Energy is the currency of life. Eat more than you use and you store fat; use more than you eat and you won't last long. But understanding bioenergetics is more than just a matter of our waistlines; it is fundamental to life and the interactions of all living things with the environment. Understanding how organisms use energy is also key to the survival of many species during this time of dramatic change. How will altering wind patterns impinge on migrating birds? What sets the upper limits on the amount of energy that animals can produce? How can we combat metabolic syndrome and the obesity epidemic? These are fundamental biological questions that go well beyond the protein structures and reaction mechanisms that underpin bioenergetics. Fascinated by biological energy use, Raul Suarez at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, has drawn together a collection of review articles addressing the issue of bioenergetics from a wide range of perspectives, from the ecological to biomedical. ‘I wanted to come up with an issue that demonstrates the range of research activity that goes on and shows that this is a vibrant and exciting area of science,’ says Suarez. Teaming up with JEB Editor-in-Chief Hans Hoppeler to invite contributors from various backgrounds with an interest in bioenergetics, Suarez has drawn together a unique collection of review articles addressing ‘The Biology of Energy Expenditure’.
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January 2011
2023 JEB Outstanding Paper Prize shortlist and winner
The JEB Editors are delighted to announce the shortlisted authors for the 2023 JEB Outstanding Paper Prize. Read the winning paper - Tiny spies: mosquito antennae are sensitive sensors for eavesdropping on frog calls - by Hoover Pantoja-Sanchez and Brian Leavell from Ximena Bernal's lab at Purdue University, USA.
JEB Science Communication Workshop for ECRs
If you’re an early-career researcher interested in science communication and are attending the SEB Annual Conference in Prague this summer, come a day early and join the JEB Editors at a sci comm workshop to learn the key writing skills needed to promote your research to a broad audience beyond your peers (1 July at 14.30-17.30). Places are limited to 24 attendees, and applicants should apply through the SEB registration page by 30 April 2024.
Bridging the gap between controlled conditions and natural habitats in understanding behaviour
Novel technologies enable behavioural experiments with non-model species, in naturalistic habitats and with underexplored behaviours. In their Commentary, Scholz and colleagues discuss how to obtain a deeper understanding of the natural ecology and lifestyle of study animals.
Beluga metabolic measures could help save species
To help save animals from extinction, it’s important to understand what each species needs to survive. This led Jason John et al. to measure the metabolic rates of captive belugas to develop a ‘fish calculator’ showing that the whales need to eat ~23 salmon per day.
ECR Workshop on Positive Peer Review
Are you an ECR looking for tips on how to write concise, astute and useful manuscript reviews? If so, join the JEB Editors at a 2-hour JEB-sponsored Workshop on Positive Peer Review at the Canadian Society of Zoologists annual meeting in Moncton on 9 May 2024 at 13.00-15.00. There are 25 spaces for ECRs and selection is first come, first serve. To sign up, check the ECR Workshop box when you register for the CSZ meeting.
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