Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: A gyrfalcon during an aerial chase. Brighton et al. (jeb238493) used GPS trackers to record the intercept flight trajectories of captive-bred gyrfalcons. Computer modelling revealed that these naive gyrfalcons, which had never previously hunted, followed the same proportional navigation guidance law as peregrine falcons, but with a lower navigation constant that promotes tail-chasing rather than efficient interception. Photo credit: International Wildlife Consultants UK Ltd.
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INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
OBITUARY
COMMENTARY
Are mitochondria the main contributor of reactive oxygen species in cells?
Summary: This Commentary addresses whether mitochondria are the main source of cellular ROS. We argue that they are a significant site, but not necessarily the main source of cellular ROS under most conditions.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Thirst and drinking in North American watersnakes (Nerodia spp.)
Summary: Relatively small levels of dehydration elicit drinking of fresh water in three species of North American watersnakes, including a semi-marine species in which moderate, progressive dehydration is also shown to inhibit feeding.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Rhythmic auditory stimuli modulate movement recovery in response to perturbation during locomotion
Summary: A new method for the evaluation of intrinsic resilience during unsteady locomotion in humans and animals, analysing the relationship between the structure of movement variability and resilience.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Plasticity in parental effects confers rapid larval thermal tolerance in the estuarine anemone Nematostella vectensis
Summary:Nematostella vectensis quickly responds to changes in temperature to modulate parental effects that influence thermal tolerance of larvae in a reversible (plastic) manner, which could be significant for survival under global climate change.
Pendulum-based measurements reveal impact dynamics at the scale of a trap-jaw ant
Summary: A stiffer target and shorter contact duration increase energy transfer during trap-jaw ant mandible strikes measured with micro-impact pendulums.
Comparative cranial biomechanics in two lizard species: impact of variation in cranial design
Summary:In vivo measurements and computer-based simulations of the cranial mechanics of two large lizards indicate that similar mechanical behaviour is shared by lizards with distinct cranial architecture, and show the importance of the postorbital bar in resisting the feeding loads.
The Murphy number: how pitch moment of inertia dictates quadrupedal walking and running energetics
Summary: Work-based optimization predicts that mammalian gait choice emerges from managing the energetic trade-off of pitching versus translating the body.
Feel the light: sight-independent negative phototactic response in octopus arms
Highlighted Article: An extraocular photoreception mechanism in the octopus arm displays negative phototactic responses.
Early developmental stages of native populations of Ciona intestinalis under increased temperature are affected by local habitat history
Summary: Anthropogenic stressors can shape early developmental stages of Ciona intestinalis, increasing their resilience to predicted future heatwave scenarios when compared with control populations from undisturbed locations.
Masticatory system integration in a commensal canid: interrelationships between bones, muscles and bite force in the red fox
Summary: Strong interrelationships between the components of the masticatory system in red foxes suggest that it is strongly integrated, but not more so than for dogs. Yet, the components of the masticatory system are less variable in foxes than in dogs.
Testing the influence of crushing surface variation on seed-cracking performance among beak morphs of the African seedcracker Pyrenestes ostrinus
Summary: Experiments using tools that approximate the crushing surfaces of Pyrenestes ostrinus beak morphs show that variation in width and surface morphology has no significant effect on the efficiency of cracking seeds of variable hardness.
Attack behaviour in naive gyrfalcons is modelled by the same guidance law as in peregrine falcons, but at a lower guidance gain
Highlighted Article: Naive gyrfalcons attacking aerial targets are modelled by the same proportional navigation guidance law as peregrine falcons, but with a lower navigation constant that promotes tail-chasing rather than efficient interception.
Cutaneous tactile sensitivity before and after tail loss and regeneration in the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
Summary: Tactile sensitivity of the feet and tail in a species of lizard changes in response to tail loss and regeneration.
Maternal provisioning and fluctuating thermal regimes enhance immune response in a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination
Summary: Fluctuating temperatures increase immune strength of hatchling snapping turtles over constant temperature regimes, as does greater egg mass. However, there is no support for a sex-by-environment interaction on immune strength.
Intersection of motor volumes predicts the outcome of ambush predation of larval zebrafish
Summary: To survive predation, the volume of space prey can flee must exceed the volume of space predators can reach, providing a generalizable framework to explain predator–prey interactions.
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.