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Cover Image
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Close ModalCover: A common swift approaching a water surface to drink on the wing. Ruaux et al. (jeb244961 ) analysed how these birds regulate their flight speed during this special behaviour. When gliding down to a water body, swifts accelerate, transforming potential energy into kinetic energy. However, before touching the water, swifts actively dissipate mechanical energy and reduce their flight speed, probably to have a finer control on their trajectory and decrease the risk of falling into the water. This suggests that common swifts, known as extremely efficient flyers, can also prioritize safety over energy savings, when flying close the Earth’s surface. Photo credit: Emmanuel de Margerie.
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INSIDE JEB
EDITORIALS
CONVERSATION
OBITUARY
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Incubation temperature alters stripe formation and head colouration in American alligator hatchlings and is unaffected by estradiol-induced sex reversal
Summary: Incubation temperature alters the number of stripes on the dorsal surface of alligator hatchlings and changes head pigmentation, with potential implications for hatchling camouflage and thermoregulation.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
The influence of plant odours on sexual readiness in an insectivorous songbird
Summary: Odour from trees infested by caterpillars enhances gonadal development in fast-exploring females of a common insectivorous songbird.
Linking whole-body angular momentum and step placement during perturbed human walking
Summary: Investigation of human walking during perturbations varying in magnitude, direction and timing indicates a significant influence of all three variables on whole-body angular momentum and step placement as well as strong correlations between whole-body angular momentum and step placement in the frontal plane but not the sagittal plane.
Physiological responses to hypoxia are constrained by environmental temperature in heterothermic tenrecs
The metabolic and thermoregulatory responses of Malagasy tenrecs to acute hypoxia and hypercapnia approaches that of ectothermic reptiles.
Prenatal thyroid hormones accelerate postnatal growth and telomere shortening in wild great tits
Summary: Exposure to higher prenatal thyroid hormones can lead to accelerated cellular ageing in wild great tits, measured through telomere length.
Drink safely: common swifts (Apus apus) dissipate mechanical energy to decrease flight speed before touch-and-go drinking
Summary: Common swifts actively dissipate their mechanical energy before touching water when they drink in flight, possibly as a result of a trade-off between energy expenditure and safety.
Neural activation patterns associated with mouthbrooding, maternal care, infanticide and fry release in an African cichlid fish
Summary: The cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni exhibits distinct neural activation patterns in mouthbrooding, maternal care-providing and infanticide-exhibiting females, and in offspring before and after release from the mother's mouth.
A ballistic pollen dispersal strategy based on stylar oscillation of Hypochaeris radicata (Asteraceae)
The pollen-bearing floral parts (styles) of Asteraceae flowers serve as ballistic levers to catapult pollen toward insects within a specific range equal to the size of a flowerhead, minimizing wasteful dispersal.
Fish swimming mode and body morphology affect the energetics of swimming in a wave-surge water flow
Deep-bodied, pectoral fin swimming fish show lower net energetic costs of maneuvering in a bidirectional wave-surge type flow.
Contrasting effects of fungicide and herbicide active ingredients and their formulations on bumblebee learning and behaviour
Summary: The fungicide prothioconazole and herbicide glyphosate at field-realistic doses may not negatively impact olfactory learning ability of bumblebees in a lab setting, but glyphosate may cause changes in bumblebee responsiveness.
ECR SPOTLIGHTS
The Forest of Biologists
We are excited to announce the launch of The Forest of Biologists, a new biodiversity initiative created with support from the Woodland Trust, aiming to counteract nature loss and safeguard some of the most critically endangered ecosystems for future generations. Do take a look around our virtual forest. For every Research Article and Review/Commentary article that is published in JEB, a native tree is planted in a forest in the UK.
Celebrating 100 years of discovery
We are proud to be celebrating 100 years of discovery in Journal of Experimental Biology. Visit our centenary webpage to find out more about how we are marking this historic milestone.
Looking back on the first issue of JEB
Journal of Experimental Biology launched in 1923 as The British Journal of Experimental Biology. As we celebrate our centenary, we look back at that first issue and the zoologists publishing their work in the new journal.
JEB@100 Conversation
In our new Conversation series JEB@100, JEB Editor-in-Chief Craig Franklin talks about the big outstanding questions in the field of physiological plasticity and why he thinks a sense of community is key to the journal's success. Find out more here.
Deer mice overheat and struggle to run in high temperatures
Matthew Eizenga and colleagues show that deer mice run comfortably at 25C, but as the temperature rises the tiny rodents start to struggle and they begin overheating at air temperatures of 38C, which could be a big problem for the animals in future climate scenarios.
Propose new workshop for 2025
Do you have an idea for a Workshop? We are now accepting proposals for our 2025 Biologists Workshops programme. As the scientific organiser, your involvement will be focused on the science. We'll take care of all the logistics. In 2025 we'll continue our efforts to diversify our Workshop programme and will be reserving one of our Workshops for an application from a Global South (GS) country to host an event overseas.
