Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Centipedes inhabit various terrains but are largely studied on flat surfaces. To gain insight into the mechanics and control of traversal on complex surfaces, Diaz et al. (jeb244688) studied how two centipede species negotiate laboratory model rugose terrains. The eastern red centipede (Scolopocryptops sexspinosus) changes its locomotor strategy (direct to retrograde limb-stepping pattern) with increasing terrain rugosity, whereas the tiger centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha) retains the same strategy (retrograde limb-stepping). When encountering detrimental limb-substrate interactions, both species fold their limbs towards the body, aiding limb-obstacle negotiation via passive limb gliding. Photo credit: Kenneth Wang.
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INSIDE JEB
COMMENTARIES
Insect diapause: from a rich history to an exciting future
Summary: Diapause is nearly universally employed by insects for surviving unfavorable seasons. In spite of impressive progress that has been made in understanding diapause, many exciting questions remain unanswered.
From perplexing to predictive: are we ready to forecast insect disease susceptibility in a warming world?
Summary: Climate change-induced temperature increases will have both positive and negative effects on insect immune systems; consequently, insect susceptibility to disease is difficult to predict. We discuss how future research can answer this key question.
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Epaxial and hypaxial co-contraction: a mechanism for modulating strike pressure and accuracy during suction feeding in channel catfish
Summary: Channel catfish vary suction feeding performance by modulating co-contraction of epaxial and hypaxial muscles.
Weanling gut microbiota composition of a mouse model selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behavior
Summary: Selective breeding for high levels of voluntary wheel-running behavior in house mice alters the gut microbiota composition and diversity at weaning, indicating a possible regulatory role for the microbiome in exercise behavior.
Stress tolerance is influenced by artificial light at night during development and life-history strategy
Highlighted Article: Light pollution during development reduces heat tolerance in a field cricket, but its effects on desiccation tolerance are dependent on flight capability.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Hoverfly (Eristalis tenax) pursuit of artificial targets
Summary: Three-dimensional reconstructions of hoverfly bead pursuits in an indoor arena show two behavioral strategies: a distal stage, which rapidly decreases the target distance, and a proximal stage, where the hoverfly shadows the target.
Foraging habitat and site selection do not affect feeding rates in European shags
Highlighted Article: Data from acceleration–depth data loggers show that during chick rearing, European shags (Gulosus aristotelis) did not follow classical optimal foraging rules but instead foraged opportunistically.
Multiple behaviors for turning performance of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis)
Summary: Despite generally rigid bodies, bluefin tuna are capable of maneuvering with high agility by using various turning behaviors, with a flexible tail and caudal peduncle.
Taurine depletion impairs cardiac function and affects tolerance to hypoxia and high temperatures in brook char (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Summary: Cardiac taurine deficiency impairs heart function in brook char and alters whole-animal sensitivity to thermal, hypoxic and exercise stress.
Transcriptomic changes associated with maternal care in the brain of mouthbrooding cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni reflect adaptation to self-induced metabolic stress
Highlighted Article: Transcriptome sequencing of maternal mouthbrooding cichlid whole brains identifies a number of candidate neuropeptides and hormones involved in parental behavior as well as general oxygen transport, metabolic processes and neuroprotective pathways likely induced by the metabolic stress of fasting.
Developing elastic mechanisms: ultrafast motion and cavitation emerge at the millimeter scale in juvenile snapping shrimp
Editor's choice: Within 1–2 months after settlement, juvenile snapping shrimp develop an elastic mechanism that allows them to generate ultrafast strikes, cavitation bubbles and the highest recorded accelerations for underwater, repeated-use movements.
Active and passive mechanics for rugose terrain traversal in centipedes
Summary: Centipedes use a presumed passive strategy to negotiate limb–substrate collisions. One centipede species changes its limb-stepping pattern, hypothesized to reduce footfall uncertainty.
Why don't horseflies land on zebras?
Summary: Pelage contrast and small dark patches are key to enabling stripes preventing zebras being attacked by biting flies.
Increased reliance on coronary perfusion for cardiorespiratory performance in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout
Summary: Increased myocardial compaction in seawater-acclimated rainbow trout is associated with greater reliance on coronary perfusion for cardiorespiratory performance.
Polarization sensitivity and decentralized visual processing in an animal with a distributed visual system
Highlighted Article: Acanthopleura granulata exhibits polarization sensitivity, and sensory information gathered by its distributed visual system is integrated in a decentralized visuotopic map.
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.
How a macrourid fish remains buoyant at depths it should be unable to reach
Fish with swimbladders should not be capable of descending below 7200m, but when Alan Jamieson and Todd Bond spotted a macrourid fish at 7259m, they knew they had seen something miraculous. Working with Imantes Priede, they reveal that the swimbladder of a 1 kg fish could hold 37.9 g of oxygen, sufficient to offset the weight of the fish's bones, and take 221-440 days to fill, which is plausible because it takes years for the fish to descend to such depths.
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.