{"title":"<i>Drosophila</i> video-assisted activity monitor (DrosoVAM): a versatile method for behaviour monitoring.","authors":"Maxime Revel, Emi Nagoshi, Robert Maeda","doi":"10.1098/rsos.250764","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.250764","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> has been a pioneering model system for investigations into the genetic bases of behaviour. Studies of circadian activity were some of the first behaviours investigated in flies. The <i>Drosophila</i> Activity Monitoring (DAM) system by TriKinetics played a key role in establishing the fundamental feedback loop of the circadian clock. Although this method has many times proven to be extremely useful, it suffers from its simplification of activity to the interruption of an infrared (IR) beam. It is blind to fly movements not disrupting the beam and any modifications to this assay to achieve better resolution often requires the purchase of new and expensive modules. We required a relatively high-throughput system to explore the potential post-mating activity changes of larger <i>Drosophila</i> species. Rather than investing in a larger and more complex DAM system, we designed a new monitoring system that is more versatile, economic and sensitive than DAM. This new system, called DrosoVAM (<i>Drosophila</i> Video-assisted Activity Monitoring), is simple to implement and cost efficient, using a Raspberry Pi-controlled IR, digital video system to record multiple chambers and Python scripts that drive the deep learning software DeepLabCut, to track fly activity over multiple days.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"250764"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12410964/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145016194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel J Paluh, Madeline Brinkman, Kyliah Gilliam-Beale, Daniela Salcedo-Recio, Jacob Szafranski, James Hanken, Gareth J Fraser
{"title":"The metamorphic transition of the frog mouth: from tadpole keratinized mouthparts to adult teeth.","authors":"Daniel J Paluh, Madeline Brinkman, Kyliah Gilliam-Beale, Daniela Salcedo-Recio, Jacob Szafranski, James Hanken, Gareth J Fraser","doi":"10.1098/rsos.251196","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.251196","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Teeth have been a prominent feature of most vertebrates for 400 million years, and the core regulatory network underlying embryonic tooth formation is deeply conserved. In frogs, however, odontogenesis is delayed, occurring instead during the postembryonic metamorphosis and resulting in teeth that are restricted to the upper jaw and palate. Developmental-genetic mechanisms that underlie tooth formation in frogs are poorly understood. We assessed if the genes underlying odontogenic competence are conserved in the late-forming teeth of frogs; if unique keratinized mouthparts, which function as an alternative feeding tool in anuran larvae, impede tooth induction; and if transient tooth rudiments form in the anuran mandible. We demonstrate that the induction of tooth development is conserved in the frog upper jaw, which displays odontogenic band expression patterns comparable to those of other vertebrates. There is, however, no evidence of tooth development initiating in the mandible. Adult teeth emerge before larval mouthparts degenerate, but their location may be spatially constrained by keratin. Gene expression patterns of keratinized mouthparts and teeth overlap. We hypothesize that the novel mouthparts of tadpoles, which we characterize as ectodermal appendages, may have originated by partially co-opting the developmental program that typically mediates development of true teeth.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"251196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404811/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lou Cauchi, Keagan Reynolds, Sami Merilaita, Jennifer Kelley
{"title":"The influence of illumination and cast shadows on prey detectability by predators.","authors":"Lou Cauchi, Keagan Reynolds, Sami Merilaita, Jennifer Kelley","doi":"10.1098/rsos.250719","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.250719","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many species use camouflage to dissimulate their true form and avoid detection or recognition. In natural habitats, the three-dimensional structure of an organism's body can present challenges for camouflage, as overhead illumination creates luminance gradients ('self-shadows') across the body surface and cast shadows (when light is blocked by the object itself) on the surface behind the object. While self-shadows are known to increase prey detectability to predators, it is unclear whether this is also the case for cast shadows. We used computer-generated prey and live fish as predators (western