. Bufadienolides and biogenic amines are the principal compounds responsible for toxicity of parotoid secretion. Many toxicological and pharmacological analyses of parotoid secretions have been performed, but little is known about the processes related to poison production
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Interactions between carnivore species: limited spatiotemporal partitioning between apex predator and smaller carnivores in a Mediterranean protected area Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-25 Francesco Ferretti, Raquel Oliveira, Mariana Rossa, Irene Belardi, Giada Pacini, Sara Mugnai, Niccolò Fattorini, Lorenzo Lazzeri
There is need of information on ecological interactions that keystone species such as apex predators establish in ecosystems recently recolonised. Interactions among carnivore species have the potential to influence community-level processes, with consequences for ecosystem dynamics. Although avoidance of apex predators by smaller carnivores has been reported, there is increasing evidence that the
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Food availability positively affects the survival and somatic maintenance of hibernating garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-24 Sylvain Giroud, Marie-Therese Ragger, Amélie Baille, Franz Hoelzl, Steve Smith, Julia Nowack, Thomas Ruf
Torpor is an energy saving strategy achieved by substantial reductions of metabolic rate and body temperature that enables animals to survive periods of low resource availability. During hibernation (multiday torpor), the frequency of periodic rewarming—characterised by high levels of oxidative stress—is associated with shortening of telomeres, a marker of somatic maintenance. In this study, we determined
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Southern Europe is becoming climatically favourable for African birds: anticipating the establishment of a new species Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-17 Sandro López-Ramírez, Darío Chamorro, Raimundo Real, Antonio-Román Muñoz
The current modification of species distribution ranges, as a response to a warmer climate, constitutes an interesting line of work and a recent challenge for biogeography. This study aimed to determine if the climatic conditions of southern Europe are adequate to host a typical African species, the House Bunting, which is registered regularly during the last years, still in low numbers. To this end
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Hide or die when the winds bring wings: predator avoidance by activity shift in a mountain snake Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-16 Dávid Radovics, Márton Szabolcs, Szabolcs Lengyel, Edvárd Mizsei
Understanding predator–prey relationships is fundamental in many areas of ecology and conservation. In reptiles, basking time often increases the risk of predation and one way to minimise this risk is to reduce activity time and to stay within a refuge. However, this implies costs of lost opportunities for foraging, reproduction, and thermoregulation. We aimed to determine the main potential and observed
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On latches in biological systems: a comparative morphological and functional study of the retinaculum and the dens lock in Collembola Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-05-09 Birk Rillich, Fábio G. L. Oliveira
Springtails have the ability to jump using morphological structures consisting of a catapult, the furca, and a latching system constructed with interaction of the retinaculum and the dens lock. The retinaculum engages in the furca at the dens lock in order to form a spring mechanism. They exhibit diversified morphological traits that serve as adaptations to a variety of terrestrial strata and aquatic
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A methodological exploration to study 2D arm kinematics in Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-21 Mona Goharimanesh, Sabine Stöhr, Fereshteh Ghassemzadeh, Omid Mirshamsi, Dominique Adriaens
Brittle stars, unlike most other echinoderms, do not use their small tube feet for locomotion but instead use their flexible arms to produce a rowing or reverse rowing movement. They are among the fastest-moving echinoderms with the ability of complex locomotory behaviors. Considering the high species diversity and variability in morphotypes, a proper understanding of intra- and interspecies variation
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Appearance of a transparent protrusion containing two pairs of legs on the apodous ring preceding the anamorphic molt in a millipede, Niponia nodulosa Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-18 Soma Chiyoda, Kohei Oguchi, Toru Miura
Arthropods gradually change their forms through repeated molting events during postembryonic development. Anamorphosis, i.e., segment addition during postembryonic development, is seen in some arthropod lineages. In all millipede species (Myriapoda, Diplopoda), for example, postembryonic processes go through anamorphosis. Jean-Henri Fabre proposed 168 years ago the “law of anamorphosis”, that is, “new
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The effect of temperature and invasive alien predator on genetic and phenotypic variation in the damselfly Ischnura elegans: cross-latitude comparison Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-10 Guillaume Wos, Gemma Palomar, Marzena Marszałek, Wiesław Babik, Szymon Sniegula
Understanding and predicting how organisms respond to human-caused environmental changes has become a major concern in conservation biology. Here, we linked gene expression and phenotypic data to identify candidate genes underlying existing phenotypic trait differentiation under individual and combined environmental variables. For this purpose, we used the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Egg clutches from
