Issues

Summary: Overview of transcriptome regulation by microRNA and its involvement in the coordination of stress survival.

Summary: Pangasius has a much higher capacity for extracellular acid–base regulation during exposure to hypercapnia compared with other air-breathing fishes.

Highlighted Article: The work described in the paper is the first and the most complete study of the principles underlying nest excavation behaviors of ants in vivo in 3D settings.

Summary: Nematode predatory feeding as studied in Pristionchus pacificus acts through serotonin and is dependent on developmental plasticity that controls a mouth-form dimorphism.

Summary: Free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins dynamically adjust their sonar beam width to expand their acoustic field of view when approaching targets, potentially decreasing the risk of prey evasion.

Highlighted Article: A new method for estimating the biomechanical parameters of swimming strokes from tag data reveals that beaked whales may increase efficiency by switching gaits during different phases of deep dives.

Summary: Bumblebees have both behavioural (reduction in flight speed) and retinal (reduction in response speed of the photoreceptors) adaptations to allow them to fly in dim light.

Summary: The visual system configuration of emberizid sparrows (single fovea, wide binocular field, high eye movement amplitude) can meet multiple sensory demands for foraging and predator detection purposes.

Highlighted Article: Proteomic analysis of eurythermic fish Gillichthys mirabilis hearts shows significant metabolic reorganization with temperature acclimation, suggesting that the capacity to adjust ATP-generating processes is crucial to the thermal plasticity of cardiac function.

Summary: Characterization of the unsteady boundary layer behaviour adjacent to the undulatory body surface of rainbow trout during steady swimming reveals some remarkable new phenomena.

Summary: Mosquito larvae possess a sophisticated visual system containing five larval stemmata with two types of photoreceptors. The developing adult compound eye also contributes to larval visual capabilities.

Summary: Gliding ants exhibit variation in aerial righting phase duration, glide angle and trajectory directness, which are the principal determinants of ecologically relevant performance.

Summary: Thermal conditions experienced during early development affect survival from predation and phenotypic characteristics of prey later in life.

Highlighted Article: The daily energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate of red-sided garter snakes are significantly higher in small mating males than in courting males, and a single copulatory plug without sperm constitutes 5–18% of daily energy expenditure.

Summary: Turbulence and waves induce oyster larvae to swim faster upward or to dive. These behaviors are energetically costly but could reduce predation mortality and enhance larval delivery to adult habitats.

Summary: Initiation of swimming is based on an instantaneous evaluation of whole-field visual sensory input as opposed to an accumulation of evidence over a prolonged time.

Summary: Hummingbirds are exceptional flyers that employ a combination of mean and transient flight control mechanisms to enable them to maintain flight in highly turbulent wind environments.

Summary: Acceleration affects gait measures during walk, trot and canter in horses – force angle, collision angle and fraction are promising tools for future research.