Journal of Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Testing the size-grain hypothesis in a generalist predator: The case of an ant species in the Brazilian savannah","authors":"A. Sandim,&nbsp;R. Aranda","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70074","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p>According to the size-grain hypothesis (SGH), there is a positive allometric relationship between body length and leg length in ants, considering the ease of navigating complex environments while foraging for food. The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological changes in populations of <i>Ectatomma permagnum</i> in response to environmental alterations, by (i) assessing whether there is a proportion of leg size relative to body size according to the size-grain theory, (ii) comparing morphometric measurements of the legs and the body to verify if the proportion is influenced by environmental variables, and (iii) checking if environmental heterogeneity influences the size of morphological traits used for foraging and predation. Eight hundred forty-four individuals of <i>E. permagnum</i> from four urban fragments with different types of Cerrado vegetation were measured, where 11 morphological measurements were used to describe morphometry, as well as seven environmental variables to characterize the environment. For data analysis, we used (i) Weber's length and leg length to verify the allometric relationship, (ii) non-metric multidimensional scaling and multivariate analysis of variance to differentiate areas considering morphometric characteristics, (iii) principal component analysis to analyze characteristics among fragments, and (iv) canonical correspondence analysis to verify the influence of environmental variables on morphological characteristics. The total length of the leg in relation to Weber's length corroborated with the SGH, and there was a significant difference in this measurement between fragments when compared with all morphometric variables. We did not find evidence that area heterogeneity influences the sizes of the measured traits in the study. We conclude that individuals of <i>E. permagnum</i> corroborate with the size-grain hypothesis, thus confirming a positive allometry for the species. Our morphometric measurements did not show a significant influence of environmental variables, suggesting that other internal and external factors may also be important for selecting individual traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"234-247"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spotted correctly? Human expertise remains essential in AI-assisted identification of Eurasian lynx","authors":"S. Blašković,&nbsp;M. Sindičić,&nbsp;M. Reilly,&nbsp;I. Topličanec,&nbsp;T. Gomerčić","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70095","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70095","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Identifying individual animals from camera trap photos is crucial for estimating population size and monitoring endangered species such as the Eurasian lynx (<i>Lynx lynx</i>). However, this process can be time-consuming and prone to human error. Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms such as Whiskerbook offer automated solutions, but their effectiveness in real-world conditions is not yet sufficiently evaluated. Therefore, we tested the performance of Whiskerbook's detection algorithm, compared the accuracy of identification algorithms (MiewID and HotSpotter) and evaluated the differences in the identification process between observers with different experience levels and the quality and colour of camera trap photos. We also tested Whiskerbook performance in identifying matching individuals across two monitoring programs within the same population. MiewID clearly outperformed Hotspotter as more encounters were successfully matched (64.0% vs. 45.5%). However, Hotspotter provided a lower average number of potential matches per query and was particularly successful in providing 100% correct matches among the first five suggestions. The identification accuracy of the MiewID algorithm operated by an expert was below the capabilities of an experienced observer performing manual identification (71.7% vs. 92.7%), while novices faced challenges in identifying felids even with the help of AI. Image quality significantly affected identification by all observers and the AI programs, and surprisingly, the AI performed better on black and white images than on colour images. Notably, Whiskerbook identified a transboundary individual that had previously been misclassified by the expert, demonstrating the value of shared AI databases for conservation across national borders. Our results highlight that while AI can support large-scale monitoring, expert oversight remains essential to ensure accuracy. This is particularly important for conservation, where misidentification can lead to over- or underestimation of populations. We recommend the integration of AI with trained expert validation for sound wildlife research and management.