Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Garden eels (Gorgasia sillneri) are unique fish that feed on drifting zooplankton while being ‘anchored’ to the bottom of the seabed, with the upper part of their body protruding from a burrow and the lower part held inside it. Khrizman et al. (jeb179523) demonstrate how these elongated fish modulate their body posture under a wide range of current speeds, behaviourally reducing the hydrodynamic forces exerted on them by strong flows. By curving their bodies towards the flow, the eels manage to keep their heads well above the seabed floor, effectively utilizing the higher flux of prey in that layer. Photo credit: Alexandra Khrizman.
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INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
CONVERSATION
COMMENTARIES
Properties of temporary adhesion systems of marine and freshwater organisms
Summary: An overview of the current knowledge of secretion-based, temporary adhesive systems in aquatic environments, with a special emphasis on duo-gland adhesive organs.
Circadian rhythms and environmental disturbances – underexplored interactions
Summary: Human-induced changes in temperature, chemical discharge, eutrophication of water and the associated depletion of oxygen may disrupt the integration between circadian rhythms and other functions in animals. This possibility should be considered more thoroughly in studies addressing the environmental responses of animals.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
UMATracker: an intuitive image-based tracking platform
Summary: UMATracker (Useful Multiple Animal Tracker): flexible image preprocessing by visual programming, multiple tracking algorithms and a manual tracking error-correction system.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Life in the flow: unique adaptations for feeding on drifting zooplankton in garden eels
Highlighted Article: By bending their body to reduce drag forces, garden eels – fish that feed while being anchored to the bottom – effectively feed on drifting zooplankton even when currents are strong.
Limits to sustained energy intake. XXVIII. Beneficial effects of high dietary fat on lactation performance in mice
Summary: Mice fed high-fat diets have reduced specific dynamic action and show improved reproductive performance, in agreement with predictions from the heat dissipation limitations theory.
Upper rate limits for one-to-one auditory–motor coordination involving whole-body oscillation: a study of street dancers and non-dancers
Summary: Upper rate limits for one-to-one auditory–motor coordination do not occur because of a bottleneck of perceptual and biomechanical rate limits but as a result of constraints on the coordination process.
Analysis of vascular mechanical properties of the yellow anaconda reveals increased elasticity and distensibility of the pulmonary artery during digestion
Summary: The mechanical properties of the dorsal aorta and the pulmonary artery during fasting and after feeding reveal increased pulmonary artery distensibility and elasticity during digestion, which possibly improves the Windkessel effect.
Trade-offs between immunity and testosterone in male African ground squirrels
Summary: Experimentally testing the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in a free-ranging mammal. Testosterone does not suppress immunity; instead immune activation suppresses testosterone.
Modulation of joint and limb mechanical work in walk-to-run transition steps in humans
Summary: Horizontal limb work at the hip characterizes fast walk-to-run transitions, whereas vertical knee-derived limb work occurs in slow walk-to-run transitions. Input of mechanical work is necessary in the walk-to-run transition even when decelerating.
Quantifying syringeal dynamics in vitro using electroglottography
Summary: In vitro high-speed imaging of avian sound production dynamics shows that electroglottography (EGG) can predict landmark parameters of syringeal motion.
Cellular mechanisms of slime gland refilling in Pacific hagfish (Eptatretus stoutii)
Highlighted Article: Hagfish slime gland refilling is a lengthy process; new slime cells are produced in the epithelial lining of the slime gland, and are moved to the center of the gland as new cells are produced below them during refilling.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
An accelerometer-derived ballistocardiogram method for detecting heart rate in free-ranging marine mammals
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Max Czapanskiy and co show how the resting heart rates of blue whales are immortalized in the accelerometry traces collected by motion sensing data tags.
Global change and physiological challenges for Amazonian fish
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In their Review, Adalberto Luis Val and Chris Wood discuss the physiological threats to the unique and diverse fish fauna of Amazonia.