Current Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Body size and condition, not allochrony, affect temporal reproductive patterns in a prolonged breeding anuran.","authors":"Stephan Burgstaller, Andras Horvath, Marie-Luise Aiglsperger, Bernhard Kapeller, Magdalena Spießberger, Martina Staufer, Lukas Landler","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae066","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Individual phenological life-history variations in the context of seasonal conditions are well documented in fishes and birds. However, amphibians, a group heavily affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, have received relatively little attention regarding research on life-history adaptations. Here we present 3 years of data on the timing of reproductive activity in a suburban European green toad (<i>Bufotes viridis</i>) population. We found annually consistent patterns of reproductive activity and investigated whether these were caused by allochrony or individual attributes. Body size (a proxy for age), body condition, and sex significantly affected the timing of reproductive activity. However, most individuals showed considerable overlap in their reproductive timeframe, refuting the existence of allochronic subpopulations. Our findings may indicate life-history adaptations in the direction of a faster lifestyle in response to hazardous environments. We propose to focus further research efforts on phenological variations in the context of environmental conditions, and that phenological variations should be considered more strongly in amphibian conservation efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"482-491"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376048/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977312","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":"Altitude and ground brightness explain interpopulation variation in dorsal coloration in a lizard.","authors":"José J Cuervo, María C Durán-García, Josabel Belliure","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae065","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae065","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-signaling functions of coloration include thermoregulation (thermal melanism hypothesis), protection against ultraviolet radiation (photoprotection hypothesis), and concealment from predators (crypsis hypothesis). We investigated whether dorsal coloration in 19 populations of spiny-footed lizards, <i>Acanthodactylus erythrurus</i>, across the Iberian Peninsula varies according to these functions. We captured adult males and females in each population and calculated standardized dorsum brightness estimates from photographs. We also calculated standardized ground luminosity estimates and gathered information on latitude, altitude, mean annual temperature, and mean annual solar radiation for each location. Males showed a higher percentage of black coloration and a more contrasted dorsum than females, suggesting different selection pressures on dorsal coloration in both sexes. Furthermore, males showed a darker dorsum and a higher percentage of black coloration at higher altitudes and when the ground was darker. In contrast, females exhibited a darker dorsum only when the ground was darker and a higher percentage of black coloration only at higher altitudes. We also observed that the variation of dorsum luminosity within males and the variation of dorsum luminosity among females within populations were both positively related to the variation of ground luminosity among different points within locations. Latitude, temperature, and solar radiation were not significantly related to dorsal coloration in either sex. Our results support the photoprotection and crypsis hypotheses in males and, to some extent, in females, whereas the thermal melanism hypothesis is weakly supported in both sexes. These findings suggest that there is local adaptation in the dorsal coloration of the spiny-footed lizard.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"469-481"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376043/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977256","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":"Sperm depletion and mate choice of the crab spider, <i>Ebrechtella tricuspidata</i> (Fahricius).","authors":"Haobo Guo, Lelei Wen, Yue Yu, Chao Wang, Yancong Wang, Changchun Li, Xiaoguo Jiao","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae059","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mounting evidence suggests that male sperm may be gradually depleted after consecutive matings, resulting in the decline of female reproductive output in insect species. It is predicted that females may employ adaptive strategies to avoid the sperm-depleted males, such as mating multiply with different males and/or discriminating against previously mated males (MMs). Similarly, males may exhibit adaptive behaviors toward females varying in mating status. However, in spiders with males lacking primary copulatory organs and their pedipalps modified to transfer sperm, there are few studies on male mating potential and previous mating experience on their subsequent mate choice. In this study, we used a polyandrous crab spider, <i>Ebrechtella tricuspidata</i>, a sit-and-wait predator with female-biased sex ratio as a model system to ascertain whether 1) male mating experiences influence female reproductive fitness; 2) females respond differently to males varying in mating status; and 3) males respond differently to females varying in mating status. Our results showed that female fecundity was independent of male mating experiences, but female fertility markedly declined with the increase of male previous mating experiences in the first eggsac. Counter to our predictions, females preferred to choose and mate with the larger males, regardless of their mating status. In contrast, male mating status influenced their mating preference toward females. Virgin males did not show any preference between virgin and mated females; however, MMs were more likely to prefer the virgin females over the mated ones. Overall, our results indicated that female choice depended primarily on male relative size rather than male mating status, whereas male choice depended on female mating status. Depending on the investigation of reproductive dynamics and mate choice in <i>E. tricuspidata</i>, the study will provide valuable insights into the adaptive behaviors of both males and females exhibiting toward mates varying in mating status.