IR76b-expressing neurons in < em > Drosophila melanogaster < /em > are necessary for associative reward learning of an amino acid mixture
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230519. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0519. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTLearning where to find nutrients while at the same time avoiding toxic food is essential for survival of any animal. Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae as a study case, we investigate the role of gustatory sensory neurons expressing IR76b for associative learning of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. We found surprising complexity in the neuronal underpinnings of sensing amino acids, and a functional division of sensory neurons. We found that the IR76b receptor is dispensable for amino acid learning, whereas the neurons e...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Naoko Toshima Michael Schleyer Source Type: research
Morphological ant mimics: constrained to imperfection?
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230330. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0330. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTAdaptive evolution relies on both heritable variation and selection. Variation is the raw material upon which selection acts, so any mechanism that limits or prevents the generation of heritable variation reduces the power of selection to lead to adaptation. Such limitations are termed evolutionary constraints. While it is widely accepted that constraints play an important role in shaping evolutionary outcomes, their relative importance, as opposed to adaptation, in determining evolutionary outcomes remains a subject of debate. Evolut...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Donald James McLean Gerasimos Cassis Marie E Herberstein Source Type: research
IR76b-expressing neurons in < em > Drosophila melanogaster < /em > are necessary for associative reward learning of an amino acid mixture
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230519. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0519. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTLearning where to find nutrients while at the same time avoiding toxic food is essential for survival of any animal. Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae as a study case, we investigate the role of gustatory sensory neurons expressing IR76b for associative learning of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. We found surprising complexity in the neuronal underpinnings of sensing amino acids, and a functional division of sensory neurons. We found that the IR76b receptor is dispensable for amino acid learning, whereas the neurons e...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Naoko Toshima Michael Schleyer Source Type: research
Morphological ant mimics: constrained to imperfection?
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230330. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0330. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTAdaptive evolution relies on both heritable variation and selection. Variation is the raw material upon which selection acts, so any mechanism that limits or prevents the generation of heritable variation reduces the power of selection to lead to adaptation. Such limitations are termed evolutionary constraints. While it is widely accepted that constraints play an important role in shaping evolutionary outcomes, their relative importance, as opposed to adaptation, in determining evolutionary outcomes remains a subject of debate. Evolut...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Donald James McLean Gerasimos Cassis Marie E Herberstein Source Type: research
IR76b-expressing neurons in < em > Drosophila melanogaster < /em > are necessary for associative reward learning of an amino acid mixture
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230519. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0519. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTLearning where to find nutrients while at the same time avoiding toxic food is essential for survival of any animal. Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae as a study case, we investigate the role of gustatory sensory neurons expressing IR76b for associative learning of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. We found surprising complexity in the neuronal underpinnings of sensing amino acids, and a functional division of sensory neurons. We found that the IR76b receptor is dispensable for amino acid learning, whereas the neurons e...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Naoko Toshima Michael Schleyer Source Type: research
Morphological ant mimics: constrained to imperfection?
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230330. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0330. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTAdaptive evolution relies on both heritable variation and selection. Variation is the raw material upon which selection acts, so any mechanism that limits or prevents the generation of heritable variation reduces the power of selection to lead to adaptation. Such limitations are termed evolutionary constraints. While it is widely accepted that constraints play an important role in shaping evolutionary outcomes, their relative importance, as opposed to adaptation, in determining evolutionary outcomes remains a subject of debate. Evolut...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Donald James McLean Gerasimos Cassis Marie E Herberstein Source Type: research
IR76b-expressing neurons in < em > Drosophila melanogaster < /em > are necessary for associative reward learning of an amino acid mixture
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230519. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0519. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTLearning where to find nutrients while at the same time avoiding toxic food is essential for survival of any animal. Using Drosophila melanogaster larvae as a study case, we investigate the role of gustatory sensory neurons expressing IR76b for associative learning of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. We found surprising complexity in the neuronal underpinnings of sensing amino acids, and a functional division of sensory neurons. We found that the IR76b receptor is dispensable for amino acid learning, whereas the neurons e...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Naoko Toshima Michael Schleyer Source Type: research
Morphological ant mimics: constrained to imperfection?
Biol Lett. 2024 Feb;20(2):20230330. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0330. Epub 2024 Feb 14.ABSTRACTAdaptive evolution relies on both heritable variation and selection. Variation is the raw material upon which selection acts, so any mechanism that limits or prevents the generation of heritable variation reduces the power of selection to lead to adaptation. Such limitations are termed evolutionary constraints. While it is widely accepted that constraints play an important role in shaping evolutionary outcomes, their relative importance, as opposed to adaptation, in determining evolutionary outcomes remains a subject of debate. Evolut...