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"223-233"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668704","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":"Using deep learning to distinguish cryptic traits in animal colour patterns","authors":"L. Ortenzi,&nbsp;C. Costa,&nbsp;B. A. Reinke,&nbsp;C. Angelini","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70096","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70096","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Colouration is often useful for distinguishing between closely related species, or between sexes of a given species. Nevertheless, sometimes colouration is so complex or non-descript to a human viewer that it cannot be used for delimitation. In this article, we propose the use of a Deep Learning (DL) algorithm to discriminate colour patterns of individuals belonging to different species, populations or sexes that are not discriminable by humans. Namely, we test the effectiveness of DL at distinguishing (i) between two species of the amphibian urodele <i>Salamandrina, S. perspicillata</i> and <i>S. terdigitata</i>, (ii) between two populations of <i>S. perspicillata</i> based on ventral colour pattern, and between (iii) two populations and (iv) sexes of the painted turtle <i>Chrysemys picta</i> based on plastron colouration. The classification algorithm performs well at distinguishing <i>Salamandrina</i> species (96.8% of the test set), and <i>C. picta</i> sexes (83.9%) and populations (76.7%), but has a lower performance on distinguishing populations of <i>S. perspicillata</i> (66.7%). Thus, DL is able to detect colour pattern differences between biological groups when humans cannot reliably distinguish them, representing a new way to examine animal colouration when it is highly variable or has only subtle differences among individuals, although DL does not output how patterns are similar or different. However, finding that colour differences occur can represent the first step of a longer analytical workflow based on possible explanatory hypotheses, or can allow researchers to save time in the opposite case.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"290-297"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668672","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":"Year-round colony-level differences in foraging behaviour and diel activity of yellow-legged gulls from natural and urban colonies","authors":"R. R. Fernandes,&nbsp;J. A. Ramos,&nbsp;J. P. de Faria,&nbsp;D. M. Matos,&nbsp;I. dos Santos,&nbsp;N. Oliveira,&nbsp;P. Rodrigues,&nbsp;V. H. Paiva","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70092","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70092","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Urbanisation has led to increased populations of opportunistic species like gulls, driven by the availability of anthropogenic resources. However, gulls may exhibit distinct foraging strategies, spatially and temporally, especially when foraging in urban <i>versus</i> natural habitats. We compared the spatial ecology of yellow-legged gulls <i>Larus michahellis</i> from Porto (urban) and Berlenga Island (natural), using GPS-GSM transmitters to track foraging behaviour across breeding and wintering seasons. Our data revealed that gulls from Berlenga travelled farther and took longer foraging trips, while urban gulls showed little seasonal dispersion, highlighting urban influences on foraging. Urban gulls favoured urban habitats, while natural colony gulls foraged primarily at sea and in fishing harbours, though individual differences were observed. Despite not differing greatly between workdays and weekends, daily rhythms revealed distinct patterns among habitats used and between colonies, implying that gulls adapted their foraging activity to match human routines. Our findings indicate that variation in the foraging ecology and distribution of yellow-legged gulls is related to the characteristics of each breeding site and that human activity and consequent environmental changes influence the behaviour of these natural and urban-dwelling birds in different ways.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"256-270"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70092","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid postfire color shift in a Mediterranean lizard","authors":"L. Álvarez-Ruiz,&nbsp;J. Belliure,&nbsp;J. G. Pausas","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70083","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wildfires can abruptly cause dramatic changes in the physical environment, challenging the survival and persistence of animal populations. Animals can adapt to fast-changing environments through phenotypic plasticity, yet little is known about the extent of this capacity in postfire environments. We hypothesized that Mediterranean lizards in recently burned areas would develop a lighter coloration, potentially as a response to the increased overheating risk due to vegetation loss. We quantified dorsal luminosity and color composition of <i>Psammodromus algirus</i> in burned and adjacent unburned habitats at different times since fire. Lizards inhabiting recently burned areas displayed lighter dorsal coloration, particularly during the early stages of postfire succession, with the effect being more pronounced in larger individuals. Although alternative mechanisms (e.g., stress-induced responses or reduced crypsis requirements) cannot be entirely excluded, the direction, timing, and consistency of the observed shifts are most consistent with a thermoregulatory function. These findings suggest that phenotypic flexibility in dorsal coloration may be an important mechanism for ectotherms to persist in increasingly fire-prone landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"248-255"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70083","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic scaling is demand driven","authors":"Craig Loehle","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70079","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Metabolic