- by Luzuriaga-Aveiga, V. E., Thorstensen, M. J., Jankowski, J. E., Weir, J. T.Both divergent and parallel selection can contribute to genomic and population differentiation, and thus speciation. However, the relative importance of each type of selection in driving speciation is poorly understood, especially in the context of environmental change. We compared selective sweeps and time of divergence in avian sister species pairs from the Amazonian lowlands that each underwent the same set of shared climatic cycles in parallel since speciating (n=9 pairs) with species pairs from different elevations and environments (n=8 pairs). […]
- by Melekian, A., Decuypere, V., Herrel, A., Clarac, F., Ladeveze, S.Marsupials (Marsupialia, Mammalia) represent a clade with highly varied ecologies. This is particularly true for opossums (South American marsupials), which are difficult to observe and collect. Consequently, few studies have focused on their bite force and the muscles of their masticatory apparatus, and there exists only scant information about the diet of certain species. Here we describe the masticatory muscles of several previously unstudied opossum species including Caenolestes fuliginosus, Dromiciops gliroides, and Monodelphis touan. We calculate the bite force of […]
- by Sy, D., Almeras, L., Diarra, A. Z., Doucoure, S., Sarr, Y. M., L'Ollivier, C., Gaye, P. M., Ndiaye, P. I., Senghor, B., Sow, D., Sokhna, C., Ranque, S.This study explores the use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to identify and differentiate Biomphalaria snails infected with the parasite S. mansoni, which causes schistosomiasis. The study was conducted on two snail species, Biomphalaria pfeifferi (collected in the field in Senegal) and Biomphalaria glabrata (a laboratory strain). The snails were infected in the laboratory with S. mansoni miracidia, and their infection was confirmed by cercariae emission tests and quantitative PCR. MALDI-TOF MS was then used to […]
- by Kimura, T., Inoue, I.Body color plays key roles in fitness, communication with others, and hiding. In poikilothermal vertebrates, the body color is mainly determined by types and distributions of chromatophores. Among them, carotenoid color of xanthophores/erythrophores is important for interspecific diversity and colorful males as sexual dimorphism. Most vertebrates cannot synthesize carotenoids in their bodies and must ingest them from food. However, the genes involved in the uptake process are not fully understood. Therefore, we tried to identify the causal gene of the […]
- by Louis, M., Rey-Iglesia, A., Routledge, J., de Jager, D., Skovrind, M., Heide-Jorgensen, M. P., Kaiser, T. M., Kovacs, K. M., Lydersen, C., Rosing-Asvid, A., Szpak, P., Lorenzen, E.Male narwhals are unique in having one long, spiralled tusk, while females of the species do not have a tusk. However, a small number of individuals develop tusk anomalies, including two-tusked males or females with a tusk. In this study, we combine genetic sexing and bone collagen stable isotope ({delta}13C and {delta}15N) analysis to evaluate whether these tooth anomalies impact foraging ecology. Our analysis of individuals collected in the waters around Greenland showed no systematic impacts; nine of ten two-tusked […]
- by Urbaneja, A., Perez-Hedo, M., Seraphides, N., Melifronidou- Pantelidou, A., Giallouridou, S., Markou, L., Stavrinides, M., Kaponas, C., Ruiz-Rivero, O., Morgan, D. J. W., Hansson, C., Hoddle, M. S., Tena, A., Guerrieri, E.Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is a major global pest because it is the primary vector of Candidatus Liberibacter spp., the causal agents of huanglongbing (HLB), a lethal citrus disease. Following the detection of D. citri in Cyprus in 2023, the first record of this pest in the European Union, a classical biological control program targeting this pest was initiated in spring 2024 using the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata imported from California, USA. During field surveys in summer 2024, parasitized D. […]
- by Parslew, B.Birds exhibit monotonic trends in their flight kinematics across a broad range of scales. For example, in 10g to 10kg birds flight speed increases with scale while wingbeat frequency decreases. Existing hypotheses propose that aerodynamic and biomechanical factors may drive these trends. Predictive simulation models have used these drivers to computationally synthesize flying birds. However, only a small number of species have been simulated and so this approach has not explained the kinematic trends observed across different scales of birds. […]
- by Tolusso, S., Zanfei, G., Mortelliti, A.The fear of being predated can influence many decisions taken by preys and this may have important consequences for the ecosystems. Preys can respond to the risk of being predated in three ways: habitat selection, diel activity modifications and adoption of behaviors to detect predators before they constitute a danger. However, rarely these strategies have been analyzed simultaneously within an entire community. Through a camera trapping study conducted in the Julian Prealps Natural Park and surrounding territories (North-East of Italy), […]
- by Roy, L., Uranw, S., Pote Shrestha, R. R.BackgroundVector-borne diseases, being major public health concerns, are either slated for elimination or projected for control in Nepal. One of the major challenges in controlling these VBDs is to halt their emergence and expansion in diverse geo-ecological and climatic regions. In this study, we collected vectors of major VBDs to understand their distribution, diversity, and association with ecological variances. Methodology/Principal findingsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect the vectors in five districts situated at altitudes of up to 98 […]
- by Anam, M., Lashari, M. H., Akhtar, M. S., Abbas, M.The present study was conducted on Buchi sheep at Government livestock farm, Jugaitpeer, district Bahawalpur. The objectives of this study were to investigates the genetic potential, birth and adult body weights, growth and turnover rates, and seasonal reproductive performance, the effect of Dalmazin (PGF2) on synchronization, the effect of GnRH and hCG treatment given on the mating day on pregnancy rate, and embryonic mortality after plasma hormone concentrations and embryo development to improve litter size. Male lambs exhibited significantly higher […]