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"390-399"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227422/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576868","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":"Costly calling: Marmots who alarm call at higher rates are less likely to survive the summer and live shorter lives.","authors":"Daniel T Blumstein, Katie A Adler, Jazmine Uy","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae060","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Emitting alarm calls may be costly, but few studies have asked whether calling increases a caller's risk of predation and survival. Since observing animals calling and being killed is relatively rare, we capitalized on over 24,000 h of observations of marmot colonies and asked whether variation in the rate that yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventer</i>) alarm called was associated with the probability of summer mortality, a proxy for predation. Using a generalized mixed model that controlled for factors that influenced the likelihood of survival, we found that marmots who called at higher rates were substantially more likely to die over the summer. Because virtually all summer mortality is due to predation, these results suggest that calling is indeed costly for marmots. Additionally, the results from a Cox survival analysis showed that marmots that called more lived significantly shorter lives. Prior studies have shown that marmots reduce the risk by emitting calls only when close to their burrows, but this newly quantified survival cost suggests a constraint on eliminating risks. Quantifying the cost of alarm calling using a similar approach in other systems will help us better understand its true costs, which is an essential value for theoretical models of calling and social behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"425-431"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376037/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977315","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":"Bacterial microbiome and their assembly processing in two sympatric desert rodents (<i>Dipus sagitta</i> and <i>Meriones meridianus</i>) from different geographic sources.","authors":"Dilala Tuoliu, Jilong Cheng, Lin Xia, Zhixin Wen, Muyang Wang, Weikang Yang, Qisen Yang","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae062","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae062","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The microbiome of mammals has profound effects on host fitness, but the process, which drives the assembly and shift of mammalian microbiome remains poorly understood. To explore the patterns of small mammal microbial communities across host species and geographical sites and measure the relative contributions of different processes in driving assembly patterns, 2 sympatric desert rodent species (<i>Dipus sagitta</i> and <i>Meriones meridianus</i>) were sampled from 2 geographically distant regions, which differed in the environment, followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The microbiomes differed significantly between <i>D. sagitta</i> and <i>M. meridianus</i>, and linear mixed modeling (LMM) analysis revealed that microbial diversity was mostly affected by species rather than the environment. For each rodent species, the microbiome diversity and structure differed across geographical regions, with individuals from lower rainfall environments exhibiting greater diversity. The null modeling results suggested dispersal limitation and ecological drift rather than differential selective pressures acting on the microbiome. In addition, each group had a different core genus, suggesting that the taxonomic composition of the microbiome was shaped most strongly by stochastic processes. Our results suggest that variation in the microbiome between hosts, both within and among geographic rodent populations, is driven by bacterial dispersal and ecological drift rather than by differential selective pressures. These results elucidated the diversity patterns and assembly processes of bacterial microbiomes in small desert mammals. Deciphering the processes shaping the assembly of the microbial community is a premise for better understanding how the environment-host-microbe interactions of mammals are established and maintained, particularly in the context of increased environmental disturbances and global changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"440-448"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376032/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977297","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":"Climatic variation and risk assessment in a highly seasonal mammal.","authors":"McKenna Sanchez, Julien G A Martin, Daniel T Blumstein","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae058","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change and its resulting effects on seasonality are known to alter a variety of animal behaviors including those related to foraging, phenology, and migration. Although many studies focus on the impacts of phenological changes on physiology or fitness enhancing behaviors, fewer have investigated the relationship between variation in weather and phenology on risk assessment. Fleeing from predators is an economic decision that incurs costs and benefits. As environmental conditions change, animals may face additional stressors that affect their decision to flee and influence their ability to effectively assess risk. Flight initiation distance (FID)-the distance at which animals move away from threats-is often used to study risk assessment. FID varies due to both internal and external biotic and physical factors as well as anthropogenic activities. We asked whether variation in weather and phenology is associated with risk-taking in a population of yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventer</i>). As the air temperature increased marmots tolerated closer approaches, suggesting that they either perceived less risk or that their response to a threat was thermally compromised. The effect of temperature was relatively small and was largely dependent upon having a larger range in the full data set that permitted us to detect it. We found no effects of either the date that snow disappeared or July precipitation on marmot FID. As global temperatures continue to rise, rainfall varies more and drought becomes more common, understanding climate-related changes in how animals assess risk should be used to inform population viability models.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 4","pages":"419-424"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12376033/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144977271","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":"The critical role of arachidonic acid on molting in spiders.","authors":"Lelei Wen, Lieping Wang, Zhigan Wang, Haixin Zhang, Lang Hu, Baoyu Peng, Yu Peng, Xiaoguo Jiao, Changchun Li","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae056","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spiders frequently suffer abnormal molting and subsequent death when sustained on a monotypic diet of fruit flies <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>. The fruit flies lack arachidonic acid (AA), a nutrient that may be critical for successful molting of spiders. To test this hypothesis, we compared the survival rates of juvenile wolf spiders, <i>Pardosa pseudoannulata</i>, fed on three kinds of diets, midges (<i>Tendipes</i> sp.), fruit flies enriched in AA and fruit flies lacking in AA. In addition, we