Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology最新文献

{"title":"Effect of Body Configuration on Perturbation Resistance Across Arboreal Lizard Species.","authors":"Victor David Munteanu, Trevor Brewington, Savannah Swisher, Amanda Kellerhals, Richard W Blob","doi":"10.1002/jez.70041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animals that inhabit high-risk habitats often exhibit morphological and behavioral adaptations to contend with environmental challenges. In arboreal (tree-based) habitats, such adaptations can include corrective behaviors, such as modification of body-limb angles, to avoid dislodgement by perturbations. This study evaluated shifts in limb and tail movements by three arboreal lizard species with different body configurations (variations of limb posture, body height, and tail prehensility) as they experienced simulations of unexpected arboreal perturbations. Animals were placed on a custom-built, laterally sliding perch apparatus, with trials filmed using high-speed video. Effects of different body configuration on restabilization performance were evaluated by comparing center of mass (CoM) displacement, limb angles, and tail behavior that occurred during the recovery from a sudden stoppage of perch movement. Results indicated that both body configuration and tail behavior influenced CoM displacement more than other kinematic factors. Across the three configurations that we compared, the sprawling, prehensile-tailed body configuration showed significantly larger CoM displacement compared to the upright, prehensile-tailed and the sprawling, non-prehensile-tailed configurations, especially when utilizing dynamic tail rotation as a stabilization behavior. These data indicate that a wide range of kinematic behaviors can be employed by arboreal lizards to ensure stability when subjected to potential dislodgement, but specific approaches, may contribute to superior performance for species with particular body designs, as seen with the use of dynamic tail rotation used by sprawling, prehensile-tailed species.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145292358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antioxidants and Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Research Evidence and Prospectives Using the Drosophila Model.","authors":"Mai Fathy, Amal Seif, Samar El Kholy","doi":"10.1002/jez.70042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, marked by oxidative damage to dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in motor and non-motor symptoms. Antioxidant supplements have emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy, particularly for forms unresponsive to Levodopa. Due to the limitations of human studies, animal models, especially Drosophila, have been widely used to investigate sporadic and familial PD. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of antioxidants in mitigating PD symptoms. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2000 and December 4, 2024, excluding reviews and irrelevant models or diseases. Methodological quality was assessed using the SYRCLE tool, and 82 studies met the inclusion criteria. A random-effects model was applied using MetaEasy. Antioxidants such as terpenoids (effect size = 3.23), flavonoids (1.68), plant extracts (2.95), and others like vitamin C, melatonin, and Gastrodin (3.61) significantly improved PD outcomes. However, high heterogeneity across studies persisted. This variability may reflect differences in study design and execution. This heterogeneity may arise due to the methodological variations across studies. Our meta-analysis highlighted the potential role of antioxidants in managing PD referring to key considerations for future research in this area.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145251357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lost in the Light: Effects of Exposure to Artificial Light at Night on Migratory Birds.","authors":"Vibha Yadav, Aakansha Sharma, Jyoti Tiwari, Shalie Malik","doi":"10.1002/jez.70043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial light at night (LAN) is expanding globally, changing the natural landscape and imposing novel ecological pressures on wildlife. Birds, like most organisms, use natural light information to regulate their daily and seasonal behaviors, including the precise timing for migration and reproduction. The presence of LAN has, however, blurred the day-night boundaries thereby leading to misinterpretation and physiological and behavioral desynchronization. This review synthesizes current knowledge of how LAN affects migratory birds, with a focus on their orientation and navigation, attraction to urban centers, increased risks of collisions, altered nocturnal predator-prey dynamics, disrupted foraging behavior, and interference with hormonal rhythms that are critical for migratory preparedness. In addition to highlighting these direct and indirect ecological consequences, we critically examined the existing mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the impact of LAN. With this, we have identified that while a few research focus on understanding LAN effects and its mitigation methods, there is a significant knowledge gap in understanding its mechanistic pathways and long-term fitness consequences for migratory birds. Furthermore, the body of applied knowledge available to mitigate LAN effects is still very limited. We conclude by identifying and discussing several key areas for future work.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145251333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxygen Consumption of the River Nerite Theodoxus fluviatilis in Different Salinities.","authors":"Laura I R Fuchs, Johanna Klepsch, Pia Katzberg, Christian Müller, Jan-Peter Hildebrandt","doi":"10.1002/jez.70033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The river nerite Theodoxus fluviatilis (Linneaus, 1758) is an euryhaline osmoconformer found in freshwater (FW) and brackish water (BW) habitats across Europe and western Asia. In northern Germany, T. fluviatilis forms regional subgroups, the FW and the BW ecotypes. Members of these ecotypes differ in shell morphology and in shell size as well as in their metabolic pathways of accumulating organic osmolytes under hyperosmotic stress. Oxygen consumption rates were measured, as a noninvasive fitness-indicator, of animals exposed to external media with different salinities. The BW water snails were exposed to hyper- and