Journal of Zoology最新文献

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"329 1","pages":"25-37"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148070658","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}

{"title":"Wild boar feeding habits before versus after wolf recolonization","authors":"I. Belardi,&nbsp;G. Massei,&nbsp;L. Lazzeri,&nbsp;C. Riggio,&nbsp;F. Ferretti","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70088","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70088","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Broad-spectrum diet is one of the key factors that has facilitated wild boar <i>Sus scrofa</i> spreading worldwide. Wild boar is also the main prey of the wolf <i>Canis lupus</i>, which is rapidly recolonizing large areas of its former range in Europe. Complex dynamics may develop between these two species due to carcasses of wolf prey constituting a resource available to scavengers like the wild boar. We considered the trophic relationships between these species and evaluated changes in the use of ungulate carcasses by the wild boar before vs. after wolf spontaneous recolonization in a Mediterranean coastal area. Based on the analysis of 2487 wild boar fecal samples collected prior to wolf recolonization (1991–1994), and 1261 samples of feces collected in 2023, that is, after wolf recolonization, plant material, including fruits and other plant parts, composed more than 89% of the relative frequency of occurrence in the total diet in both periods. Regarding mammals, no hair of ungulates was detected in wild boar feces prior to wolf recolonization. Conversely, deer hair was found in 13 samples of 1261 collected in 2023. Wild boar bristles were never found in fecal pellets, thus not offering support for cannibalistic use of conspecifics. Wild boar hair occurred in 57% of the wolf scats collected in 2023, followed by 23% of fallow deer <i>Dama dama</i> and roe deer <i>Capreolus capreolus</i> combined. Our results on investigating wild boar diet reported a remarkably low use of deer in our study area, in contrast with other sites. Scavenging activity may have been limited by fast carcass depletion by predators, abundant in our study area, as well as by a high perceived predation risk and/or by the low availability of deer compared to wild boar as prey for wolves. Our results highlight the complexity of wolf–wild boar interactions, emphasizing the context-dependent nature of wild boar scavenging behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"134-145"},"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.70088","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564644","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":"Double agents: invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Argentine black and white tegus (Salvator merianae) as potential seed dispersers in South Florida","authors":"A. Figueroa,&nbsp;K. R. Davis,&nbsp;M. E. A. Harman,&nbsp;I. A. Bartoszek,&nbsp;I. C. Easterling,&nbsp;A. A. Yackel Adams,&nbsp;C. M. Romagosa","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70082","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Invasive species can reshape ecological processes, including seed dispersal, through both direct and indirect pathways. In this study, we explore how invasive reptiles influence seed dispersal dynamics in the Greater Everglades ecosystem using two case studies: the Burmese python (<i>Python bivittatus</i>) and the Argentine black and white tegu (<i>Salvator merianae</i>). Guided by a conceptual framework, we investigate three primary mechanisms through which invasive species may alter seed outcomes: direct seed consumption, predation on seed dispersers before seed ingestion, and secondary seed dispersal via predation on animals that have already consumed seeds. Burmese pythons, as apex predators, may contribute to seed dispersal through diploendozoochory while simultaneously driving trophic cascades that restructure the seed disperser community. Tegus, as omnivorous frugivores, directly consume and disperse a wide diversity of plant seeds. We documented 25 seed morphotypes in python diets and 73 in tegu diets, spanning a broad 38 families and including native, endangered, and invasive plant species. Using a binary interaction network, we found that these reptiles exhibit high generalization, nestedness, and connectance—suggesting they are becoming functionally integrated into Everglades seed dispersal networks. These findings reveal that invasive reptiles not only disrupt native plant–animal interactions but may also reshape them, with implications for ecosystem stability, restoration, and management.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"187-202"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564583","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":"Tiger diet in Ranthambore Tiger Reserve: how do metabarcoding and mechanical sorting compare?","authors":"S. Mishrikotkar,&nbsp;N. Yadav,&nbsp;A. Harihar,&nbsp;V. R. Goswami,&nbsp;U. Ramakrishnan,&nbsp;M. Ghosh-Harihar","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70085","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70085","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Accurately describing large carnivore diets is crucial for understanding trophic interactions and developing targeted conservation strategies. Most studies have relied on traditional dietary analysis based on mechanical sorting and identification of undigested prey remains, a method known to be error-prone and ecologically biased. Here, we compare the diet of tigers (<i>Panthera tigris</i>) using non-invasively collected scats from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in India, analyzed through mechanical sorting and DNA metabarcoding. We found that DNA metabarcoding outperformed mechanical sorting by detecting more overall prey and rare prey species, revealing greater prey diversity. The study indicated that tigers mainly subsist on wild prey such as sambar (<i>Rusa unicolor</i>) and chital (<i>Axis</i> axis). However, domestic cattle contributed the largest proportion of prey biomass to their diet. Our findings demonstrate that DNA metabarcoding is an efficient, effective, and powerful approach that overcomes many of the biases associated with mechanical sorting, providing an accessible and particularly useful tool for carnivore dietary studies based on non-invasive samples. The increased frequency of livestock depredation compared to previous studies emphasizes the urgency of taking active mitigation measures to safeguard this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"176-186"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568600","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":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 4","pages":"384-401"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148094631","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":"Impact of noise on the behaviour and biochemical parameters of the crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus and Cherax destructor","authors":"Clarissa De Vita,&nbsp;Maria Ceraulo,&nbsp;Manuela Mauro,&nbsp;Giuseppa Buscaino,&nbsp;Vincenzo