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Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-10 Veronika Kolešková, Miroslav E. Šálek, Kateřina Brynychová, Petr Chajma, Lucie Pešková, Esmat Elhassan, Eva Petrusová Vozabulová, Veronika Janatová, Aisha Almuhery, Martin Sládeček
Chicks of precocial birds hatch well-developed and can search actively for food but their homeothermy develops gradually during growth. This makes them dependent on heat provided by parents (“brooding”), which is then traded off against other activities, mainly foraging. Although brooding has been documented in many precocial birds, little is known about the differences in the amount and efficiency
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Correction: A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-04-06 Dailos Hernández-Brito, Guillermo Blanco, José L. Tella, Martina Carrete
Correction: Frontiers in Zoology 17, 13 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-020-00360-2 Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported that the funding information has to be updated. The correct funding information should read: This study was supported by project CGL2015-71378-P MINECO/FEDER, UE, the Severo Ochoa Program (SVP-2014-068732) and Action COST ES1304 (ParrotNet)
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Scorpionfish rapidly change colour in response to their background Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-03-03 Leonie John, Matteo Santon, Nico K. Michiels
To facilitate background matching in heterogenous environments, some animals rapidly change body colouration. Marine predatory fishes might use this ability to hide from predators and prey. Here, we focus on scorpionfishes (Scorpaenidae), well-camouflaged, bottom-dwelling sit-and-wait predators. We tested whether Scorpaena maderensis and Scorpaena porcus adjust body luminance and hue in response to
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Concerted phenotypic flexibility of avian erythrocyte size and number in response to dietary anthocyanin supplementation Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-24 Maciej Dzialo, Amadeusz Bryła, Kristen J. DeMoranville, Katherine M. Carbeck, Olivia Fatica, Lisa Trost, Barbara Pierce, Edyta T. Sadowska, Scott R. McWilliams, Ulf Bauchinger
Endurance flight impose substantial oxidative costs on the avian oxygen delivery system. In particular, the accumulation of irreversible damage in red blood cells can reduce the capacity of blood to transport oxygen and limit aerobic performance. Many songbirds consume large amounts of anthocyanin-rich fruit, which is hypothesized to reduce oxidative costs, enhance post-flight regeneration, and enable
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Enteric neuroanatomy and smooth muscle activity in the western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-09 Tobias Kohl, Lejla Ridzal, Birgit Kuch, Marlene Hartel, Corinna Kreft, Ahmed Musoski, Klaus Michel, Harald Luksch, Michael Schemann, Anita Annaházi
Gastrointestinal (GI) functions are controlled by the enteric nervous system (ENS) in vertebrates, but data on snakes are scarce, as most studies were done in mammals. However, the feeding of many snakes, including Crotalus atrox, is in strong contrast with mammals, as it consumes an immense, intact prey that is forwarded, stored, and processed by the GI tract. We performed immunohistochemistry in
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Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-02-06 Jing Lan, Zijian Sun, Jianyi Feng, Chunlin Zhao, Da Kang, Wenbo Zhu, Tian Zhao, Shengqi Su
Functional diversity is important to maintain ecosystem functioning. Species with different ecomorphological traits may display distinct functional roles in ecosystems. Accordingly, functionally extreme species are more important as they can exhibit specific strategies. However, little is known about the distribution patterns of functionally extreme species at a local scale and whether the prior extinction
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What coloration brings: Implications of background adaptation to oxidative stress in anurans Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-31 Tijana B. Radovanović, Tamara G. Petrović, Branka R. Gavrilović, Svetlana G. Despotović, Jelena P. Gavrić, Ana Kijanović, Marko Mirč, Nataša Tomašević Kolarov, Tanja Vukov, Marko D. Prokić
Urban development results in habitat destruction, affecting populations of amphibians, the most fragile group of vertebrates. With changes in the environment, these animals become more exposed to light and predators. To enhance their chances of survival, they display plasticity of body coloration. Aside from adaptive benefits, animals exhibiting background matching meet the energetic costs and restrictions
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Monogeneans in intergeneric hybrids of leuciscid fish: Is parasite infection driven by hybrid heterosis, genetic incompatibilities, or host-parasite coevolutionary interactions? Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-26 Neira Dedić, Lukáš Vetešník, Andrea Šimková
Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain parasite infection in parental species and their hybrids. Hybrid heterosis is generally applied to explain the advantage for F1 generations of hybrids exhibiting a lower level of parasite infection when compared to parental species. Post-F1 generations often suffer from genetic incompatibilities potentially reflected in the higher level of parasite infection