rainbowfish; <i>Melanotaenia australis</i>) to investigate whether the illumination conditions and the presence of cast shadows increase the detectability of prey. In the first experiment, the background contained directional illumination cues, while in the second experiment, targets were presented on a homogeneous grey background. In both experiments, we found that neither the illumination conditions nor the presence of a cast shadow (nor their interaction) increased the probability of detection by predators, despite differences in luminance variation among the different prey stimuli. Our findings suggest that cast shadows do not provide additional contrast to that produced by self-shadows and that cast shadows do not provide depth cues that increase prey detectability by predators.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"250719"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404805/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sébastien Olive, Ilias Kotoulas, Daniel Goujet, Philip C J Donoghue, Federica Marone, Martin Rücklin
{"title":"A new 'acanthothoracid' placoderm from the Arctic Canada (Early Devonian) and its bearing on the evolution of jaws and teeth.","authors":"Sébastien Olive, Ilias Kotoulas, Daniel Goujet, Philip C J Donoghue, Federica Marone, Martin Rücklin","doi":"10.1098/rsos.250837","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.250837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The origin of jaws and teeth represents one of the most formative episodes in our own evolutionary history. However, this event is poorly understood because of a lack of detailed knowledge of key lineages, including the 'acanthothoracid' placoderms, which were among the earliest jawed vertebrates. Here, we describe <i>Romundina gagnieri</i> sp. nov., a new species of 'acanthothoracid' from the Early Devonian of Arctic Canada. The new species displays anterior supragnathal plates with teeth that we have characterized using synchrotron tomography. Our study shows that teeth are arranged in a concentric manner and that the pattern of tooth addition is centrifugal, including an anterior addition. Overgrowing odontodes, present on the anterior part of the gnathal plates, are covering teeth that can display an hypermineralized layer (probably reflecting the earliest stage of teeth during the ontogeny) or be partially broken. These overgrowing odontodes develop in successive steps and without obvious organization. The presence of a pair of anterior supragnathal plates on the ethmoid part of the endocranium, as well as the growth process of these plates in <i>R. gagnieri</i> sp. nov. are similar to the conditions seen notably in arthrodires, compatible with an ancestral gnathostome ancestral condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"250837"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404816/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Md Tangigul Haque, Shatabdi Paul, Marie E Herberstein, Md Kawsar Khan
{"title":"A parasitic or mutualistic conundrum: can symbiotic protists increase thermal tolerance in a semi-aquatic insect?","authors":"Md Tangigul Haque, Shatabdi Paul, Marie E Herberstein, Md Kawsar Khan","doi":"10.1098/rsos.251061","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.251061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rising temperatures and frequent heatwaves pose a major threat to ectotherms due to their reliance on environmental temperature for physiological processes. Thermal tolerance, the ability to withstand varying temperature, determines how effectively and efficiently individuals can survive under extreme conditions. Host-microbial symbiotic interactions can influence thermal tolerance in insects; however, we have limited information especially for some endosymbionts such as gregarines, a group of apicomplexan endoparasites, which are commonly found in the guts of many aquatic and terrestrial insects. Gregarines are often considered parasitic, while a few recent studies have shown beneficial effects on hosts. Here, we tested the impact of gregarines on thermal tolerance in <i>Ischnura heterosticta</i> damselflies. We found that damselflies naturally infected with gregarines had higher thermal tolerance than damselflies without gregarine infections. Our findings provide evidence in support of gregarines as an endosymbiont of <i>I. heterosticta</i> damselfly. Our study indicates that gregarine endosymbionts may assist damselfly and possibly other semi-aquatic insects to sustain extreme heat and highlights the importance of understanding host-symbiont interactions in the context of climate change and species conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"251061"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404815/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nannan Wang, Rongli Zhang, Anni Zhao, Jia Yu, Yufeng Gao, Xuheng Sun, Wanwen Chen, Na Xiao, Feng Xiang, Wei Zheng, Zhanyi Lin, Hui Li