Source: Biology Letters - February 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Donald James McLean Gerasimos Cassis Marie E Herberstein Source Type: research
Habitat complexity influences neuron number in six species of Puerto Rican < em > Anolis < /em >
In this study, we investigate the relationship between neuron number and habitat complexity in three brain regions across six closely related anole species from Puerto Rico. After controlling for brain mass, we found that the number of neurons increased with habitat complexity across species in the telencephalon and 'rest of the brain,' but not in the cerebellum. Our results demonstrate that habitat complexity has shaped neuroanatomy in the Puerto Rican anole radiation and provide further evidence of the role of habitat complexity in vertebrate brain evolution.PMID:38320619 | PMC:PMC10846941 | DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0419 (S...
Source: Biology Letters - February 6, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Levi Storks Jessica Garcia Christian A Perez-Martinez Manuel Leal Source Type: research
Urban tolerance does not protect against population decline in North American birds
Biol Lett. 2024 Jan;20(1):20230507. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0507. Epub 2024 Jan 31.ABSTRACTPopulation declines of organisms are widespread and severe, but some species' populations have remained stable, or even increased. The reasons some species are less vulnerable to population decline than others are not well understood. Species that tolerate urban environments often have a broader environmental tolerance, which, along with their ability to tolerate one of the most human-modified habitats (i.e. cities), might allow them to persist in the face of diverse anthropogenic challenges. Here, we examined the relationship between...
Source: Biology Letters - January 30, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Julianna A Petrenko Paul R Martin Rachel E Fanelli Frances Bonier Source Type: research
Morphology of nares associated with stereo-olfaction in baleen whales
Biol Lett. 2024 Jan;20(1):20230479. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0479. Epub 2024 Jan 31.ABSTRACTThe sensory mechanisms used by baleen whales (Mysticeti) for locating ephemeral, dense prey patches in vast marine habitats are poorly understood. Baleen whales have a functional olfactory system with paired rather than single blowholes (nares), potentially enabling stereo-olfaction. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is an odorous gas emitted by phytoplankton in response to grazing by zooplankton. Some seabirds use DMS to locate prey, but this ability has not been demonstrated in whales. For 14 extant species of baleen whale, nares morphometrics...
Source: Biology Letters - January 30, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Conor Ryan Maria C I Martins Kevin Healy Lars Bejder Salvatore Cerchio Fredrik Christiansen John Durban Holly Fearnbach Sarah Fortune Ari Friedlaender William R Koski Carolyn Miller Fabian M Rodr íguez-González Paolo S Segre Jorge Urb án R Fabien Vivie Source Type: research
Oriental pied hornbills ( < em > Anthracoceros albirostris < /em > ) solve invisible displacement tasks in a test of Piagetian object permanence
In this study, six Oriental pied hornbills underwent testing for object permanence, including a series of seven standard Piagetian tasks involving visible and invisible displacements. The subjects consistently demonstrated spontaneous object permanence in all stages leading up to the invisible displacement stage. Half of the subjects achieved full stage 6 double invisible displacement Piagetian object permanence, while the other half reached stage 5 double visible displacement. Breeding behaviour and the duration of developmental stages are proposed as potential factors influencing object permanence ability in this species...
Source: Biology Letters - January 30, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Ruitong Yao Elias Garcia-Pelegrin Source Type: research
Flatworm cocoons in the abyss: same plan under pressure
This study provides the deepest record for free-living flatworms and the first information on their early life stages in the abyssal zone, which were very similar to those in shallow-water forms. This similarity in development between the relatively benign shallow-water and the extreme abyssal environments suggests that triclads adapting to the latter faced primarily physiological and/or ecological adaptive challenges rather than developmental ones.PMID:38263880 | PMC:PMC10806396 | DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0506 (Source: Biology Letters)
Source: Biology Letters - January 24, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Keiichi Kakui Aoi Tsuyuki Source Type: research
Multisensory integration in insect flight control
Biol Lett. 2024 Jan;20(1):20230565. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0565. Epub 2024 Jan 24.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38263881 | PMC:PMC10806407 | DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0565 (Source: Biology Letters)
Source: Biology Letters - January 24, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Sanjay P Sane Ric Wehling Tom Daniel Source Type: research
Uncovering the mosaic evolution of the carnivoran skeletal system
Biol Lett. 2024 Jan;20(1):20230526. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0526. Epub 2024 Jan 24.ABSTRACTThe diversity of vertebrate skeletons is often attributed to adaptations to distinct ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and sensory environment. Although the adaptive evolution of skull, appendicular skeleton, and vertebral column is well studied in vertebrates, comprehensive investigations of all skeletal components simultaneously are rarely performed. Consequently, we know little of how modes of evolution differ among skeletal components. Here, we tested if ecological and phylogenetic effects led to distinct modes of evolu...
Source: Biology Letters - January 24, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Chris J Law Leslea J Hlusko Z Jack Tseng Source Type: research