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A pilot study to estimate the population size of endangered Galápagos marine iguanas using drones Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-26 Andrea Varela-Jaramillo, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, Juan M. Guayasamin, Sebastian Steinfartz, Amy MacLeod
Large-scale species monitoring remains a significant conservation challenge. Given the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the need for reliable and efficient methods has never been greater. Drone-based techniques have much to offer in this regard: they allow access to otherwise unreachable areas and enable the rapid collection of non-invasive field data. Herein, we describe the development of a drone-based
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Land-use preferences of the European green toad (Bufotes viridis) in the city of Vienna (Austria): the importance of open land in urban environments Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-17 Landler, Lukas, Burgstaller, Stephan, Schweiger, Silke
Urban areas are increasing worldwide, which poses threats to animal wildlife. However, in certain cases cities can provide refuges for endangered animals. The European green toad (Bufotes viridis) is one of such examples, which is known from cities throughout their distribution. In contrast, considerable areas of their former (primary) habitats have been degraded. The primary habitats of this species
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Cloning and functional analysis of the molting gene CYP302A1 of Daphnia sinensis Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-12 Qi, Huiying, Cao, Huijuan, Zhao, Yajie, Cao, Yaqin, Jin, Qide, Wang, Yeping, Zhang, Kun, Deng, Daogui
Molting is an important physiological process in the growth and development of arthropoda, which is mainly regulated by juvenile hormone and ecdysone. CYP302A1 is a key enzyme which plays a critical role in the synthesis of ecdysone in insects, but it has not been identified in cladocera. The CYP302Al gene of Daphnia sinensis was cloned and its function was analyzed in this paper. The CYP302Al gene
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Chromosome-level genome assembly of a high-altitude-adapted frog (Rana kukunoris) from the Tibetan plateau provides insight into amphibian genome evolution and adaptation Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2023-01-06 Chen, Wei, Chen, Hongzhou, Liao, Jiahong, Tang, Min, Qin, Haifen, Zhao, Zhenkun, Liu, Xueyan, Wu, Yanfang, Jiang, Lichun, Zhang, Lixia, Fang, Bohao, Feng, Xueyun, Zhang, Baowei, Reid, Kerry, Merilä, Juha
The high-altitude-adapted frog Rana kukunoris, occurring on the Tibetan plateau, is an excellent model to study life history evolution and adaptation to harsh high-altitude environments. However, genomic resources for this species are still underdeveloped constraining attempts to investigate the underpinnings of adaptation. The R. kukunoris genome was assembled to a size of 4.83 Gb and the contig N50
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Antennal sensory structures of Phenacoccus solenopsis (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-12-15 Abd El-Ghany, Nesreen M., Zhou, Jing-Jiang, Dewer, Youssef
The cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is one of the most devastating sap-sucking pests of cultivated plants. The success of P. solenopsis is attributable to its ecological resilience and insecticide resistance, making its control extremely difficult and expensive. Thus, alternative safe approaches are needed to prevent the pest population from reaching the economic
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Social dynamics impact scolding behaviour in captive groups of common ravens (Corvus corax) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-12-12 Blum, Christian R., Fitch, W. Tecumseh, Bugnyar, Thomas
Predator avoidance can have immense impacts on fitness, yet individual variation in the expression of anti-predator behaviour remains largely unexplained. Existing research investigating learning of novel predators has focused either on individuals or groups, but not both. Testing in individual settings allows evaluations of learning or personality differences, while testing in group settings makes
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Competitive ability is a fast-evolving trait between house mouse populations (Mus musculus domesticus) Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-12-08 Linnenbrink, Miriam
House mice are commensal animals with a nearly global distribution, structured into well differentiated local populations. Besides genetic differences between the populations, they have also diverged behaviorally over time, whereby it remains open how fast general behavioral characteristics can change. Here we study the competitive potential of two very recently separated populations of the Western
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Sequencing and assembling bear genomes: the bare necessities Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Willey, Courtney, Korstanje, Ron
Unique genetic adaptations are present in bears of every species across the world. From (nearly) shutting down important organs during hibernation to preventing harm from lifestyles that could easily cause metabolic diseases in humans, bears may hold the answer to various human ailments. However, only a few of these unique traits are currently being investigated at the molecular level, partly because
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Nematocyst sequestration within the family Fionidae (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) considering ecological properties and evolution Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-11-16 Ekimova, Irina A., Vorobyeva, Olga A., Mikhlina, Anna L., Schepetov, Dimitry M., Vortsepneva, Elena V., Antokhina, Tatiana I., Malakhov, Vladimir V.