{"title":"Three-dimensional quantitative evaluation of hypertension-induced aortic fibre remodelling based on multiphoton microscopy: a cross-age perspective.","authors":"Nannan Wang, Rongli Zhang, Anni Zhao, Jia Yu, Yufeng Gao, Xuheng Sun, Wanwen Chen, Na Xiao, Feng Xiang, Wei Zheng, Zhanyi Lin, Hui Li","doi":"10.1098/rsos.251339","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.251339","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hypertension is the primary cause of cardiovascular diseases, and its worldwide prevalence has continued to increase recently. Aortic fibre remodelling is critical in the development of hypertension and is strikingly age-related. However, the underlying microlevel variations remain unknown. This study quantitatively evaluated the hypertension-induced microstructural remodelling of aortic fibres from a cross-age perspective by combining label-free multiphoton microscopy (MPM) imaging with a three-dimensional (3D) grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithm. First, MPM imaging of aortic collagen and elastin fibres was performed on spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto controls across three critical age stages (prehypertension, developing hypertension and stable hypertension) and two aortic segments (abdominal aorta and thoracic aorta). Subsequently, the 3D GLCM texture features that were significantly correlated with hypertension or age-related hypertension were identified. By deciphering these features, we revealed quantitative details of hypertension-induced aortic remodelling, hypertension-accelerated aortic ageing and the heterogeneous response of different aortic segments to hypertension from the perspective of the fibre microstructure. The proposed method and derived findings may shed new light on the mechanism of age-related hypertension and contribute significantly to the research on cardiovascular diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"251339"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404818/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dérick G F Borges, Eluã R Coutinho, Daniel C P Jorge, Marcos E Barreto, Pablo I P Ramos, Manoel Barral-Netto, Alvaro L G A Coutinho, Luiz Landau, Suani T R Pinho, Roberto F S Andrade
{"title":"An integrated framework for modelling respiratory disease transmission and designing surveillance networks using a sentinel index.","authors":"Dérick G F Borges, Eluã R Coutinho, Daniel C P Jorge, Marcos E Barreto, Pablo I P Ramos, Manoel Barral-Netto, Alvaro L G A Coutinho, Luiz Landau, Suani T R Pinho, Roberto F S Andrade","doi":"10.1098/rsos.251195","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.251195","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Defining epidemiologically relevant placements for sentinel units is critical for establishing effective health surveillance systems. We propose a novel methodology to identify optimal sentinel unit locations using network approaches and metapopulation modelling. Disease transmission dynamics were modelled using syndromic data on respiratory diseases, integrated with road mobility data. A generalizable sentinel index is introduced as a metric that evaluates the suitability of a site to host a sentinel unit, based on topological metrics and metapopulation dynamics. A case study using syndromic data from primary health care attendances in Bahia, Brazil, validated the relevance of existing sentinel units while identifying opportunities for local re-designs to improve disease surveillance coverage.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"251195"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Female chronotype is not related to annual and lifetime reproductive success in a free-living songbird.","authors":"Marjolein Meijdam, Marcel Eens, Wendt Müller","doi":"10.1098/rsos.250380","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.250380","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Circadian clocks play a crucial role in regulating the sleep-wake rhythm of organisms, aligning their activity with fluctuating environmental factors, such as light intensity. Still, significant and consistent interindividual differences in the timing of activity, known as chronotypes, have been observed across various species, but whether this affects fitness is still unknown. While previous studies have primarily focused on annual reproductive success, few studies have examined associations between chronotype and lifetime reproductive success. Here, we, therefore, study the association between chronotype, i.e. the emergence time from the nest box in the morning at the onset of reproduction, and annual reproductive success, lifetime reproductive success and longevity in free-living female great tits. We used a long-term dataset of individually marked birds, with the number of eggs, fledglings and recruits produced by a female serving as proxies for reproductive success and the age at death as a measure of longevity. Intriguingly, we did not find significant relationships between chronotype and reproductive success or longevity, and hence, no evidence for directional selection on chronotypes. As we found neither evidence of stabilizing nor disruptive selection, we could not show evolutionary implications of individual variation in chronotypes. Further experimental investigations and complementary studies in other populations will be necessary to understand whether and to what extent chronotypes are adaptive and whether our results are generalizable.