hyposaline conditions, while the FW snails were naturally only exposed to hyperosmotic conditions. Respiration rates in specimens of the BW ecotype stayed more or less constant overall in all salinities tested. While the BW snails' respiration rates were not affected by the salinity treatment per se, they were affected by the sequence of salinity treatments that they were exposed to (hyperosmotic conditions first vs. hypoosmotic conditions first). Respiration rates strongly declined in the FW ecotype individuals with increasing medium salinity. We suggest that the hypersaline conditions pose greater stress for the animals than the hyposaline conditions because of the higher metabolic activities required for tissue volume regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145244502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subcutaneous Implantation of Exogenous Melatonin Induces a Polarization Effect on the Weight of Scent Glands in Muskrat.","authors":"Dewang Liu, Wei Liu, Yuanxi Cui, Kaixin Yi, Yu Zhang, Suying Bai","doi":"10.1002/jez.70038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a small, semi-aquatic rodent notable for its scent glands, which secrete a substance containing muscone. Melatonin (MLT) has been demonstrated to reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. However, its role in the development of muskrat scent glands remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of 20 mg MLT on the scent glands of muskrat. The results showed that administration of 20 mg MLT resulted in polarized changes in gland weight: some individuals (M-A group) exhibited a decrease in gland weight, while others (group M-B) showed an increase. We observed that MLT treatment significantly upregulated the mRNA levels of PI3K, Bcl-2, and JNK in the scent glands of the M-A group. However, MLT did not demonstrate significant activation of the downstream signaling pathways of PI3K (Akt, p21, CDK1, and Cyclin B1), mitochondrial apoptosis markers (Bax, Caspase9, CytC), or the FGF 20-H-Ras-MAPK 1 signaling axis. Our findings provide preliminary insights into the impact of MLT on the development and secretion of scent in muskrat, offering important reference points for future related research.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145191868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cryptic Ontogenetic Changes in the Ventral Coloration of a Color Polymorphic Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis).","authors":"Javier Abalos, Alicia Bartolomé, Guillem Pérez I de Lanuza, Fabien Aubret, Enrique Font","doi":"10.1002/jez.70035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many animals undergo irreversible ontogenetic color changes (OCCs), yet these changes are often overlooked despite their potential ethological relevance. The problem is compounded when OCCs involve wavelengths invisible to humans. Wall lizards can perceive ultraviolet (UV) light, and their conspicuous ventral and ventrolateral coloration-including UV-reflecting patched-likely serves social communication. Here, we describe OCCs in the ventral (throat and belly) and ventrolateral (outer ventral scales, OVS) coloration of juvenile common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) as perceived by conspecifics. We measured reflectance in hatchling and yearling lizards raised under semi-natural conditions and used visual modeling to estimate chromatic distances within individuals and across life stages (i.e., hatchlings, yearlings, and adults). Hatchlings typically exhibit UV-enhanced white (UV⁺white) on their ventral surfaces (throat, belly, and OVS), a color that is likely discriminable to conspecifics from the most frequent adult colors in the throat (i.e. orange, yellow, and UV-reduced white; UV^-white) and OVS (i.e., UV-blue). The prevalence of UV⁺white decreases with age, with the decline being less pronounced in female bellies. OCCs to UV-blue in the OVS are more apparent in males than in females and appear delayed relative to changes in the throat and belly. While throat colors in yearlings are indistinguishable to conspecifics from adult throat colors, yearling UV-blue patches remain chromatically distinct from those of adults. This delay may reflect variations in the mechanisms of color production or distinct selective pressures acting on these patches. Overall, our results show that OCCs in P. muralis fulfill a key requirement for social signals by being perceptible to conspecifics. This supports the hypothesis that OCCs may play a role mediating interactions between juveniles and adults, as well as delaying the onset of colors involved in social communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145149242","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Inhibition of PP1γ2 by PKA Through SRC Initiates Sperm Motility in Tree Shrews.","authors":"Minghua Yang, Xin Zhang, Xia Tan, Yahui Li","doi":"10.1002/jez.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The serine/threonine phosphatase PP1γ2 plays a critical role in modulating epididymal sperm maturation and motility. Our previous work demonstrated that PP1γ2 regulates these processes in tree shrews via phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. This study further investigates the interactions among PP1γ2, SRC tyrosine kinase, and protein kinase A (PKA), along with their molecular mechanisms in regulating epididymal sperm motility in tree shrews.Using Western blotting, immunokinase assays, co-immunoprecipitation, and Ser/Thr phosphatase activity assays, we characterized key signaling dynamics. Results showed that Ser/Thr phosphatase activity was significantly higher in caput than in cauda epididymal spermatozoa (p < 0.05). Inhibiting PKA and SRC significantly increased Ser/Thr phosphatase activity and reduced cauda sperm motility (p < 0.05). Conversely, SRC activation with sc-3052 significantly reduced phosphatase activity in caput sperm (p < 0.05). We also found that SRC interacts with PP1γ2 in caudal sperm, and that both SRC and PKA activities were higher in caudal than in caput sperm, with SRC acting downstream of PKA. These results suggest that SRC kinase regulates sperm motility by inhibiting PP1γ2-mediated Ser/Thr phosphatase activity, under the regulatory control of PKA. This study provides a foundation for further investigation into PP1γ2's functions and reproductive regulatory mechanisms in tree shrew sperm.