Issues
-
Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Mandarin ducks (pictured) predominantly swim on the water surface, whereas other duck species routinely use their feet for swimming underwater as well. Csillag and Ribak (jeb249274) trained mandarin ducks to dive underwater and compared their swimming biomechanics with that of ferruginous pochards, which are expert divers. They report that subtle adjustments in body orientation and foot kinematics underlie the adaptation of diving ducks for efficiently using webbed feet for swimming underwater. Photo credit: Hagar Csillag.
- PDF Icon PDF LinkIssue info
INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
SHORT COMMUNICATION
The missing effect of temperature on branchial O2 loss in an air-breathing catfish
Summary: Oxygen loss in the air-breathing pangasius is not strongly associated with blood oxygen affinity or gill anatomic diffusion factor; hence increasing temperature does not increase oxygen loss as expected.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Arduino allows development of a low-cost, high-resolution metabolic and behavioral phenotyping system for birds
Summary: DIY live-in chambers and Arduino electronics allow the use of standard respirometry equipment for high-resolution, multi-day metabolic phenotyping and bio-monitoring of birds.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Reproductive steroids as potential mediators of parental–reproductive trade-offs in a brood parasitic species
Summary: Avian brood parasites exhibit differences compared with related, non-parasitic species in seasonal profiles of reproductive steroid hormones and responsivity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis. These differences may underlie the increased annual fecundity of parasitic birds.
Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection inhibits mitochondrial respiratory function in a wild songbird
Highlighted Article:Mycoplasma gallisepticum may target mitochondrial complex II for its immune-suppressive properties during the early stages of infection and inhibit mitochondrial respiration for its metabolic-suppressive properties at a later stage of infection.
Bumblebees increase their learning flight altitude in dense environments
Summary: Dense environments influence bumblebees' first flights, during which they develop visual memories of their nest entrance. Manipulating nest-surrounding objects shows bees prioritise altitude gain over horizontal distance in cluttered environments.
Effects of hypoxia–reoxygenation on the bioenergetics and oxidative stress in the isolated mitochondria of the king scallop, Pecten maximus
Summary: A study on the impact of hypoxia–reoxygenation stress on mitochondrial function in Pecten maximus reveals substrate-specific mitochondrial responses and vulnerability during intermittent hypoxia.
Effects of back muscle fatigue and modified trunk inertia on lumbar kinematics, kinetics and muscle activity during walking
Highlighted Article:: A lower level of back endurance is associated with increased abdominal muscle activity, increased sagittal loading of the lumbar spine and reduced back muscle activity during walking in a state of back fatigue.
The sticky truth: how spider predation success depends on their prey's body surface
Highlighted Article: The adhesive properties of different spider capture threads (cribellate, gluey and non-specialised silk) are influenced by the surface chemistry and structure of the prey insect.
Gene expression and enzyme activity analysis of carbohydrate digestion in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus larvae
Summary: Investigation of the carbohydrate digestion capabilities of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus larvae reveals comparably high digestive capacity for laminarin, suggesting it may be an important carbon source in benthic and planktonic communities
Tapered insect (Acheta domesticus) antennae have rapid damped return with minimal oscillation after perturbation
Summary: Cricket antennae are long tapering sensory structures that return rapidly to their resting shape with minimal to no vibration after contact, facilitating a quicker response to the next mechanical stimulus.
Expansion of Drosophila haemocytes using a conditional GeneSwitch driver affects larval haemocyte function, but does not modulate adult lifespan or survival after severe infection
Summary: Increasing the number of fly macrophages using a conditional expression strategy alters larval immune phenotypes and reveals feedback mechanisms regulating blood cell numbers in vivo.
Sublethal glyphosate exposure reduces honey bee foraging and alters the balance of biogenic amines in the brain
Summary: In honey bees, sublethal exposure to the herbicide glyphosate reduces foraging and induces positive correlations in the brain content of octopamine and its precursors tyramine and tyrosine.
Encoding of antennal position and velocity by the Johnston's organ in hawkmoths
Summary: The mechanosensory Johnston's organ (JO) in hawkmoth antennae encodes the position, velocity and direction of antennal movements in response to external stimuli, revealing the neurophysiological basis of JO's functional versatility.
Transcriptomic responses to within-generation and intergenerational environmental warming in a cold-adapted salmonid
Summary: Intergenerational warm acclimation has a limited effect on differential gene expression in lake trout, a cold-adapted salmonid threatened by climate change.
Underwater paddling kinematics and hydrodynamics in a surface swimming duck versus a diving duck
Summary: Diving ducks use paddling kinematics underwater that is more efficient for countering buoyancy compared with that used by dabbling ducks.
ECR SPOTLIGHTS
Using the reactive scope model to redefine social stress in fishes
In their Review, Katie Gilmour and colleagues redefine the ambiguous concept of social stress by using the reactive scope model as a framework to explain the divergent physiological phenotypes of dominant and subordinate fishes.
JEB grants to support junior faculty
Learn about the grants that we launched in 2023 to support junior faculty from two of our awardees: Erin Leonard, Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Visiting Fellowship recipient, and Pauline Fleischmann, Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grant recipient. The next deadline to apply is 6 June 2025.
Thirteen-lined ground squirrels survive extraordinarily low blood oxygen
Brynne Duffy and colleagues reveal that thirteen-lined ground squirrels are true hypoxia champions surviving extreme low blood oxygen, down to just 34% oxygen, when they emerge briefly from hibernation.
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Fast & Fair peer review
Our sister journal Biology Open has recently launched the next phase of their Fast & Fair peer review initiative: offering high-quality peer review within 7 working days. To learn more about BiO’s progress and future plans, read the Editorial by Daniel Gorelick, or visit the Fast & Fair peer review page.
