Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Thoroughbred racehorses can reach maximum speeds of ~19 m s−1 but relatively little is known about the mechanics of these top speeds. Self Davies and colleagues (jeb.204107) have now recorded ground reaction forces of multiple limbs during high-speed galloping. The forces recorded are in line with those predicted in the literature, although the distribution of the forces between the forelimbs and hindlimbs is closer to a 50:50 ratio rather than the 60:40 commonly cited for other gaits. Understanding the mechanics of the galloping gait of racehorses provides insight into injury risk and factors limiting athletic performance. Photo features jockey Richard Perham; photo credit: Alan Wilson.
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INSIDE JEB
EDITORIAL
REVIEW
Feedback to the future: motor neuron contributions to central pattern generator function
Summary: Motor neurons relay signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles that perform behaviors. However, studies across phyla indicate that motor neurons also contribute to the function of pattern-generating circuits.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Augmenting biologging with supervised machine learning to study in situ behavior of the medusa Chrysaora fuscescens
Summary: High-resolution motion sensors paired with supervised machine learning can be used to infer fine-scale in situ behavior of zooplankton over long durations.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
CB1 and CB2 receptors play differential roles in early zebrafish locomotor development
Summary: The endocannabinoid system in zebrafish is pivotal to the development of the locomotor system, and perturbations of the system early in life alter morphology, locomotion and development of motor neurons.
Streak formation in flow over biomimetic fish scale arrays
Summary: Fish scale arrays produce steady laminar streaks inside the boundary layer of the fish, which reduces the skin friction drag and could delay transition.
Developmental effects of heatwave conditions on the early life stages of a coral reef fish
Summary: Juvenile damselfish exposed in early life to a sufficient duration of heatwave conditions are smaller in size but have better predator-escape performance.
Ground reaction forces of overground galloping in ridden Thoroughbred racehorses
Summary: Forces experienced by the limbs of racehorses during galloping increase with speed, concomitant with predictions from duty factor, though show an approximate 50:50 front:back impulse distribution, suggesting symmetry may be beneficial for injury avoidance.
Aimed limb movements in a hemimetabolous insect are intrinsically compensated for allometric wing growth by developmental mechanisms
Highlighted Article: A developmentally programmed change in the scratching movements of locusts permits adult animals to aim their movements at new wing tip targets, without learning.
Effects of natural wing damage on flight performance in Morpho butterflies: what can it tell us about wing shape evolution?
Summary: Investigation of natural wing damage in Morpho butterflies shows that flight performance depends on damage location, indicating that different wing parts play different roles during flight.
The distinct phenotypic signatures of dispersal and stress in an arthropod model: from physiology to life history
Summary: Physiological and life-history differences between dispersers and residents in a model mite are independent from stress responses, but may explain their success in different contexts.
Thermal acclimation and seasonal acclimatization: a comparative study of cardiac response to prolonged temperature change in shorthorn sculpin
Highlighted Article: The effects of seasonal acclimatization on cardiac responses to low temperatures are stronger than those of acclimation to similar temperatures in laboratory conditions, highlighting the importance of seasonal cues for cardiac remodelling in a eurythermal fish.
Context-dependent biosonar adjustments during active target approaches in echolocating harbour porpoises
Highlighted Article: Porpoises performing target approaches adjust biosonar outputs and clicking rates differently depending on the environment, thus highlighting context as an important factor to consider in addition to range-dependent biosonar adjustments.
Soft-surface grasping: radular opening in Aplysia californica
Summary: Newly described muscle fibers control a soft, flexible surface that the marine slug Aplysia californica uses to feed on seaweed, suggesting a novel mechanism for constructing a soft grasping device.
Behavioural responses to video and live presentations of females reveal a dissociation between performance and motivational aspects of birdsong
Summary: Zebra finches are less motivated to court videos of females than live females, but courtship songs to these stimuli are similar in performance, suggesting a dissociation between motivation and performance.
Regulation of blood flow in the pulmonary and systemic circuits during submerged swimming in common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina)
Summary: In common snapping turtles, beta-adrenergic stimulation increases heart rate during swimming and surfacing, whereas vagal withdrawal facilitates a systemic to pulmonary shunt during swimming.
The effects of target contrast on Drosophila courtship
Summary: Typically, contrast is thought to mediate visual saliency, but surprisingly, when presented with fly-sized, painted objects, male Drosophila melanogaster strongly preferred courting low-contrast, gray targets.
Ontogenetic change in predicted acoustic pressure sensitivity in larval red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
Summary: Computed tomography imagery in a finite-element model predicts that larval fishes detect acoustic pressure but that this pressure sensitivity declines ontogenetically, likely altering the detection and use of acoustic cues.
Ontogeny of effective mechanical advantage in eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Editors' Choice: Hindlimb muscle leverage declines during growth in cottontail rabbits, likely promoting increased locomotor performance during the precarious juvenile period of life history.
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.