Aeolid nudibranchs are well-known for their ability to incorporate cnidarian nematocysts and use them for defense; this process is tightly linked with the feeding preferences of molluscs. As many nudibranch groups show signs of ecology-based adaptive radiation, studies of prey-based defensive mechanisms can provide valuable insight into details of nudibranch evolutionary history. The main goal of this
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Energy acquisition strategy for reproduction in a semelparous squid Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-11-16 Lin, Dongming, Zang, Na, Zhu, Kai, Li, Gang, Chen, Xinjun
Energy demand for reproduction leads to a wide diversity of foraging and life-history strategy among wild animals, linking to a common objective to maximize reproductive success. Semelparous squid species in particular can use up to 50% of the total energy intake for reproduction. However, the energy acquisition strategy for reproduction is still a controversial issue regarding whether the squid shift
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Tissue dissociation for single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing for low amounts of input material Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Wiegleb, Gordon, Reinhardt, Susanne, Dahl, Andreas, Posnien, Nico
Recent technological advances opened the opportunity to simultaneously study gene expression for thousands of individual cells on a genome-wide scale. The experimental accessibility of such single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) approaches allowed gaining insights into the cell type composition of heterogeneous tissue samples of animal model systems and emerging models alike. A major prerequisite for
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Laboratory study of Fritillaria lifecycle reveals key morphogenetic events leading to genus-specific anatomy Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-10-28 Henriet, Simon, Aasjord, Anne, Chourrout, Daniel
A fascinating variety of adult body plans can be found in the Tunicates, the closest existing relatives of vertebrates. A distinctive feature of the larvacean class of pelagic tunicates is the presence of a highly specialized surface epithelium that produces a cellulose test, the “larvacean house”. While substantial differences exist between the anatomy of larvacean families, most of the ontogeny is
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Realized niche shift of an invasive widow spider: drivers and impacts of human activities Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-10-28 Luo, Zhenhua, Mowery, Monica A., Cheng, Xinlan, Yang, Qing, Hu, Junhua, Andrade, Maydianne C. B.
Predicting invasiveness requires an understanding of the propensity of a given species to thrive in areas with novel ecological challenges. Evaluation of realized niche shift of an invasive species in its invasive range, detecting the main drivers of the realized niche shift, and predicting the potential distribution of the species can provide important information for the management of populations
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New insights into the evolution of portunoid swimming crabs (Portunoidea, Heterotremata, Brachyura) and the brachyuran axial skeleton Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-10-27 Hazerli, Dennis, Höpel, Christoph Gert, Richter, Stefan
Portunoidea (Heterotremata) is a morphologically disparate taxon of true crabs (Brachyura) best-known for many of its representatives being considered “swimming crabs”. The term “swimming crab”, however, sometimes refers to a distinct taxon (traditionally to Portunidae within Portunoidea), and sometimes to a certain morphotype in which the 5th pereiopod (P5) has a specific shape that facilitates swimming
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MiR-34b/c play a role in early sex differentiation of Amur sturgeon, Acipenser schrenckii Front. Zool. (IF 2.8) Pub Date : 2022-09-26 Zhang, Xiujuan, Wu, Wenhua, Zhou, Jiabin, Li, Linmiao, Jiang, Haiying, Chen, Jinping
Sex differentiation can be viewed as a controlled regulatory balance between sex differentiation-related mRNAs and post-transcriptional mechanisms mediated by non-coding RNAs. In mammals, increasing evidence has been reported regarding the importance of gonad-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in sex differentiation. Although many fishes express a large number of gonadal miRNAs, the effects of these sex-biased