Observations on five species of rodents, vole (Microtus socialis), gerbil (Gerbillus dasyurus), jird (Meriones tristrami), dormouse (Eliomys melanurus) and jerboa (Jaculus orientalis), revealed that, during the period when their neonates share a matching morphology, they also share the same forms of quadruped locomotion (gaits). The order in which the different gaits develop is similar in all species, beginning with the basic gaits of lateral walk and trot. Gaits and body morphology do not undergo further changes in voles, whereas the other species incorporate more specialized gaits later in ontogeny, when the adult body morphology has been attained. Gerbils and jirds incorporate a bounding gait, dormice incorporate galloping and jerboas incorporate bipedal running. Species with more specialized locomotion thus undergo more developmental stages than those with less specialized locomotion. Except for the jerboa, the nesting period was roughly the same for all species, but those with more specialized locomotion exhibited earlier onset of the basic gaits as if condensing their development in order to reach the adult gait within the same nesting period. Consequently, the adult gait emerges approximately 10 days before the end of nesting, regardless of nesting duration. Since growth rate does not seem to account for the differences in morphology and onset of gaits, the heterochrony in the observed species probably stems from differences in the duration of growth, which seems to be the key factor in the diversion from the basic common morphology. The present results reconfirm the traditional generalities of functional morphology derived from cross-species comparisons. In addition, they provide another perspective by comparing form and function within the same individuals in the course of ontogeny.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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