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"250380"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404840/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yikang Zhang, Henry Otgaar, Robert A Nash, Chunlin Li
{"title":"The effects of false feedback on state memory distrust towards commission and omission and recognition memory errors.","authors":"Yikang Zhang, Henry Otgaar, Robert A Nash, Chunlin Li","doi":"10.1098/rsos.251045","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.251045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Memory distrust, the subjective appraisal of one's memory functioning, comprises two aspects: distrust over omission errors (e.g. forgetting) and distrust over commission errors (e.g. falsely remembering). Although these aspects have been studied, how they relate to memory validation (e.g. forming autobiographical beliefs) and memory reporting remains unclear. In this study, we experimentally examined how metacognitive appraisals influence memory validation and errors in memory reporting. Participants (<i>N</i> = 622, <i>M</i> <sub>age</sub> = 38.67, s.d.<sub>age</sub> = 12.23) completed a memory task where they received inaccurate feedback about a tendency to make either commission errors, omission errors or no feedback. They then performed a second recognition task. Compared to the control group, those who received feedback suggesting a tendency to make commission errors showed a shift towards a more conservative response criterion. In contrast, those who received feedback indicating a tendency to make omission errors shifted towards a more liberal criterion. However, manipulation checks did not confirm that our manipulations affected state memory distrust as expected, and we did not find sufficient evidence that the effect of feedback operated through changes in state memory distrust. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"251045"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of the walk ratio on the effectiveness of mechanical energy utilization during gait in healthy young people.","authors":"Toru Sakuma, Kensaku Kimura, Mika Konishi","doi":"10.1098/rsos.250740","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsos.250740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>When walking freely, humans prefer maintaining a nearly constant walk ratio (WR) (step length/cadence). An unnatural WR requires greater metabolic energy expenditure, with mechanical power demands underlying the metabolic response. To investigate the effects of WR on the effectiveness of mechanical energy utilization during walking, this study compared the average total absolute mechanical power during the stance ( <math> <mstyle> <mrow> <msub><mover><mi>P</mi> <mo>-</mo></mover> <mtext>total, stance</mtext></msub> </mrow> </mstyle> </math> ) and swing ( <math> <mstyle> <mrow> <msub><mover><mi>P</mi> <mo>-</mo></mover> <mtext>total, swing</mtext></msub> </mrow> </mstyle> </math> ) phases between preferred and unnatural WRs at a fixed walking speed. Twenty healthy participants walked at their preferred WR and at six types of unnatural WRs at a preferred walking speed. The unnatural WRs comprised six cadence conditions (±10, ±15 and ±20 of preferred cadence). <math> <mstyle> <mrow> <msub><mover><mi>P</mi> <mo>-</mo></mover> <mtext>total, stance</mtext></msub> </mrow> </mstyle> </math> was significantly higher at high WRs (slower cadence) than at the preferred WR (<i>p</i> < 0.05) owing to an increased braking ground reaction force and shorter relative stance phase duration. <math> <mstyle> <mrow> <msub><mover><mi>P</mi> <mo>-</mo></mover> <mtext>total, swing</mtext></msub> </mrow> </mstyle> </math> was significantly higher at low WRs (faster cadence) than at the preferred WR (<i>p</i> < 0.05) owing to the hip and knee joint powers being applied strongly and synchronously to prevent excessive knee flexion and extension. The preferred WR can optimize the effectiveness of mechanical work production, which may help to minimize metabolic energy expenditure.</p>","PeriodicalId":21525,"journal":{"name":"Royal Society Open Science","volume":"12 9","pages":"250740"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}