Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: The larva of a marine snail (Crepidula fornicata) generates powerful currents in the water around itself as it swims in search of food. Inserting brightly colored particles into the water near the animal allows these currents to be easily visualized using time-lapse photography, resulting in two large vortices becoming visible near the animal. Gilpin et al. (pp. 3411–3418) introduce a general visualization technique to identify large-scale coherent patterns generated by the motions of organisms at a variety of scales, a potentially new technique for analyzing locomotion, flocking and swimming without the need for more intensive computational tools. Photo credit: William Gilpin.
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INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Phenotypic plasticity of muscle fiber type in the pectoral fins of Polypterus senegalus reared in a terrestrial environment
Summary: Polypterus senegalus raised in terrestrial environments develop a greater proportion of fast-contracting muscle fibers in their pectoral fins compared with aquatically reared fish.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Flowtrace: simple visualization of coherent structures in biological fluid flows
Summary: We present Flowtrace, an algorithm and open-source code that allows simple visualization of characteristic structures (like jets or vortices) that appear in biological systems.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Turbulence induces metabolically costly behaviors and inhibits food capture in oyster larvae, causing net energy loss
Editors' Choice: Late-stage oyster larvae are unable to gain energy in strong turbulence, even at very high food concentrations, because turbulence induces metabolically costly behaviors while inhibiting food capture.
Changes of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) dive behavior associated with tropical storm passage during the inter-nesting period
Summary: Data retrieved from motion dataloggers and satellite tags showed that a tropical storm can have a large effect on swimming energetics of a sea turtle, but has little effect on nesting.
Thermal imprinting modifies bone homeostasis in cold-challenged sea bream (Sparus aurata)
Summary: Variation in water temperature during early development in sea bream alters the response of adult fish to a cold challenge and is associated with a change in whole animal physiology and bone homeostasis.
The nervous system does not compensate for an acute change in the balance of passive force between synergist muscles
Summary: Force sharing between the three heads of the triceps surae during submaximal contractions changes as a function of ankle angle, and the magnitude of this change is individual specific.
Controlling thoracic pressures in cetaceans during a breath-hold dive: importance of the diaphragm
Highlighted Article: Stiffening the cetacean diaphragm may stabilize thoracic pressures during a breath-hold dive but it could also cause pressure problems for some of the arteries.
Honeybees in a virtual reality environment learn unique combinations of colour and shape
Summary: A novel virtual reality environment and paradigm for visual training in walking honeybees shows that bees learn certain visual components over others (colour over shape), and interaction between components is crucial for visual learning in walking bees.
Avian thermoregulation in the heat: evaporative cooling capacity of arid-zone Caprimulgiformes from two continents
Summary: Caprimulgiformes demonstrate high heat tolerance that is mediated by low rates of resting metabolism and a very efficient evaporative process that uses a gular flutter mechanism.
Role of outstretched forelegs of flying beetles revealed and demonstrated by remote leg stimulation in free flight
Summary: The forelegs of beetles were found to voluntarily swing to assist with flight yaw rotation. Remote control of left–right turnings by inducing leg swings was demonstrated via a wireless electrical stimulator.
Molecular plasticity and functional enhancements of leg muscles in response to hypergravity in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster
Highlighted Article: An experimental fly model system to study how animals sense variation in their body weight and make corresponding molecular design and functional adjustments to load-bearing skeletal muscles.
Maximum thermal limits of coral reef damselfishes are size dependent and resilient to near-future ocean acidification
Summary: Despite a widespread perception that end-of-century ocean acidification will reduce the thermal limits of fishes, we show that critical thermal maxima of coral reef damselfishes are robust to this stressor.
Chronic warm exposure impairs growth performance and reduces thermal safety margins in the common triplefin fish (Forsterygion lapillum)
Summary: Chronic exposure to temperatures warmer than present-day summertime conditions reduces growth performance, metabolic scope and thermal safety margins in the common triplefin fish (Forsterygion lapillum).
A mosquito entomoglyceroporin, Aedes aegypti AQP5, participates in water transport across the Malpighian tubules of larvae
Summary: Aedes aegypti aquaporin 5 participates in transcellular water transport across principal cells of larval mosquito Malpighian tubules.
Three-dimensional trajectories affect the epaxial muscle activity of arboreal snakes crossing gaps
Summary: When bridging gaps between branches, snakes use highly variable patterns of epaxial muscle activity depending on body orientation and the location of muscles relative to the supporting surfaces.
Physiological mechanisms constraining ectotherm fright-dive performance at elevated temperatures
Highlighted Article: Investigation of the physiological mechanisms underlying compromised fright-dive capacity at elevated temperatures in juvenile estuarine crocodiles indicates that reduced capacity for metabolic depression and increased metabolic demands underlie shortened dive durations.
Feeding begets drinking: insights from intermittent feeding in snakes
Summary: Quantification of freshwater drinking in relation to feeding in four species of snakes shows that postprandial relative to preprandial drinking is greater in all species, indicating that meal digestion increases the physiological requirement for water.
Acoustic characteristics used by Japanese macaques for individual discrimination
Summary: The acoustic features used by Japanese macaques to discriminate among individuals was investigated. Monkeys used both fundamental frequencies and vocal tract characteristics to discriminate between two monkeys based on vocalizations.
DNA methylation profiles in red blood cells of adult hens correlate with their rearing conditions
Summary: Differential DNA methylation occurs in red blood cells of adult hens reared under different conditions, i.e. in cages or open aviaries.
A peculiar mechanism of bite-force enhancement in lungless salamanders revealed by a new geometric method for modeling muscle moments
Summary: Desmognathine salamanders achieve a strong bite with a unique ligamentous mechanism that amplifies muscle force.
Virus interferes with host-seeking behaviour of mosquito
Summary: For the first time, changes are shown in the host-seeking behaviour of mosquitoes induced by West Nile virus that do not favour transmission of the virus.
The Integrative Biology of the Heart

We are pleased to welcome submissions to be considered for our upcoming special issue: The Integrative Biology of the Heart, guest edited by William Joyce and Holly Shiels. This issue will consider the biology of the heart at all levels of organisation, across animal groups and scientific fields.
JEB@100: an interview with Monitoring Editor John Terblanche

John Terblanche reveals how he narrowly avoided becoming a sports scientist and why he thinks phenotypic plasticity is the big question currently facing comparative physiologists. Find out more about the series on our Interviews page.
Vision 2024: Building Bridges in Visual Ecology

Early-career researchers can apply for funded places at our Vision 2024: Building Bridges in Visual Ecology. The event is organised by Eleanor Caves, Sonke Johnsen and Lorain Schweikert and being held at Buxted park 10-13 June 2023. Deadline 1 December 2023.
Reconciling the variability in the biological response of marine invertebrates to climate change

Drawing on work in reef-building corals, Zoe Dellaert and Hollie Putnam provide historical context to some of the long-standing challenges in global change biology that constrain our capacity for eco-evolutionary forecasting, as well as considering unresolved questions and future research approaches. Read the full Centenary Review Article here.
Sipping takes no effort for hovering hawkmoths

Hovering takes the most effort so how much energy does sipping require when hawkmoths hover? Next to nothing, apparently. Alexandre Palaoro & colleagues have discovered that the insects’ proboscises are incredibly wettable, drawing nectar along the length with no effort, giving them a free drink on the wing.