Journal of Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Morphological traits and environmental preferences of the Blunt-headed tree snake Imantodes cenchoa: the effects of sex and ontogeny","authors":"M. Tepos-Ramírez,&nbsp;M. Plasman,&nbsp;V. H. Reynoso","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70057","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70057","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding morphological traits and environmental preferences within a population is essential to comprehend the relationship of species with their environment and to develop useful conservation strategies. This is especially important for secretive species such as arboreal snakes. Our study assessed how morphological variation in sex and age classes influenced environmental preferences in the Blunt-headed tree snake <i>Imantodes cenchoa</i> in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. We used data from 249 individuals, consisting of 143 adults, 47 juveniles, and 59 hatchlings. We found significant linear relationships of snout-vent length and body mass with elevation and humidity. Environmental preferences did not differ between sexes, but elevation, humidity and temperature are differently selected by age classes. The greater tolerance of adults to environmental conditions allowed them to expand their habitat to places where they can find more food and shelter. In contrast, less tolerant hatchlings and juveniles benefited from vegetated, humid locations at lower elevation sites where food and shelter remain available during a longer period of the year. Our findings are relevant for the management and conservation of this species, listed as “with special protection” by Mexican Law, since environmental preferences are very restricted in hatchlings, a vital stage for the maintenance of the population. Efforts preserving lower sites, in constant threat by cattle breeders in the area, will preserve both sexes and all three age categories.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"41-51"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70057","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146136247","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":"Extended maternal egg provisioning under high tadpole density (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae)","authors":"Y.-C. Cheng,&nbsp;P.-X. Li,&nbsp;N.-T. Fuh,&nbsp;M.-F. Chuang,&nbsp;Y.-H. Chen,&nbsp;Y.-C. Kam","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70076","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Parental care benefits offspring but comes with costs to parents; therefore, parents should adjust their care based on intrinsic and/or extrinsic conditions to optimize this trade-off. Temporary aquatic habitats often experience resource limitations, and for amphibians inhabiting such environments, regulating parental care behavior is a crucial adaptive strategy. This study focuses on <i>Kurixalus eiffingeri</i>, a treefrog known for its parental care behavior. To examine whether female care depends on offspring density, we designed two treatments conducted in a laboratory: a low-density treatment (LT) with six tadpoles and a high-density treatment (HT) with 18 tadpoles. The results showed that tadpoles in the LT exhibited faster growth rates, whereas those in the HT grew more slowly and required a longer time to metamorphose (reaching Gosner stage 41). However, there was no significant difference in body mass at metamorphosis and metamorphic success between the two treatments. We also found that females increased the number of feeding events during the tadpole stage when facing a higher number of tadpoles. This extended provisioning may reflect maternal adjustment to tadpole density or, alternatively, offspring-driven regulation through persistent begging. Our findings suggest that prolonged care under high tadpole density can arise <i>via</i> multiple pathways, highlighting the potential roles of both parental plasticity and offspring solicitation in shaping parental care strategies in resource-limited aquatic environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"5-15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146154667","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":"Histological analysis of scent glands in banded mongooses, with implications for chemical communication","authors":"M. H. Nicholl,&nbsp;N. Schubert,&nbsp;A. K. O. Alstrup,&nbsp;O. L. Nielsen,&nbsp;F. Höner,&nbsp;J. I. Hoffman,&nbsp;B. A. Caspers,&nbsp;O. Krüger,&nbsp;B. Spittau,&nbsp;H. J. Nichols,&nbsp;J. C. Winternitz","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70081","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chemical communication is the most ancient and widespread form of communication. In many species, specialised structures called scent glands have evolved to facilitate this communication. These glands vary considerably among species in structure, size, body location and the composition of their secretions. Histological analysis is therefore required to confirm the presence of scent glands, identify secretion types and assess potential roles of the immune system and microbiota in modifying secretions. Here, we investigated the distribution and structure of scent glands in the banded mongoose (<i>Mungos mungo</i>), a cooperatively breeding, group-living mammal. We found that individuals possess two large (1.5 cm diameter) anal glands, each consisting of a central sac surrounded by glandular tissue. This in turn is surrounded by a layer of striated muscle, which likely facilitates the deposition of relatively large quantities of odorous chemicals when engaging in deliberate scent marking behaviour. The glands are lined by two different types of epithelia (keratinised and non-keratinised) which may impact how immune genes such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) affect the microbiome of the glands, and therefore, the chemicals that are secreted during scent marking. Additionally, we reveal a previously unidentified small (0.75 mm in length) scent gland in the cheek, which may be used for scent marking. We provide evidence that banded mongooses may use their chin and abdomen for scent rubbing, as these regions are often rubbed in odorous substances, but we found no evidence of specialised scent glands in these areas. