Current Zoology最新文献

{"title":"The Yarkand hare epidermal growth factor receptor improves the survival and antioxidant capacity of HeLa cells under stress.","authors":"Yuge Cui, Mengqi Xu, Mingchang Duan, Jinshan Wu, Yanyu Zhou, Wenjuan Shan","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoaf020","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoaf020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the most important tyrosine kinase receptor families, which plays a pivotal role in cell signaling transduction and physiological processes. Studies on the <i>EGFR</i> gene in humans and other species have demonstrated its pivotal role in regulating the sodium ion balance and mediating sodium and water reabsorption in the kidney's proximal tubules. However, the impact of <i>EGFR</i> gene in how the Yarkand hare (<i>Lepus yarkandensis</i>) adapts to extreme environmental habitat remains unclear. The Yarkand hare is a desert-dwelling animal with multiple adaptations to cope with drought. Given the important physiological function of <i>EGFR</i> gene, we strived to understand its role in arid environment and explore the molecular mechanism of drought tolerance in the Yarkand hare. We first performed segmental cloning of the CDS of the Yarkand hare <i>EGFR</i> gene. Then, we constructed the phylogenetic tree of the Yarkand hare's <i>EGFR</i> gene and compared it with that of other species. The results showed that the Yarkand hare was most closely related to the Tolai hare (<i>Lepus tolai</i>). Through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), we discovered that <i>EGFR</i> expression in the kidneys of the Yarkand hare was higher than in the allopatric Tolai hare from non-arid areas. Therefore, we hypothesized that <i>EGFR</i> gene overexpression in the kidney of the Yarkand hare may play a crucial role in drought adaptability. Subsequently, we inserted CDS of <i>EGFR</i> gene into a pcDNA3.1-EGFP expression vector to construct recombinant plasmid, which was transfected into HeLa cells and overexpressed. RT-qPCR demonstrated a notable and statistically significant increase in <i>EGFR</i> mRNA expression and western blot proved stable expression of this protein in HeLa cells. Through cell experiments, <i>EGFR</i> gene overexpression markedly enhanced the survival of Hela cells subjected to NaCl, H₂O₂, and heat stresses, increased superoxide dismutase activity, and decreased malondialdehyde content. In conclusion, these findings preliminarily suggest that EGFR might help the Yarkand hare adapt to extreme environmental conditions. EGFR manipulation <i>in vivo</i> could be a promising strategy to enhance the resilience of animals to extreme conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"404-407"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227414/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Functional reproductive morphology of the snapping shrimp genus <i>Synalpheus</i> Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda, Alpheidae).","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoaf013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoaf013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae053.].</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"408"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227413/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the effectiveness of acoustic signals in mark-recapture studies to estimate dolphins' population size.","authors":"Elena Papale, Maria Ceraulo, Martina Gregorietti, Clarissa De Vita, Giuseppa Buscaino","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae079","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate estimations of animal population size are pivotal for implementing management strategies properly. Recapture technique based on sounds as a specimen identification mark has barely been used for marine mammals. However, inferring abundance estimates from acoustic methods could enhance the accuracy and precision of population size assessments. Here, we tested the possibility of using signature whistles as individual marks for estimating the size of common bottlenose dolphin (<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>) populations. Data were continuously collected for 326 days in 2015-2016, by using a fixed acoustic device located in the Sicily Strait (Italy). The SIGID method was applied to identify Signature Whistles Types (SWTs) over 7,000 h of recordings. Eighty SWTs were detected as long as their stereotyped fundamental frequency contours were repeated in bouts of at least 6 renditions. The mean SWTs monthly recording rate resulted in 0.19 (<i>Standard deviation</i> = 0.16), with 20 SWTs recorded over 5 or more different encounters (until a maximum of 30 encounters). The Jolly-Seber model (with POPAN formulation) was run in Mark software to estimate the population size. The estimated population size resulted in 171 bottlenose dolphins (95% confidence interval = 137-215). Even if the detection and identification of signature whistles required crucial precautions, and animals could be detected differently from visual techniques, the population size estimate obtained was comparable with previous results based on physical marks data. These outcomes demonstrated that signature whistles can be considered a strongly effective tool for integrating traditional mark-recapture techniques with finely estimated dolphins' population abundances.