scaling is a major regularity in nature. Existing theory explains this scaling in terms of the optimal geometry of resource supply networks. Tests of this theory have focused almost entirely on the mathematical derivation of the scaling exponent and comparisons to the regression value for mainly birds and mammals. However, a focus on the per kg metabolic rate shows that large animals like whales have such a low mass-specific rate that if supply-limited, they could not function. Instead, it is proposed that the number of muscle contractions per time is the crucial variable that generates metabolic demand. Larger muscles cannot contract as fast as smaller ones. Larger and more sedentary animals necessarily experience fewer muscle contractions per unit time and thus a lower metabolic demand per unit mass. Data for mammal heart rate and breath intervals match the expected −1/4 per kg scaling. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) scaling is explained by exercise debt, which is the prolonged processing of wastes and repair of muscles that follows any activity, and by organ size and tissue-level adjustments to exercise demand. Thus, BMR scales with physiological time. This explains how larger animals use less energy per kg without energy delivery being a constraint. More active and smaller animals have more muscle contractions per unit time, thus having a higher metabolic rate per kg even at rest.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"215-222"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147669032","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 cost of claw loss: The consequences of autotomy on burrowing in an ecosystem engineer, the Slender Crayfish, Faxonius compressus","authors":"A. N. Oppedisano,&nbsp;M. B. Stubbs,&nbsp;C. G. Gebhardt,&nbsp;Z. J. Loughman,&nbsp;Z. A. Graham","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70093","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70093","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autotomy, the voluntary shedding or self-amputation of a body part, is widespread across the animal kingdom and serves as a defense mechanism to evade predation and reduce non-predatory entrapment. Although autotomy can enhance survival, it often comes at a cost, as animals with lost appendages may face reduced locomotive ability and impairment of other fitness-relevant behaviors. In decapod crustaceans, including crayfishes, autotomy frequently involves the loss of one or both claws, structures that are essential for mating, foraging, defense, and burrowing. Moreover, given the critical role of crayfishes as ecosystem engineers, the ecological implications of autotomy in these species remain poorly understood. This study investigates the effects of claw autotomy on the burrowing behavior of the Slender Crayfish, <i>Faxonius compressus</i>, a stream-dwelling species known for constructing intricate burrow networks in the hyporheic zone. We hypothesized that limb autotomy would reduce burrow creation and depth, thereby impacting burrow availability for other species. In controlled lab trials assessing burrowing behavior before and after autotomy, we found that <i>F. compressus</i> was able to construct burrows of similar depth before and after single claw autotomy, although before autotomy, males were less likely to create burrows than females. However, individuals with double claw autotomy dug significantly shallower burrows, reducing the average burrow depth by over 34 mm, with no differences between sexes. These findings suggest that single claw autotomy does not reduce burrow depth, while losing both claws reduces the depth of burrows in both sexes—potentially disrupting a key ecosystem function. This research highlights the broader ecological consequences of autotomy in ecosystem engineers like crayfish, since reduced burrow construction could impact shelter-dependent species.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"280-289"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668700","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":"Tadpole foraging history affects the degree of induced offenses in salamander hatchlings","authors":"N. Katayama,&nbsp;K. Sato,&nbsp;Y. Nagasaki,&nbsp;K. Makoto","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70094","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To better understand phenotypic plasticity from an adaptive perspective, it is crucial to examine how specific environmental signals influence phenotype expression. How biological signals emitted by prey into an aquatic environment are perceived by predators can be context-dependent, and the food type consumed by the prey can alter the chemical cues it releases by affecting its physiological traits, such as elemental composition and excretion patterns. These diet-driven differences in emitted chemical cues can, in turn, influence how predators receiving these cues adjust their phenotype in early developmental stages. Ecological stoichiometry provides a useful framework for exploring this relationship, as the elemental composition of organisms varies across trophic levels and changes with diet. In this study, we investigated how the food consumed by Ezo brown frog <i>Rana pirica</i> tadpoles (the prey) influences the plasticity of growth rate in hatchling larvae of the Ezo salamander <i>Hynobius retardatus</i> (the predator), which modulates their growth in response to water-mediated chemical signals from tadpoles. We reared omnivorous tadpoles for 1 month