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating anatomical, behavioural and biochemical approaches to understand the mechanisms and purposes of scent communication. This study serves as a foundation for future research on the interplay between scent marking and rubbing behaviours, and the role of immune genes and microbiota in shaping chemical communication in banded mongooses and other mammalian species.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"76-90"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146139402","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":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 4","pages":"360-368"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148096300","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":"High-frequency and ultrasonic vocalizations in a subterranean rodent: the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis)","authors":"J. P. Amaya,&nbsp;E. A. Lacey,&nbsp;M. J. Benitez Saldívar,&nbsp;J. I. Areta","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70069","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rodents use vocalizations in numerous behavioral contexts. The structure of these vocalizations—particularly the range of frequencies (kHz) that they encompass—reflects a combination of selective factors imposed by auditory constraints, environments, and functional contexts in which vocalizations occur. Because higher-frequency signals tend to attenuate rapidly in the underground medium, such signals are expected to be more common in subterranean rodents when conspecifics are in close proximity to one another. This suggests that social organization could influence vocal communication, with group-living species expected to use high-frequency signals more often than solitary ones. However, few comparisons of the vocal signals produced by closely related social and solitary species of subterranean rodents have been completed, thereby limiting inferences regarding the effects of social system on the vocalizations produced by these animals. As a first step toward such comparative analyses, we characterize the vocalizations of the colonial tuco-tuco (<i>Ctenomys sociabilis</i>), a group-living subterranean rodent from southern Argentina. Data obtained from captive members of this species indicate that colonial tuco-tucos produce high-frequency and ultrasonic (USV) vocalizations that vary markedly in structural complexity and spectral features. Production of vocalizations is affected by the sex and the spatial context of the emitter, with most vocalizations produced when males and females are in physical contact during non-aggressive encounters. In addition to suggesting that social interactions are important determinants of vocal communication in colonial tuco-tucos, our analyses provide the first evidence of ultrasonic communication within <i>Ctenomys</i>. The high-frequency and ultrasonic sounds produced by <i>C. sociabilis</i> contrast markedly with the lower frequency vocalizations emitted by members of several solitary species of tuco-tucos, offering a critical foundation for future, more detailed, phylogenetically informed comparisons of the effects of social organization on the vocal repertoires of these subterranean rodents.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"52-66"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146154668","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":"Exploring the complexities of cooperative breeding: insights from African wild dog packs","authors":"R. J. Groom,&nbsp;J. Comley,&nbsp;A. Wolton,&nbsp;N. Ngwenya,&nbsp;R. Mandisodza-Chikerema,&nbsp;J. P. Watermeyer","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70080","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cooperative breeding, a rare trait in &lt;1% of mammals, is explored within African wild dog packs (<i>Lycaon pictus</i>), where alpha females typically produce the first litters, but subordinate females may also breed, resulting in second litters within the same pack. We investigated the reproductive dynamics of wild dog packs in Zimbabwe's Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) using 14 years of data from 49 packs and 131 den sites, obtained through spoor tracking, radio telemetry, sighting reports and camera traps during denning periods. Among packs capable of multiple litters, 41.15% of breeding events produced multiple litters annually, with 24.86% of all litters from subordinate females, primarily litter sisters of the alpha. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that younger packs and those with more subordinate females were significantly more likely to produce multiple litters, indicating weaker dominance hierarchies. Within multiple litter packs, pup survival to 1 year was significantly higher for second-born than first-born litters. However, 2-year survival significantly increased with higher pre-emergence rainfall, older alpha females and higher maximum temperatures. Across both litter types, 1-year and 2-year pup survival significantly improved with larger packs, while 2-year survival also significantly increased with pre-emergence rainfall. Pups from single litters had significantly lower survival to 2 years compared to multiple litters. Despite the potential for reproductive conflict, we found low infanticide (2%) and moderate pup stealing or adoption (14%), suggesting that kin selection promotes reproductive tolerance. These findings highlight the social and ecological complexity of cooperative breeding and its conservation relevance.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"16-29"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jzo.70080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146136078","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":"Horizontal and vertical optimal running speeds of cellar spiders are impacted by leg autotomy, sex, and body mass","authors":"K. M. Wrinn,&nbsp;L. Shuler,&nbsp;C. T. O'Brien,&nbsp;T. D. Levine,&nbsp;G. W. Gerald","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70075","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70075","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Animal locomotion occurs at different speeds in nature, but much of the current literature focuses on investigating maximal speeds. Voluntary speeds are likely a better approximation of optimal speeds that are more economical and more widely used in nature, which should be more widely considered. Autotomy, voluntary self-amputation, is a common strategy beneficial for escaping life-threatening situations. Spiders frequently autotomize legs in response to predatory encounters. It has been shown that despite this benefit, autotomy causes a reduction in maximal speeds, which makes it more difficult for spiders to evade predators, locate food, and search for mates. However, maximal speeds are rarely used in nature because of their energetic cost and negative impacts on maneuverability and accuracy of leg placement. Studies are lacking on how leg autotomy influences voluntary (optimal) speeds which spiders use to mitigate the costs of maximal speeds. This study examined the effects of leg autotomy, incline (horizontal and vertical), and body mass on optimal running speeds of cellar spiders, <i>Pholcus phalangioides</i> Fuesslin, 1775. Voluntary speeds were assessed twice for all spiders on both inclines. The first run consisted of non-autotomized spiders. Then, half of the spiders were induced to autotomize one front leg, while the other half were run again intact. Overall, while autotomy did not result in significantly different speeds, vertical speeds were slower than horizontal speeds and males were faster than females. Running speeds decreased with increasing size for both autotomized and control spiders. We found the speeds of control spiders slightly increased between the first and second set of trials, whereas autotomized spiders showed a slight decrease. These results suggest that, regardless of incline, cellar spiders are able to compensate for leg autotomy with only a small hindrance on optimal performance. Future work should seek to directly compare forced and voluntary movements to further examine how spiders compensate for leg autotomy.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"30-40"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146148083","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":"Effects of tree plantations on population and roosting ecology of an endemic agamid lizard in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot","authors":"N. Gosavi,&nbsp;H. Lad,&nbsp;V. Jithin,&nbsp;R. Naniwadekar","doi":"10.1111/jzo.70070","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jzo.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Low-elevation wet tropical forests support high herpetofaunal diversity but are increasingly replaced by monoculture tree plantations and have poor Protected Area coverage, leaving herpetofauna vulnerable. Research on how monoculture plantations affect reptile populations remains inconclusive, and the ecology of endemic species in these changing landscapes is poorly understood. We compared densities and roosting ecology of <i>Monilesaurus rouxii</i>, an endemic agamid lizard, across low- and high-elevation forests and cashew and rubber plantations in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot using nocturnal transects. We found that low-elevation forests, despite poor Protected Area coverage, had significantly higher densities of <i>M. rouxii</i> than high-elevation forests and cashew plantations. Roost site use did not differ significantly across the different land uses, indicating conserved roosting behaviour. However, <i>M. rouxii</i> exhibited ontogenetic shifts in roosting substrate and height. Our findings highlight the conservation importance of unprotected low-elevation forests, which are rapidly being converted to monoculture tree plantations. We show that plantation types may differ in their impacts on reptile populations. We also demonstrate the utility of nocturnal transects for population estimation of diurnal lizards.</p>","PeriodicalId":17600,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Zoology","volume":"328 1","pages":"67-75"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146155068","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":"336-345"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148092533","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":"346-359"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148088265","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}