Issues
-
Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: An adult beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) wearing a bio-logging tag dives during an energetics study at the Georgia Aquarium jeb246899 (Atlanta, GA, USA). The tag monitors swimming stroke frequency via acceleration, which is matched to post-dive metabolic rate measured when the trained whale surfaces within a metabolic hood floating on the water surface. The resulting metabolic cost-per-stroke and cost of transport are subsequently used in bioenergetic models to determine the energetic balance of wild, endangered beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Photo credit: Georgia Aquarium.
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of contents
- PDF Icon PDF LinkIssue info
INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
COMMENTARY
Disentangling physiological and physical explanations for body size-dependent thermal tolerance
Summary: Size-dependent thermal tolerance can arise without any differences in the temperature dependence of underlying physiological processes and due solely to physical differences in heat exchange with the environment.
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Time-compensated sun compass in juvenile sprat (Sprattus sprattus) reveals the onset of migratory readiness
Summary: Migratory readiness was unveiled while testing sprats for sun compass orientation. Animals tested in early August showed only random, undirected orientation, whereas fish tested in late August oriented significantly.
Anatomy and mechanisms of vocal production in harvest mice
Summary: ‘Loud calls’ or ‘songs’ are long-distance communication signals that are widespread in the Reithrodontomyini and Baiomyini tribes. The term ‘long-distance call’ has different quantitative meanings among Neotominae.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Looking beyond the mean: quantile regression for comparative physiologists
Summary: Comparative physiologists often focus on mean responses. Quantile regression is a tool that can help physiologists ask and answer more questions about nature by investigating more of the response distribution.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Hierarchical processing of feature, egocentric and relational information for spatial orientation in domestic chicks
Summary: Chicks prioritize local features over egocentric information, and use spatial relationships as a last resort for orientation.
Kinematics and muscle activity of pectoral fins in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) station holding in turbulent flow
Summary: Synchronized high-speed video and electromyography of pectoral fins in station-holding trout reveal active and passive control.
The interaction of in vivo muscle operating lengths and passive stiffness in rat hindlimbs
Summary: Muscle operating length is crucial for force production in vivo. Passive stiffness may restrict muscles to slightly shorter operating lengths, potentially limiting force capacity during locomotion.
The incubation environment does not explain significant variation in heart rate plasticity among avian embryos
Summary: Individual avian embryos exhibit significant variation in how they respond to temperature, which cannot be explained by the incubation they experienced.
Hibernating female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) adjust huddling and drinking behaviour, but not arousal frequency, in response to low humidity
Highlighted Article: Female big brown bats maintain more compact huddles and increase drinking behaviour when hibernating in a dry environment versus a humid environment. Adjusting hibernation behaviour could allow this species to maintain water balance across a range of humidities.
Energy allocation is revealed while behavioural performance persists after fire disturbance
Summary: Contrasting ‘compensation’ and ‘performance’ models for energetics–behaviour linkage in the context of fire disturbance indicate the positive link (‘performance’) predominates, while allocation, elevated metabolism and suppressed exploration are the result of fire disturbance.
Conservation energetics of beluga whales: using resting and swimming metabolism to understand threats to an endangered population
Highlighted Article: Elevated energetic costs for rest and continuous locomotor activity by beluga whales limit underwater escape from anthropogenic threats.
Thrust production and chordal flexion of the flukes of bottlenose dolphins performing tail stands at different efforts
Highlighted Article: The tail stand of dolphins is an equilibrium of gravitational, buoyant and fluid forces balanced by kinematics so that as effort increases, oscillatory frequency and fluke flexibility increase.
Heart rate reduction during voluntary deep diving in free-ranging loggerhead sea turtles
Summary: The heart rate reduction in free-ranging loggerhead turtles during diving is affected by dive depth.
The fluid dynamics of barnacle feeding
Summary: Barnacles rely on an asymmetrical feeding current in quiescent water, which enables them to capture evasive prey.
ECR SPOTLIGHTS
Sensory perception in a changing world – join us in Liverpool in March 2025
We are excited to invite you to a unique scientific conference, celebrating the 100-year anniversary of The Company of Biologists, and bringing together our different communities. The conference will incorporate the JEB Symposium Sensory Perception in a Changing World and the SEB satellite meeting. Find out more and register to join us in March 2025 in Liverpool, UK. Submit your abstract by 17 January 2025. Early-bird registration ends on 17 January 2025.
Extraordinary creatures: mantis shrimp
In our new Conversation series focusing on extraordinary creatures, Tom Cronin and Sheila Patek tell us about the incredible biology of mantis shrimp, from their complex vision to their powerful striking abilities.
Behaviour as a physiological process
In this Commentary, Shamil Debaere & colleagues argue the case for integration of behaviour into animal physiology, and advocate for behaviour to be considered as a physiological process.
Tiny ring-necked snakes keep warm heads despite their size
Some ectotherms are able to raise the temperature of certain body parts above the temperature of other regions & now Christian Fox and Albert Chung, with undergraduates from the University of Virginia, reveal that the heads of tiny ring-necked snakes can be 2.1C warmer than their tails, even though they are only 20cm long.
