Endurance is crucial for animal survival yet remains poorly studied in free-ranging animals. An animal's endurance time decreases as a hyperbolic function of increasing exercise intensity, called the speed-duration relationship. This relationship allows for defining critical speed, the endurance threshold separating efforts where metabolic homeostasis is achievable from efforts where fatigue accumulates drastically. Using tracking collars on domestic dogs during hunting sessions, we demonstrated the ability to determine the speed-duration relationship and its parameters: the theoretical maximal speed (Si), critical speed (Sc), and distance reserve (DACmax). This new method exhibited good repeatability across sessions and bypasses conventional laboratory assessment, allowing the characterisation of physical abilities in natura. Our approach provides the unique possibility to study when, where, and how long free-ranging animals experience fatigue and helps uncover how environmental factors affect their energy expenditure. All codes for applying our analyses are openly available (figshareLink).
Modelling endurance in free-ranging animals using tracking collars: insights from domestic hunting dogs
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Using the reactive scope model to redefine social stress in fishes
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JEB grants to support junior faculty
Learn about the grants that we launched in 2023 to support junior faculty from two of our awardees: Erin Leonard, Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Visiting Fellowship recipient, and Pauline Fleischmann, Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grant recipient. The next deadline to apply is 6 June 2025.
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The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Fast & Fair peer review
Our sister journal Biology Open has recently launched the next phase of their Fast & Fair peer review initiative: offering high-quality peer review within 7 working days. To learn more about BiO’s progress and future plans, read the Editorial by Daniel Gorelick, or visit the Fast & Fair peer review page.
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