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145131014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal Traits Are Associated With Hemolytic Capacity in Sea Turtle Hatchlings, Independently of Systemic Immune Stimuli.","authors":"Sandra Nataly Chávez-Salazar, Bryan Víctor Phillips-Farfán, Ma Antonia Herrera-Vargas, Ernesto Vicente Vega-Peña, Martha Harfush-Meléndez, Saúl González de la Luz, Rosa Elvira Núñez-Anita, Esperanza Meléndez-Herrera","doi":"10.1002/jez.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infectious diseases represent a major threat to the survival of endangered sea turtles. The immune response in these animals is configured early in development and is heavily influenced by the incubation environment. While maternal traits are known to influence offspring immune function in some reptiles, their role in shaping immune responses in sea turtle hatchlings remains poorly understood. The hemolytic capacity, a key component of the innate immune system, shows stability across incubation environments, suggesting that it might be shaped by maternal factors rather than by environmental variation. Herein, the relationship between the hemolytic capacity of hatchlings challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and maternal characteristics, including hemolytic response and body size, was studied. Blood samples and morphologic measurements were collected from nesting females over 2 years. Each clutch was entirely relocated to individual shaded nests for incubation. Upon emergence, one hatchling per nest was injected intraperitoneally with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and another hatchling with LPS. 4 h later, hatchlings were euthanized and blood samples were collected. The results showed that hatchling's hemolytic capacity was positively associated with maternal hemolysis and body mass, but negatively linked to maternal straight carapace length. Lipopolysaccharide challenge did not significantly modify the hemolytic capacity of hatchlings. Although based on a limited sample size due to the species' protected status and technical constraints of ecoimmunological research in wild animals, these findings suggest a possible influence of maternal attributes on offspring immune function. They also suggest that hemolytic capacity is a robust early-life immune defense in hatchlings.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145113320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Closer to the Heart: Cardiac Muscle Aerobic Capacity Correlates With Intraspecific Variation in Sprint Performance Rather Than Androgen Levels in the Neotropical Lizard Tropidurus catalanensis.","authors":"Willian Souza Lima, Danilo Giacometti, Paul J Schaeffer, José Eduardo de Carvalho","doi":"10.1002/jez.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Assessments of the interplay between physiology and whole-organism performance are fundamental to understand how individuals function in different ecological contexts. Here, we investigated the relationship between locomotor performance, androgen levels, and metabolic capacity of muscle tissues in the lizard Tropidurus catalanensis. We hypothesized that faster individuals would exhibit higher circulating androgen concentrations and greater metabolic capacity in skeletal and cardiac muscles, regardless of body size. We measured morphological variables, maximum sprint speed (v), plasma testosterone concentration, and the maximum activity of the enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and citrate synthase (CS) in the gastrocnemius, iliofibularis, and cardiac muscles of adult males. We found that intraspecific variations in v were not explained by body size, plasma testosterone concentration, nor by the activity of LDH or CS in skeletal muscles. The absence of an effect of testosterone on locomotion suggests that androgen concentrations may change in response to other factors, such as environmental stressors or reproductive state. Our results indicated that the fastest lizards also had the highest CS activity in the heart. This relationship suggests that cardiac oxidative capacity plays an important role in clearing metabolites in the postexercise recovery phase. We also found a positive relationship between CS and LDH in all tissues, suggesting a functional complementarity between glycolytic and aerobic pathways that should be relevant in situations that require rapid alternation between bursts of speed and endurance, such as predator evasion or thermoregulation. Ultimately, our results highlight the importance of integrating performance and physiological traits to understand interactions between animals and their environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145113285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differential Spectral Sensitivity Influences Mating, Development, and Reproduction in Group-Housed Drosophila melanogaster.","authors":"Rui Han, Jun Zhang, Yi-Han Xu, Zeng-Xingyue Xiao, Miao-Ling Xie, Hao-Ru Xin","doi":"10.1002/jez.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Light is an important factor affecting the behavior and physiology of organisms. As a phototactic organism, studying the effects of different colors of light on the mating, development, and reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster helps elucidate the important influence of spectral sensitivity on organisms. This study explored the effects of white light (400 lux, control), green light (400 lux, wavelength to which fruit flies are most spectrally sensitive), red light (400 lux, wavelength to which fruit flies are least spectrally sensitive), and dim-green light (225 lux, green-band irradiance matched to the white control) on the sexual vitality, development, and reproductive capacity of fruit flies under group-housed conditions. The results revealed that 1 h of green light exposure per day significantly shortened mating latency and mating duration, accelerated pupation time, raised the egg‑to‑pupa conversion rate, and increased the number of offspring. In contrast, there was no significant difference in various indicators between the white, red, and dim-green light groups. This study explored the important role of light intensity and spectral sensitivity in regulating the mating and reproduction processes of fruit flies and provides more evidence for comparative research on the behavioral and physiological effects of light on different organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145075479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}