on either an animal-based diet (Chironomid larvae) or a plant-based diet (pasture grass). Tadpoles with an animal-based diet grew larger than those with a plant-based diet but maintained a constant body C/N ratio despite differences in dietary C/N ratios. This suggests that tadpoles excrete waste with a lower C/N ratio when consuming an animal-based diet, altering the chemical signals they release. We then examined the growth response of salamander hatchlings raised with tadpoles from different foraging histories. Hatchlings grew significantly larger and faster when reared with tadpoles that had an animal-based food type. Given that newly hatched salamanders cannot yet prey on tadpoles, these results suggest that hatchlings adjust their growth rate in anticipation of future prey availability or condition, highlighting a potential link between diet-mediated signal variation and phenotypic plasticity.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 3","pages":"271-279"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668377","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":"Community- and species-level responses of reptiles to an avian ecosystem engineer","authors":"Emma E. Buckley,&nbsp;Bryan Maritz","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70087","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70087","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecosystem engineers can alter the distribution and abundance of resources in a landscape, thereby impacting the distribution of other species that use those resources. Although reptiles are known to respond to the ecosystem engineering of birds, case studies are surprisingly rare. Here, we sampled reptile abundance and diversity underneath pairs of trees that do, or do not, contain the thatched colonies of sociable weavers (<i>Philetairus socius</i>) in the Kalahari. We conducted our systematic sampling both when the weavers were breeding, and again at the beginning of summer before the onset of breeding. We test the hypotheses that (1) reptile species richness and (2) overall abundance are higher under trees with weaver colonies, and whether differences in those measures vary with season. We additionally explicitly test whether colony trees hosted greater abundances of (3) Kalahari tree skinks (<i>Trachylepis spilogaster</i>), and (4) cape thick-toed geckos (<i>Pachydactylus capensis</i>)—the two most frequently detected species in our study. We find robust support for all four hypotheses. Trees with colonies had approximately twice the richness of trees without colonies when weavers were breeding but showed no difference in richness outside of the breeding period. Trees with colonies also yielded approximately twice the number of captures (from all reptile species) than did trees without colonies, but this effect was present in both seasons. We found strong support for trees with colonies hosting larger populations of Kalahari tree skinks than noncolony trees in both seasons. We also found strong support for cape thick-toed geckos occurring at higher abundances under colony trees. Taken together, our results indicate that multiple species of reptiles are responding to the presence of sociable weaver colonies in the Kalahari, and that those species effects are summing up to detectable community-wide effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"203-209"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70087","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Static magnetic fields influence magnetic alignment and movement patterns of free-ranging Lilford's wall lizards","authors":"Francisco Javier Diego-Rasilla,&nbsp;Valentín Pérez-Mellado,&nbsp;Ana Pérez-Cembranos","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70078","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Many vertebrates rely on the Earth's magnetic field for orientation, navigation and spatial positioning. This ability, known as magnetoreception, is well documented across various taxa, yet its role in lizards remains poorly understood. By exposing free-ranging Lilford's wall lizards (<i>Podarcis lilfordi</i>) to a static magnetic field in which the magnetic north was rotated to the east, we observed significant changes in their basking alignments and movement patterns. Lizards basking in the ambient magnetic field aligned along an NNE–SSW axis, whereas those in the altered magnetic field shifted to an ESE-WNW alignment, consistent with the imposed 90° rotation. Additionally, lizards moving within the altered field exhibited directional movements along the manipulated magnetic north–south axis, contrasting with the random movements observed in controls. These findings reinforce the role of magnetic fields in lizard orientation and movement. On Aire Island, <i>P. lilfordi</i> is non-territorial, with individuals displaying large home range shifts in response to food availability; hence, our results highlight the ecological relevance of magnetic orientation in species with extensive spatial dynamics. Our results provide strong evidence that both spontaneous magnetic alignment during basking and directional orientation during movement are influenced by the magnetic field, highlighting its role in the spatial behaviour of <i>P. lilfordi</i>. These findings contribute to the growing understanding of magnetoreception in reptiles and its ecological relevance in Lacertidae species.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"165-175"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147563427","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}