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"409-418"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12491674/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145233828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new critical site for spectral tuning of red/green-sensitive visual pigment identified in a murid rodent.","authors":"Shengjing Song, Jun Zhu, Yaoqi Xie, David M Irwin, Yang Liu","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae077","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae077","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"400-403"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227416/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natal and breeding dispersal patterns in a patchy population of the western yellow wagtail.","authors":"Dmitry Shitikov, Nikita Grachev, Viktoria Grudinskaya, Alexander Grabovsky, Stanislav Samsonov, Alexey Korolev, Tatiana Makarova","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae075","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dispersal is an important life history trait with significant consequences for spatially structured populations, as the exchange of individuals between habitat patches is crucial for maintaining metapopulation connectivity. In this study, we used a long-term data set (2005-2023) to describe dispersal patterns in a patchy population of the Western Yellow Wagtail <i>Motacilla flava</i> within a large (approximately 1,300 km²) study area in the boreal zone of European Russia. We quantified dispersal distances for birds that dispersed outside their natal or breeding habitat patches and applied a multistate capture-recapture approach to estimate natal and breeding dispersal probabilities. Of 395 adult wagtails and 1,610 nestlings ringed, 3% of birds ringed as adults and 3% of birds ringed as nestlings were resighted outside their natal or breeding patches. The probability of natal dispersal (0.29 ± 0.05) was significantly higher than the probability of breeding dispersal (0.05 ± 0.01). The median natal dispersal distances (2.8 km for males, 3.9 km for females) were the same as the median breeding dispersal distances (2.7 km for males, 3.9 km for females). We did not find a significant effect of the fledging date on either the natal dispersal distance or the natal dispersal probability. Similarly, we did not find a significant effect of the previous reproductive success on either the breeding dispersal distance or the breeding dispersal probability. Our results indicate that strong breeding site fidelity and short-distance natal dispersal are the dominant dispersal strategies in a patchy population of the western yellow wagtail.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"535-543"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376046/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproductive behavior and early immature morphology of <i>Portschinskia magnifica</i>: implications for evolutionary biology in bot flies (Diptera: Oestridae).","authors":"Xinyu Li, Wentian Xu, Yaqian Fan, Dong Zhang, Thomas Pape","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae072","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Portschinskia</i> Semenov is a rare genus of bot flies whose larvae are obligate parasites of pikas and murine rodents, crucial for understanding the evolutionary biology of Oestridae. However, limited information on their adult biology and early immature stages has hindered the progress. Here, we provided the first documentation of adult oviposition, behavior, and morphology of newly hatched first instars of <i>P. magnifica</i> Pleske. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, we characterized the ultrastructure of egg and first-instar larva, identifying key traits facilitating attachment. Eggs were deposited individually or in groups, and glued on non-host surfaces with white adhesive substances, without specialized attachment organ. Newly hatched first instars were circled with an anterior spinose band on each body segment except the anal division, awaited hosts in an upright position, and anchored to the egg shell by their anal division, likely supported by curved spines originating from the peritreme of the posterior spiracles. Evolutionary analyses of reproductive behavior across the 4 bot fly subfamilies reveal at least 3 times independent evolution of oviposition on non-host surfaces in <i>Portschinskia</i> or the Hypodermatinae clade as a sister group to <i>Ochotonia</i>, <i>Gasterophilus pecorum</i> (Fabricius) (Gasterophilinae), and Cuterebrinae. In contrast, species in the Oestrinae are larviparous, depositing first instars directly onto hosts. Our findings shed light on oviposition behavior and early immature morphology of the rare genus <i>Portschinskia</i>, offering insights into reproductive strategies and evolutionary adaptations of bot flies.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"524-534"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376039/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Call variation and calling site preference of three sympatric <i>Boulenophrys</i> frogs.","authors":"Tianyu Qian, Yuanlingbo Shang, Wenbao Zheng, Pipeng Li, Daode Yang","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae067","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animals living in syntopy share acoustic space. Asian horned frogs are well known for their sympatric distribution, but little is known about their strategies to avoid acoustic niche competition. This study focused on three sympatric <i>Boulenophrys</i> frog species from southern China-<i>B. nanlingensis</i>, <i>B. ombrophila</i>, and <i>B. shimentaina</i>, with the former two species call in similar frequencies but breed in different seasons. First, we checked the call variation during the change of individual body size and the ambient air temperature in three species. We have found call frequencies were the most static parameters in each species that were associated with body size and contributed most to species identification. Temporal call parameters shift with temperature but are mostly influenced by low temperatures. Second, we checked the interactions between the environment and call properties. The calling site preferences of each species corresponded well with the prediction of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis (in view of higher frequency better transmission in open habitat), and species with similar call frequencies have some aspects of common calling sites. Third, we checked the species-species interaction by using playback tests with male <i>B. nanlingensis</i>. Results from playback experiments showed species that call at similar frequencies could hardly share the same habitat during the same season. These findings expanded the knowledge of acoustic coexistence in closely related anuran species and provided insights into the vocal behavior of Asian horned frogs.