Issues
-
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.
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of contents
- PDF Icon PDF LinkIssue info
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.
New funding schemes for junior faculty staff

In celebration of our 100th anniversary, JEB has launched two new grants to support junior faculty staff working in animal comparative physiology and biomechanics who are within five years of setting up their first lab/research group. Check out our ECR Visiting Fellowships and Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grants. First deadline for applications is 15 July 2023.
JEB@100: an interview with Monitoring Editor Sanjay Sane

Sanjay Sane tells us about his first experience of publishing with the journal and why he thinks JEB is going to play a key role in our understanding of the current climate crisis and its implications for biodiversity.
The Forest of Biologists

The Forest of Biologists is a biodiversity initiative created by The Company of Biologists, with support from the Woodland Trust. For every Research and Review article published in Journal of Experimental Biology a native tree is planted in a UK forest. In addition to this we are protecting and restoring ancient woodland and are dedicating these trees to our peer reviewers. Visit our virtual forest to learn more.
Celebrating 100 years of discovery

This Special Issue focuses on broad biological questions addressed through the lens of comparative biomechanics. Crosscutting through time, this series of Reviews, Commentaries and Research Articles addresses questions from the vantage points of the history of the field, today’s research, and the future of comparative biomechanics. Read the Editorial by Sheila Patek, Monica Daley and Sanjay Sane.
Centenary Review - Adaptive echolocation behavior

Cynthia F. Moss and colleagues Review the behaviours used by echolocating mammals to track and intercept moving prey, interrogate dynamic sonar scenes, and exploit visual and passive acoustic stimuli.
Crucial DNA at crux of insect wing size evolution
Keity Farfán-Pira and colleagues have revealed that a tiny region of regulatory DNA in the vestigial gene governs whether insect wings are large or small and has played a key role in the evolution of insect wing size.