The efficiency of varying methods and degrees of time compensation for the solar azimuth
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230355. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0355. Epub 2023 Nov 22.ABSTRACTDaytime 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 a high degree of efficiency, in terms of distance travelled, can be achieved without full time compensation. In our model, compensating fo...
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Richard Massy Karl R Wotton Source Type: research
Overcoming the congenitally disadvantageous mutation through adaptation to environmental UV exposure in land snails
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230356. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0356. Epub 2023 Nov 22.ABSTRACTCongenital 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 Euhadra peliomphala simodae in Japan; these snails have dark or bright coloured shells. The survival rate of dark snails at hatching was...
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Shun Ito Satoshi Chiba Junji Konuma Source Type: research
Embryonic exposure to artificial light at night impairs learning abilities and their covariance with behavioural traits in teleost fish
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230436. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0436. Epub 2023 Nov 22.ABSTRACTThe 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 water bodies. We exposed eggs of a teleost fish (the zebrafish Danio rerio) to ALAN and, upon hatching, we measured larvae' cognitive abi...
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato Gaia De Russi Stefano Cannicci Elena Maggi Cristiano Bertolucci Source Type: research
Small increases in ambient temperature reduce offspring body mass in an equatorial mammal
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230328. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0328. Epub 2023 Nov 22.ABSTRACTHuman-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 heat dissipation limit (HDL) theory proposes that even when energy supply is plentiful, high temperatures can still have negative effects....
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Monil Khera Kevin Arbuckle Francis Mwanguhya Solomon Kyabulima Kenneth Mwesige Robert Businge Jonathan D Blount Michael A Cant Hazel J Nichols Source Type: research
Sexual selection for extreme physical performance in a polygynous bird is associated with exceptional sex differences in oxygen carrying capacity
We examined the oxygen carrying capacity of pectoral sandpipers, measured as the volume percentage of red blood cells in blood (haematocrit, Hct). We found a remarkable sex difference in Hct levels, with males having much higher values (58.9 ± 3.8 s.d.) than females (49.8 ± 5.3 s.d.). While Hct values of male pectoral sandpipers are notable for being among the highest recorded in birds, the sex difference we report is unprecedented and more than double that of any previously described. We also show that Hct values declined after arrival to the breeding grounds in females, but not in males, suggesting that males maintain ...
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Peter Santema Luke Eberhart-Hertel Mihai Valcu Bart Kempenaers Source Type: research
Paternal environment effects are driven by female reproductive fluid but not sperm age in an external fertilizer
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230368. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0368. Epub 2023 Nov 22.ABSTRACTSperm 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 paternal effects associated with sperm ageing. Here, we test this novel hypothesis using the broadcast spawning mussel, Mytilus galloprovi...
Source: Biology Letters - November 22, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jessica H Hadlow Rowan A Lymbery Jonathan P Evans Source Type: research
Microbiome and photoperiod interactively determine thermal sensitivity of polar and temperate diatoms
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230151. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0151. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTThe 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 its environment (e.g. annual range of photoperiods in its habitat) and biotic interactions with its microbiome, contribute to shaping its...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jakob K Giesler Tilmann Harder Sylke Wohlrab Source Type: research
Robust evidence for bats as reservoir hosts is lacking in most African virus studies: a review and call to optimize sampling and conserve bats
We present data from 162 papers (of 1322) with original findings on (1) numbers and species of bats sampled across bat families and the continent, (2) how bats were selected for study inclusion, (3) if bats were terminally sampled, (4) what types of ecological data, if any, were recorded and (5) which viruses were detected and with what methodology. We propose a scheme for evaluating presumed virus-host relationships by evidence type and quality, using the contrasting available evidence for Orthoebolavirus versus Orthomarburgvirus as an example. We review the wording in abstracts and discussions of all 162 papers, identify...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Natalie Weber Martina Nagy Wanda Markotter Juliane Schaer S ébastien J Puechmaille Jack Sutton Liliana M D ávalos Marie-Claire Dusabe Imran Ejotre M Brock Fenton Mirjam Kn örnschild Adri à López-Baucells Rodrigo A Medellin Markus Metz Samira Mubareka Source Type: research
< em > Formica fusca < /em > ants use aphid supplemented foods to alleviate effects during the acute phase of a fungal infection
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230415. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0415. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTThe 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 containing foods spiked with different concentrations of crushed aphids for a medicinal benefit. We show that pathogen exposed colonies...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jason Rissanen Dana ë Nyckees Torsten Will Heikki Helanter ä Dalial Freitak Source Type: research
Exaggerated mandibles are correlated with enhanced foraging efficacy in male Auckland tree w ētā
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230207. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0207. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTSexual 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 (the total volume of biomass consumed, bite rate, and number of foraging visits) and foraging behaviour (time spent moving, feeding...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Bridgette Farnworth Samuel Purdie Priscilla M Wehi Christina J Painting Source Type: research
Microbiome and photoperiod interactively determine thermal sensitivity of polar and temperate diatoms
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230151. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0151. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTThe 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 its environment (e.g. annual range of photoperiods in its habitat) and biotic interactions with its microbiome, contribute to shaping its...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jakob K Giesler Tilmann Harder Sylke Wohlrab Source Type: research
Robust evidence for bats as reservoir hosts is lacking in most African virus studies: a review and call to optimize sampling and conserve bats
We present data from 162 papers (of 1322) with original findings on (1) numbers and species of bats sampled across bat families and the continent, (2) how bats were selected for study inclusion, (3) if bats were terminally sampled, (4) what types of ecological data, if any, were recorded and (5) which viruses were detected and with what methodology. We propose a scheme for evaluating presumed virus-host relationships by evidence type and quality, using the contrasting available evidence for Orthoebolavirus versus Orthomarburgvirus as an example. We review the wording in abstracts and discussions of all 162 papers, identify...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Natalie Weber Martina Nagy Wanda Markotter Juliane Schaer S ébastien J Puechmaille Jack Sutton Liliana M D ávalos Marie-Claire Dusabe Imran Ejotre M Brock Fenton Mirjam Kn örnschild Adri à López-Baucells Rodrigo A Medellin Markus Metz Samira Mubareka Source Type: research
< em > Formica fusca < /em > ants use aphid supplemented foods to alleviate effects during the acute phase of a fungal infection
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230415. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0415. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTThe 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 containing foods spiked with different concentrations of crushed aphids for a medicinal benefit. We show that pathogen exposed colonies...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jason Rissanen Dana ë Nyckees Torsten Will Heikki Helanter ä Dalial Freitak Source Type: research
Exaggerated mandibles are correlated with enhanced foraging efficacy in male Auckland tree w ētā
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230207. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0207. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTSexual 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 (the total volume of biomass consumed, bite rate, and number of foraging visits) and foraging behaviour (time spent moving, feeding...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Bridgette Farnworth Samuel Purdie Priscilla M Wehi Christina J Painting Source Type: research
Microbiome and photoperiod interactively determine thermal sensitivity of polar and temperate diatoms
Biol Lett. 2023 Nov;19(11):20230151. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0151. Epub 2023 Nov 15.ABSTRACTThe 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 its environment (e.g. annual range of photoperiods in its habitat) and biotic interactions with its microbiome, contribute to shaping its...
Source: Biology Letters - November 15, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Jakob K Giesler Tilmann Harder Sylke Wohlrab Source Type: research
