Integrative and Comparative Biology最新文献

{"title":"Specificity across scales: Insights from the Siphamia-Photobacterium mandapamensis symbiosis.","authors":"Alison L Gould","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag043","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Specificity, the selective partnership between a host and particular microbial taxa, is a fundamental feature of microbial symbioses, yet the mechanisms that generate and maintain specificity can be difficult to disentangle across the evolutionary, ecological and molecular scales at which they operate. Binary symbioses, in which a single host and microbial species interact, offer powerful systems for investigating these mechanisms across biological scales. Here, current knowledge of the symbiosis between siphonfish in the genus Siphamia and their bioluminescent symbiont, Photobacterium mandapamensis, is synthesized to illustrate ways in which specificity operates across multiple scales in this vertebrate-bacteria association. At the evolutionary scale, P. mandapamensis is the exclusive symbiont across all Siphamia species throughout the Indo-Pacific examined to date, indicating specificity is a conserved feature of the association. At the ecological scale, host behavior may generate local symbiont pools that reinforce specificity across host generations, promoting fine-scale genetic divergence among symbiont populations. At the molecular scale, comparative genomics between P. mandapamensis and the closely related, yet incompatible P. leiognathi reveals candidate loci unique to P. mandapamensis that encode putative systems for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, iron transport, host-specific attachment and surface recognition, and nitrogen assimilation. Together, these findings illustrate that specificity in this system is not the product of any single mechanism, but of multiple processes operating across these scales and feeding back to one another, positioning the Siphamia-P. mandapamensis symbiosis as a tractable model for investigating how partner fidelity is generated, maintained, and potentially disrupted in a changing world.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846303","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":"Activity Responses of Rana forreri and Rhinella horribilis Tadpoles to Predation Cues.","authors":"Dariana González-Aguilar, Juan G Abarca, Yash Sondhi, Pablo E Allen, José Miguel Chaves-Fallas","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tadpoles must rapidly detect and respond to predation threats to survive the most vulnerable stage of anuran development. Although previous studies have examined the effects of visual or chemical cues on tadpole behavior, none have compared the effects of multiple predator-associated sensory stimuli across species. Here, we examined the responses of two neotropical tadpole species, the Forrer's leopard frog Rana forreri (non-toxic), and the cane toad Rhinella horribilis (toxic), to visual, chemical, and auditory predation cues. Tadpoles were exposed to simulated bird shadows (visual cue), belostomatid-conditioned water (chemical cue), and calls of the Green Kingfisher predator, Chloroceryle americana (auditory cue). We recorded tadpole activity for four minutes prior to, one minute during, and four minutes following treatment exposure using Portable Locomotion Activity Monitors (pLAMs). R. forreri exhibited increased activity in response to auditory cues, whereas chemical and visual cues did not produce significant changes in activity levels relative to the control. Conversely, R. horribilis showed no significant differences in activity level across treatments. These findings suggest that antipredation responses vary in their sensitivity to sensory modality and may be shaped by species-specific defensive strategies. In particular, chemical defense may reduce reliance on immediate behavioral responses, while non-toxic species may exhibit stronger responsiveness to specific sensory cues. Together, our results highlight the selective prioritization of sensory information in shaping antipredation behavior in larval anurans.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846222","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":"A review of historical and contemporary evidence for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) spawning sites.","authors":"Alanna Mnich, Max D Zavell, Barbara A Muhling, Christina M Hernández, Steven X Cadrin","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) are a highly migratory scombrid that traverse the north Atlantic Ocean. During the extensive history of exploitation of Atlantic bluefin tuna as a resource, several paradigms have been proposed in describing population structure. Currently, a two-stock model exists that defines separation between an eastern and western stock, with dominant spawning sites in the Mediterranean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, respectively. The discovery and continued collection of larvae in the Slope Sea renews research interest into spawning at alternative sites. Evidence for spawning outside of the Mediterranean Sea and Gulf of Mexico is well-supported in historical literature. Sites of interest that are included in this review are: 1) Historically recognized spawning sites of the Mediterranean Sea and Gulf of Mexico; 2) Recently confirmed spawning, in the Slope Sea; 3) Plausible spawning sites in the western Atlantic: the Straits of Florida-Caribbean Margin, South Atlantic Bight-Blake Plateau, and Yucatán-Western Caribbean; 4) Plausible spawning sites in the eastern Atlantic: the Bay of Biscay, off mainland Portugal, South Macaronesia, and North Macaronesia; and 5) Presumed collapsed sites, of the Black Sea, Gulf of Guinea, and Brazil. This review aims to compile references relevant to the likelihood of Atlantic bluefin tuna spawning in alternative spawning sites, including collections of larvae, presence of mature adults in spawning condition, captures of young-of-year juveniles, and supporting evidence in tagging studies, genetics, stock-mixing and population modeling, and microchemistry. Oceanographic conditions of areas of interest, including sea surface temperature, salinity, height anomaly, current velocity, and chlorophyll are described, and regional suitability for spawning and larval survival is discussed. In compiling this review, uncertainties in Atlantic bluefin tuna spawning are highlighted and gaps in knowledge addressed. Future work to resolve questions related to spawning, both spatially and temporally, is crucial for improving our understanding of the population. Sustainable management of this species is reliant upon accurate analysis of their structure and spawning behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of life cycle variation on feeding system musculature in Caudata.","authors":"Morgane Taillades, Isabelle Toussaint-Lardé, Vivien Louppe, Morgane Fournier, Mark Mandica, Anthony Herrel, Anne-Claire Fabre","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Caudata (salamanders and newts) exhibit considerable diversity in terms of ecology, life cycle, morphology, and behavior, ranging from species with complete metamorphosis to those with facultative or complete loss of metamorphosis. These