analyzed the fatty acid composition of spiders feeding on midges and fruit flies enriched in AA and their prey. Juvenile spiders fed on midges and AA-enriched fruit flies reached full maturity without molting issues, whereas nearly all spiders fed the flies lacking in AA did not survive. Among the 35 different fatty acids, only the AA levels in both prey and spiders correlated positively with spider survival. Our findings provide compelling evidence that AA is crucial for the survival and molting of <i>P. pseudoannulata</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"373-380"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227418/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576869","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":"Torpor expression and patterns in 3 sympatric rodents from Inner Mongolia.","authors":"Qing-Sheng Chi, Gansukh Sukhchuluun, Jing Wen, De-Hua Wang, Fritz Geiser","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae057","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diversity of rodents in Asian deserts is high. Nevertheless, little is known about their use of daily torpor and hibernation, which are employed by many small mammals worldwide for energy and water conservation to permit survival under adverse environmental conditions. We quantified for the first time, using temperature transponders and data loggers, long-term torpor expression and patterns in sympatric desert hamsters <i>Phodopus roborovskii</i>, striped hamsters <i>Cricetulus barabensis</i> and 3-toed jerboas <i>Dipus sagitta</i> under controlled conditions. Animals were live-trapped in Inner Mongolia in August and held in captivity under short photoperiods and low ambient temperatures (<i>T</i> _as) for about 6 months. Both hamster species (~half of individuals) expressed spontaneous (food available) daily torpor. Daily torpor in desert hamsters was less frequent and shallower than that in striped hamsters, which also had longer torpor bouts during torpor at <i>T</i> _a 15.8 ± 0.4 °C. Only one individual jerboa entered hibernation spontaneously at <i>T</i> _a 6.2 ± 0.5°C, but all hibernated after food deprivation. The 2 hamster species only slightly changed their body mass during the acclimation, whereas jerboas greatly increased their body mass by 27.9% during the first 2 months of acclimation probably as a preparation for the hibernating season. Our data show that short photoperiod and moderately low <i>T</i> _a induces spontaneous daily torpor in the 2 hamster species, suggesting that it is used regularly in the wild. Hibernation in Jerboas occurred at <i>T</i> _a 6.2 ± 0.5 °C especially when food was withheld suggesting limited food availability is the proximate trigger of their hibernation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"381-389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576871","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":"The Slithering Dead: Does locomotor performance affect post-capture death feigning in dice snakes (Natrix tessellata, Laurenti 1768)?","authors":"Vukašin Bjelica, Marko Maričić, Marko Anđelković, Ljiljana Tomović, Dragan Arsovski, Ana Golubović","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoae054","url":null,"abstract":"Functional constraints between different types of antipredator behavior should be common, especially if they are on the opposite sides of the behavioral spectrum such as flight and post-capture immobility. We examined a potential compromise between post-capture immobility displays and sprint speed in dice snakes (Natrix tessellata), using a field-based approach. We sampled snakes (N=238) from two populations: from a dense island population free of mammal predators, and from a less dense mainland population, preyed upon by both bird and mammal predators. We explored the effects of sexual maturity, temperature, body size, presence of palpable food in the gut and injuries on the occurrence and duration of post-capture immobility as well as sprint speed. Our results confirm the existence of functional constraints between locomotor performance and post-capture immobility in dice snakes. Faster dice snakes start escaping promptly after release, while slower individuals utilize more passive antipredator behaviors such as death feigning. Local adaptations seem to have great influence on behavioral compromise, since the mammal-free island population exhibited a higher incidence of post-capture immobility and a significantly lower sprint speed, compared to the less dense mainland population. Additionally, immature individuals tended to avoid death feigning and their post-capture immobility lasted shorter compared to adult individuals. It remains to be seen how individuals adjust their behavior to accomodate locomotor constraints, and in which specific phases of the predator-prey interaction these adjustments occur.","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142257104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional reproductive morphology of the snapping shrimp genus <i>Synalpheus</i> Spence Bate, 1888 (Decapoda, Alpheidae).","authors":"Isabela R R Moraes, Mariana Antunes, Laura S López-Greco, Fernando José Zara, Antonio Leão Castilho","doi":"10.1093/cz/zoae053","DOIUrl":"10.1093/cz/zoae053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Shrimps of the genus <i>Synalpheus</i> (Caridea) are commonly found in subtropical and tropical marine habitats around the world. The present work aims to provide the first description of the reproductive system of this genus using histological, histochemical, and morphological perspectives to elucidate the gonochoric or hermaphrodite sexual system in this genus. Males have a slender and very translucent reproductive system that is challenging to observe. The entire cephalothorax was histologically sectioned to ensure that all regions of the reproductive system could be identified. This non-<i>gambarelloides</i> group shows a gonochoric condition. The caridean pattern of the reproductive system was observed where the male has a pair of testes and a pair of very thin vasa deferentia, ending at the opening of the gonopore. Spermatophore structure is absent, without any layers surrounding the spermatozoa that are aggregated in a sperm mass. In females, the reproductive system consists of a pair of ovaries that extend to the end of the pleon. The extension of the ovary has a particular pattern compared to other caridean shrimps. Here, we hypothesize that males invest energy on somatic morphological structures to protect the host and female, using the larger pistol-like cheliped, while females invest energy in reproduction since all the members of this group are typical \"pair-bond\" examples. The observed pattern of the reproductive male morphology could also be evidence of a possible synapomorphy for this genus within the infraorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":50599,"journal":{"name":"Current Zoology","volume":"71 3","pages":"338-352"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144576867","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}