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"492-503"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376042/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Paternal predatory risk alters parental behavior and offspring phenotypes in biparental Brandt's voles.","authors":"Ruiyong Wu, Jing Zhu, Ping Wang, Zedong Xu, Lin Chen, Yi Chen, Jiahong Xu, Qianying Wang, Shengmei Yang, Wanhong Wei","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae071","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Paternal predation risk can program offspring phenotypes via maternal responses and epigenetic marks of spermatozoa. However, the processes and consequences of this experience in biparental species are unknown. Here, we examined how preconception and postconception paternal cat odor (CO) exposure affects anxiety-like behavior and antipredator response in Brandt's voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>). We found that preconception paternal CO exposure inhibited maternal investment when offspring were raised by mothers alone, while postconception exposure increased paternal investment towards the offspring raised by both parents. The increased paternal behavior may be associated with an increasing grooming behavior received from their mates, which alleviated the anxiety-like behavior in CO-exposed males. Both paternal experiences increased the levels of anxiety-like behavior in adolescent offspring but differentially altered adult phenotypes. Specifically, adult females from preconception CO-exposed fathers spent less time in defensive concealing, whereas the offspring of postconception CO-exposed fathers showed more in response to acute cat urine exposure. Correspondingly, baseline corticosterone levels were decreased and increased in these offspring, respectively. Our results indicate that in biparental species, paternal predation risk exposure affects offspring phenotypes in pathway-dependent and age-specific manners and that only the presence of both parents can elicit adaptive responses to a high predation-risk environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"511-523"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Egg shape in an obligate brood parasite stabilizes temperature variation during incubation.","authors":"Francisco R Magdaleno, Lyndon R Hawkins, Isaac Quintanilla Salinas, Brian D Peer","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae070","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird (<i>Molothrus ater</i>) has one of the shortest incubation periods of any bird. Brown-headed cowbird eggs, and those of other avian brood parasites, tend to be more spherical due to their greater relative width. The traditional explanation for this egg shape is that it, combined with the thicker eggshells, resists host puncture-ejection. However, very few North American hosts of the brown-headed cowbird actually engage in puncture-ejection and therefore wider eggs may instead provide greater contact with a host's brood patch during incubation, especially in large host nests. We tested whether greater egg width increased mean temperature and reduced temperature variation in brown-headed cowbirds by inserting temperature probes into brown-headed cowbird and house sparrow (<i>Passer domesticus</i>) eggs and placing them into red-winged blackbird (<i>Agelaius phoeniceus</i>) nests. House sparrow eggs are similar in appearance and in length to cowbird eggs, but are not as wide. We found no significant relationship between brown-headed cowbird egg width and mean incubation temperature. However, brown-headed cowbird eggs experienced less temperature variation than house sparrow eggs, and within brown-headed cowbird eggs, more spherical eggs experienced less temperature variation when accounting for differences in width. These results suggest that brown-headed cowbirds may have short incubation periods in part because their eggs exhibit less temperature variation over the course of incubation. The brown-headed cowbird's egg shape may contribute to its accelerated embryonic development rate relative to host eggs of similar size, which explains its ability to hatch in a variety of host nests.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"504-510"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rain-harvesting behavior in free-ranging prairie rattlesnakes (<i>Crotalus viridis</i>).","authors":"Madison G McIntyre, Marja van Mierlo, M Rockwell Parker, Scott M Goetz, Emily N Taylor, Scott M Boback","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae069","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Organisms inhabiting arid environments face challenges to obtain dietary water. To prevent desiccation, some organisms possess unique adaptations to harvest water from infrequent and unpredictable rainfall, including several squamates (snakes and lizards). While most squamates consume precipitation as it pools in the environment, a small number engage in behaviors to enhance water collection by capturing precipitation from their own skin, referred to as rain-harvesting behavior (RHB). Details of this behavior remain unclear, particularly the sequence of behaviors associated with RHB. We developed a method to simulate rainfall to observe RHB in prairie rattlesnakes (<i>Crotalus viridis</i>) in situ and recorded 72 events in 94 snakes, the most robust sampling of RHB to date. Using video analysis, we describe the postures and kinematics of RHB and develop the first illustrated ethogram of this behavior for any vertebrate. Our results demonstrate that RHB contains fixed and variable patterns useful in cross-species comparisons and in exploring proximate causes of the behavior. In addition, we describe novel features of RHB including suspended head drinking, body levering, and drinking from neighboring snakes. Our results reveal RHB to be an intricate suite of movements and actions, some of which allude to acute sensory abilities of these animals that warrant further study. Furthermore, observations of RHB at dens and rookeries suggest a potential, novel benefit of snake aggregation is the formation of large, communal surfaces for rain harvesting. We suggest that the extremely elongated body plan of snakes may be well-suited for a rapidly deployed, modular rain-harvesting system effective at capitalizing on fleeting rainstorms characteristic of arid ecosystems of the world.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 1","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11847018/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143494476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}