- by Sadia, H., Muttaqin, S. S., Alam, P.The accurate representation of color is important in applications involving species identification. Environmental variations introduce inconsistencies in color perception, affecting the reliability of automated image processing algorithms. In previous work, we developed a hybrid algorithm, AInsectID Version 1.1 Color Merge, to overcome challenges posed by over-segmentation and under-segmentation in insect wing color clustering. We achieved this by using color differences between superpixels to measure homogeneity during the superpixels segmentation process. Nevertheless, our algorithm remains sensitive to environmental effects, affecting its […]
- by Perevolotsky, T., Brotman-Krass, J. M., Ratner, Y., Avigad, Y., Summers, A. P., Donatelli, C. M., Holzman, R.Across teleosts, feeding by biting substrate-attached prey has evolved multiple times and is associated with convergent morphologies that include a deep body and an elongated, tapered head. However, the functional role of these morphologies in substrate-biting fish is not established. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these morphologies function as control surfaces that affect feeding kinematics during biting. To test this hypothesis, we used simplified physical models of substrate-biting fish and examined the role of head, body, and fin morphology […]
- by Furukawa, T., Yamane, F., Takeuchi, R., Ohira, T., Toyota, K., Miyazaki, T., Tsutsui, N.In decapod crustaceans, insulin-like androgenic gland factor (IAG) is a well-known peptide hormone produced by the androgenic gland, a male-specific endocrine organ. In certain species classified within Pleocyemata, experimental manipulation of IAG signaling has successfully altered both internal and external sexual characteristics, leading to sex reversal. Therefore, IAG is considered a key regulator of male sexual differentiation and maturation and is thought to be a crustacean androgen. In the kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus (Dendrobranchiata), an important fishery species in Japan, […]
- by Axling, J. M., Petersson, E., Winberg, S.The behavioral differences, individually but also on group level has been evaluated in Baltic salmon parr in a repeated test combining open field and mirror test with focus on aggressive, bold and active behavior. The 164 salmon parr was tested twice and distance moved in arena, activity, was the variable which had the highest correlation between the trials. No correlation was found between aggression and activity or between boldness and activity. The groups which expressed lower aggression had a larger […]
- by Hirota, K., Sasaki, T., Yoshimura, T., Onodera, S., Hirano, H., Toyama, T., Yoshida, M.-a., Setiamarga, D. H. E.Argonautid octopods of the genus Argonauta possess a shell-like biomineralized external structure called an eggcase. A classical behavioral observation suggested that this structure is produced by the first dorsal arms rather than by the mantle tissue as seen in typical molluscan shells. In this study, we performed detailed microstructural analyses using scanning electron microscopy to investigate the characteristics of normal, undamaged eggcases and regions that had undergone post-damage repair. Our analysis revealed that the eggcase comprises five layers: an outermost […]
- by Messer, F., White-Cooper, H.The Drosophila obscura species group is sperm heteromorphic. Sperm heteromorphism is production of multiple sperm types, or morphs, within a single male. In the case of the obscura species, males produce two or three sperm morphs of different sizes, simultaneously, within the same testis, and throughout their lifetime. A long sperm morph, the eusperm is fertile, whereas shorter sperm morphs, the parasperm, are non-fertilising and protect the eusperm within the female reproductive tract. Many studies over the past 55 years […]
- by Nagaoka, R., Katayama, T., Higashijima, S.-i., Tanimoto, M.Posture control is crucial for animals. Static posture control in fish remains poorly explored. Recent studies have shown that larval zebrafish perform body flexion during slight roll tilts: the body flexion displaces a gas-filled swim bladder, generating counter-rotation torque for postural recovery through misalignment of gravity and buoyancy forces. Swim bladder deflation impairs this postural recovery, suggesting its critical role. This static posture control strategy may be utilized by many fish species. However, adult fish differ from larvae in morphology […]
- by Cabello, T., Gamez, M.Effective and sustainable pest management is a critical challenge in agriculture. This study evaluated the relative efficacy of three natural compounds –neem oil, boric acid, and gallotannin acid– against larvae of three pest species: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (F.) (red palm weevil), Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) (Indian meal moth), and Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) (beet armyworm). Laboratory bioassays revealed distinct differences in larval survival and mortality across the species. Neem oil demonstrated high effectiveness against S. exigua larvae, achieving 100% mortality at all tested […]
- by Güney, G., Cedden, D., Scholten, S., Rostas, M.O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=79 SRC="FIGDIR/small/655265v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (26K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@4d590corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1142c8org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1377d6eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bf4ac_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HighlightsO_LIAestivation initiation is associated with a reduction in translation proteins C_LIO_LIAestivation termination involves changes in proteolysis-related proteins C_LIO_LI23-30% of the changes at the protein level were coherent with the RNA-seq study C_LIO_LITAG and chitin peak, while ATP and glucose get depleted during aestivation C_LI The cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB, Psylliodes chrysocephala) is a major pest of oilseed rape crops and exhibits obligatory adult aestivation, summer […]
- by Tratkiewicz, K., Baczynski, J., Gasiorowski, L.Catenulida is a clade of free-living flatworms found abundantly in freshwater habitats across the globe. Despite their ubiquitous distribution, catenulids remain poorly studied; most of the species are known only from the asexual forms that lack distinct, taxonomically useful characters. Accordingly, the studies of catenulid diversity require application of integrative methods that combine morphological and molecular data. Here, we report the survey of catenulid diversity in Central and Western Europe, with a special focus on the species found in Polish […]
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