Issues

Summary: Simple measures of temporal vision such as the critical flicker frequency can be useful for modelling natural vision only if their relationship to photoreceptor responses and retinal processing is understood.

Highlighted Article: Black howler monkeys rely on route-based cognitive maps, which constrain their movement decisions, but likely incorporate metric information to navigate more efficiently along frequently used routes.

Summary: MicroRNAs regulate AMPK and skeletal muscle metabolic function in hypoxic naked mole-rats.

Summary: Exogenous alanine inhibits the rate of glucose appearance and disposal in rainbow trout to lower circulating glucose concentrations. In contrast to mammals, the glucose-lowering effect does not involve activation of AMPK.

Summary: Manipulation of diet to influence the energetic environment in Anolis carolinensis females reveals that expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 and 2 (IGF1 and IGF2) is affected by energetic status in reptiles.

Summary: The dorsal wings of the mother-of-pearl butterfly, Protogoniomorpha parhassus, show characteristics of thin film reflectors, allowing simultaneous spectral and polarization changes, which may be important in intraspecific communication.

Summary: Ants can learn to associate an odour with a reward; blocking receptors for the neurotransmitter octopamine prevents learning, and blocking dopamine receptors affects long-term memory.

Summary: An examination of energetics in manatees and monk seals provides insight into the metabolic trade-offs required for rest and diving by marine mammals living in warm water.

Summary: Additional mechanistic insights indicate why Atlantic salmon are more tolerant of high temperatures than Arctic char, and why char are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Highlighted Article: Marine mammals show elevated energy expenditure compared with terrestrial mammals; however, bottlenose dolphins expend 17.1% less energy than other marine mammals of a similar body mass. They also show an age-related metabolic decline.

Summary: Hindlimb unloading in rats leads to disturbances in body balance and locomotor performance, and results in compensatory adjustments of muscle activity toward a faster gait strategy, presumably with a supraspinal origin.

Summary: Localized tissue displacements within the Achilles tendon respond in anatomically consistent ways to differential patterns of triceps surae muscle activation, but these relationships are highly susceptible to ankle angle.

Summary: Gouldian finches have genetically distinct colour morphs linked with differences in dominance. Despite this, they did not differ in four categories of metabolic assessment before or after initial social interactions.

Summary: Calculation of the torques about the critical tipping axis of animals beyond the quantification of the stability margin or the body height enables categorization of locomotion behaviors against toppling.

Summary: The first quantitative analysis of the separate effects of CO₂ and bicarbonate on crocodilian hemoglobin, showing that both bind directly with high affinity at the same T-state site, promoting O₂ unloading.

Summary: Viscous shear stress acting on the distal margin of regenerating fins and the resulting internal tension are proposed as signals for fine-tuning of ray growth dynamics and branching pattern.

Summary: Hyperoxia expands maximal oxygen consumption rate and aerobic scope in exhaustively exercised rainbow trout by increasing cardiac contractility and cardiac output.

Summary:Carcinus maenas acclimated to a simulated tidal cycle verses constant submersion exhibit different physiological responses to emersion and immersion, indicating that caution must be taken when acclimating intertidal organisms to laboratory conditions.