Arizza,&nbsp;Marco Arculeo,&nbsp;Mirella Vazzana","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70089","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70089","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Anthropogenic noise is widely acknowledged as a pollutant at the global level. Exposure to intense noise can result in hearing damage, physiological stress and behavioural changes. Crayfish, which have great commercial value and high resilience to various stresses, can serve as effective models for assessing the acoustic impact on behavioural dynamics and biochemical parameters indicative of stress conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of acoustic stimulus (1-s linear sweep, from 1 to 20 kHz, repeated for 45 min) on the behavioural and biochemical responses of two species of crayfish, <i>Cherax destructor</i> and <i>Cherax quadricarinatus</i>. Sixty individuals (30 <i>C. destructor</i>, 30 <i>C. quadricarinatus</i>), divided into groups of three, were randomly assigned to test or control conditions in tanks equipped with a synchronized audio-video system. Behavioural events (number of fights, encounters, tail flips and acoustic signals) and motility states (velocity, distance moved, angular velocity) were considered, as well as some haemolymphatic parameters (enzymatic activities, pH, osmolality and total protein). Our results showed that exposure to noise significantly increased in both species the number of fights, whereas no significant changes were found in the number of encounters and tail flips. Significant increases in acoustic signals emitted were observed in <i>C. quadricarinatus</i>, while a decrease was noted in <i>C. destructor</i>. The parameters of movement velocity and distance moved increased in both species. Conversely, angular velocity significantly decreased only in <i>C. quadricarinatus</i>. In terms of haemolymphatic parameters, alkaline phosphatase, esterase and peroxidase activity significantly decreased in specimens exposed to noise in both species. pH, osmolality and total protein did not show significant differences. This research contributes to the broader knowledge of the potential negative effects of anthropogenic noise on the health status of these animals and could represent a further approach to assessing farm welfare.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"146-164"},"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.70089","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147570249","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":"Isolation and adaptation: Population genetics and morphometric patterns of butterfly Itylos titicaca in the Andean wetlands","authors":"I. A. Lobos,&nbsp;A. Villalobos-Leiva,&nbsp;F. Cruz-Jofre,&nbsp;A. Piñeiro-González,&nbsp;J. Hernandez-Martelo,&nbsp;R. Hernandez,&nbsp;M. J. Suazo,&nbsp;L. Pastenes,&nbsp;H. A. Benítez","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70065","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70065","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Within the Chilean Altiplano, located at 4000 meters above sea level, we find <i>Itylos titicaca</i>, a small butterfly (10 mm) with low dispersal capacity that inhabits only the Andean wetlands. The extreme climate of this environment, characterized by strong winds, extreme temperature fluctuations and high solar radiation, combined with structural landscape changes (volcanic events, orogenesis, glaciations), can create substantial selective pressures on the flora and fauna of the Altiplano. To characterize and unravel patterns of differentiation in living organisms of the northern region of the Chilean Altiplano, we used <i>I. titicaca</i> as a biological model. Little is known about the life history or ecology of this small butterfly, and this work constitutes the first exploratory study to investigate this species using tools of geometric morphometrics and population genetics. The study was conducted on eight populations of <i>I. titicaca</i>, associated with three Altiplano basins, through the analysis of their wing shape (forewing and hindwing) and the amplification and sequencing of the COI gene. The analysis of genetic structure revealed low diversity, characterized by the presence of a limited number of haplotypes. Nevertheless, three genetic groups were identified within the species' distribution range. Moreover, the morphometric data demonstrate clear variation in the forewing shape among some populations. These findings are associated with the different Altiplano basins and provide evidence of processes such as range expansion and reproductive isolation, driven by the geographic isolation of the Andean wetlands. This study underscores the adaptive capabilities of <i>I. titicaca</i> in extreme and geographically fragmented environments, while emphasizing the importance of conserving these isolated ecosystems that harbor significant biodiversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"121-133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564135","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":"Adaptation to harshness is fundamentally different from the adaptive stress response: Results from a 20-year-long case study in African striped mice","authors":"C. Schradin,&nbsp;N. Pillay,&nbsp;R. Rimbach","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70084","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70084","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Animals are adapted to cope with harsh environments. Understanding these adaptations is crucial to assessing species resilience to global change. Harsh environments are characterised by persistent and long-lasting factors that threaten homeostasis and survival, such as reduced food and water availability, seasonal cold or heat. We review two decades of field studies exploring how African striped mice (<i>Rhabdomys pumilio</i>) are adapted to harshness in the Succulent Karoo semi-desert, which is characterised by hot, dry and food-restricted summers and moist, benign winters. Striped mice adapted to harshness via multiple behavioural and physiological mechanisms, which reduce energy consumption and increase water retention. These mechanisms include social flexibility, communal huddling, sun-basking, reducing activity, a broad range of blood glucose regulation, decreased levels of metabolic hormones and decreased resting metabolic rate. Together, these mechanisms lead to an overall reduction of daily energy expenditure during harsh summers. This harshness response contrasts with the physiological stress response, which is characterised by increased energy expenditure to overcome the stress via the secretion of catecholamines and glucocorticoids. In contrast, the harshness response is characterised by reduced levels of glucocorticoids and allows endurance of the harsh conditions. We conclude that the harshness response is fundamentally different from the stress response.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 2","pages":"107-120"},"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.70084","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564639","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}