Issues

Summary: Development and calibration of a vortex generator to investigate the stiffness of fish fins during natural swimming.

Summary: In vitro and in vivo validation of a simple respirometry system for simultaneous measurements of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production rate, in small aquatic organisms (2 mg wet mass).

Summary: Changes in mitochondrial function by thermal preconditioning provide some protection to a symbiotic sea anemone against the effects of stressful heating.

Summary: An interspecies comparison of byssus produced by nine species in different natural environments shows that mechanical properties depends on the interrelationship between morphometric characteristics and their biochemical contents.

Summary: Filter feeding in demosponges is energetically costly, with some species showing active behavioural control over the amount of water they filter under different ambient current speeds.

Highlighted Article: The stiffness of the aging Achilles tendon increases after 14 weeks of mechanical loading exercise by changing its material and dimensional properties, whereas continuing exercise causes no further adaptive changes.

Summary: Archerfish use the same mouth opening maneuver to produce and to adapt aerial and underwater jets.

Summary: The effect of accessory gland proteins transferred on the love-dart of land snails can remain hidden within a species as a result of physiological female resistance to male manipulation.

Summary: Two-week-old infant bats produce louder calls in noisy environments.

Summary: Organ morphology and biochemistry were altered in response to selective breeding for voluntary wheel running, chronic exercise and interactions as a result of ‘more pain, more gain’ or the evolution of greater phenotypic plasticity.

Highlighted Article: Background colour and illumination intensity both elicit colour change in bearded dragon lizards, which makes them more similar to local backgrounds.

Summary: High stocking density reduces survival and growth and masculinizes domesticated zebrafish, and this is probably mediated by cortisol through the stress response.

Summary: Canaries are able to rapidly increase the amplitude of their songs to mitigate signal masking by noise, demonstrating high vocal plasticity in this species.

Summary: A novel and non-lethal tracer method using deuterated water revealed alteration in lipid metabolism of migrant black-tailed godwits subjected to different diets.

Highlighted Article: Work and cost of breathing in 11 species of waterfowl are reported to be lower than previously predicted in birds, but without effect of altitudinal habitat despite mechanical differences in highland species.

Summary: Investigation of the effects of a fatiguing sound on the hearing of a beluga whale within a wide range of levels of test signals shows that fatiguing noise exposure reduces responses to supra-threshold signals.

Summary: Densely aggregated coral colonies can create small-scale refugia from the negative effects of ocean acidification.

Summary: Digesting newts prefer body temperatures that are optimal for aerobic scope not in absolute terms but relative to the minimum oxygen consumption.

Summary: Using laser Doppler vibrometry in a relict species, evolutionary origins of sound generator features are investigated by comparison of functional morphology between distinct lineages of acoustically calling orthopterans.

Summary: Microtubule sliding produced by dynein molecules on glass can be modified flexibly under application of mechanical signals. This self-regulatory activity of dynein would be the basis of flagellar oscillation.

Highlighted Article: Elevated locomotor costs during high-speed stroking by swimming dolphins demonstrate the energetic challenge of escape responses due to anthropogenic noise in the ocean.

Summary: Peacocks selectively direct their attention toward the lower display regions of the train during rival assessment in a pattern similar to how peahens direct their attention toward potential mating partners.

Summary: Higher constriction pressures allow kingsnakes to successfully prey on ratsnakes of similar size despite comparable muscle cross-sectional area and escape performance.