developmental differences are often tightly linked to ecological transitions and morphological transformations, influencing how salamanders exploit habitats, access resources, and feed during their lifetime. While skeletal transformations have been widely studied, the impact on cranial musculature remains poorly understood. This study explores how life cycle variation and associated ecological transitions and morphological transformations affect the architecture of feeding muscles in salamanders. We conducted dissections of the feeding system in 25 salamander species representing different life cycles, ecological transitions, and morphological transformations. We quantified muscle volume and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) functional muscle group of the jaw and hyoid muscles. Our results revealed a differentiation in cranial musculature based on different ecological strategies, and that other factors, such as head size, play a prominent role in shaping muscle architecture. We identified consistent patterns associated with whether individuals undergo an ecological transition, experience a morphological transformation, and with their adult habitat use, suggesting that ecological context imposes functional constraints on the muscular organization of the feeding system. These findings suggest that life history, ecological, and developmental strategies impose constraints that influence the muscular organization of the jaw and the hyoid apparatus. Future work should broaden taxonomic sampling, integrate bone and muscular traits together, and examine the evolutionary pathways by which life cycle variation interacts with functional morphology in Caudata.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846253","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":"Aerodynamic Mechanisms and Flow Physics of Bioinspired Slotted Wingtips.","authors":"Hannah Wiswell, Aimy Wissa","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bird wings contain several feather groups, some of which contribute to their aerodynamic performance during flight. One of these groups is the emarginated primary feathers, which exhibit slots, bending, and twisting in flight. Slotted wingtips vary in morphology across the avian clade, raising questions about the relationship between their form and function, particularly with regard to their aerodynamic role. This study expands the current understanding of the functional morphology of slotted wingtips by systematically studying slots, bending, and twist using various engineered wingtip configurations: one that captures the slotting only, another that has both slotting and bending, and a third that combines slots, bending, and twist. Force, moment, and PIV data acquired during wind tunnel testing reveal that the bioinspired wingtips have both global and local aerodynamic effects. The wingtips' global aerodynamic effect is to delay spanwise stall propagation, thereby altering the lift distribution over the wing. Local aerodynamic effects include the reduction of aerodynamic load over the wingtips as well as changes to the separated shear layer location and the breakdown of tip vorticity. The results show that while global aerodynamic effects are universal across all configurations, local effects are sensitive to wingtip design. Nonetheless, both the global and local effects enable structural resilience and effective roll and yaw control authority. These results demonstrate that the emarginated primary feathers may have multiple aerodynamic functions, offering new insights into their role in bird flight and showcasing their potential as flow- and flight-control devices for engineered aerial vehicles.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846255","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":"Integrating integration: The intrinsic mechanisms and biological processes that shape patterns of trait covariation over evolutionary time.","authors":"David G Matthews, R Craig Albertson","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>One ubiquitous pattern of organismal form that has long fascinated biologists is the covariation of seemingly unrelated traits across the body. This has led many to study phenotypic integration - the tendency of a biological or developmental system to give rise to such correlations. While integration has been observed across broad phylogenetic and broad temporal scales, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited to broad categories of causation, such as development and selection. However, we believe that developing a more granular understanding of these mechanisms will be critical to more fully elucidate the evolutionary consequences of integration and to resolve past discrepancies in empirical data. To this end, we offer a list of intrinsic and molecular mechanisms that we hypothesize could drive integration of organismal form. We also present a list of biological processes, the set of intra- and inter-individual interactions affecting an organism, which may shape the deployment of these intrinsic mechanisms. Finally, we discuss how understanding these mechanisms could lead to different predictions about the temporal patterns of integration and even the evolvability of a system. Neither our list of mechanisms, nor our proposed consequences, are comprehensive; rather we hope that this discussion will encourage evolutionary and molecular biologists alike to build a deeper mechanistic understanding of organismal covariation, from cell-cell communications to macro-evolutionary trends.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147823571","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":"No clean slates at metamorphosis: Do environmental legacies shape evolutionary outcomes in amphibians?","authors":"H Terry, J Cocalis, D Nesta, E Shell, A Shephard, L Shinn, C Ledón-Rettig","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developmental environments shape trait expression in ways that often persist into, or only become evident during, later stages of an organism's life. These \"carry-over\" effects are well documented across taxa, even in species that undergo dramatic remodeling during metamorphosis. Amphibians, a textbook model of metamorphic life histories, enjoy a rich literature documenting carry-over effects. Despite this wealth of information, key questions remain about how carry-over effects influence amphibian health and evolution and how such effects, themselves, evolve. Here, we provide the first broad synthesis of amphibian carry-over effects, drawing on over 170 empirical studies to assess how diverse early-life environments affect post-metamorphic traits across taxa, developmental stages, and experimental contexts. This synthesis reveals strong biases towards studying life-history traits as carry-over effects and conducting studies under laboratory conditions. In contrast, far less is known about how early-life environmental variation shapes physiological, behavioral, and morphological carry-over effects, or how such effects impact performance under field conditions. These gaps are critical given mounting evidence that early-life environments can impose \"hidden\" costs later in life that are not captured by size-based metrics, and that interacting stressors in nature can result in unexpected health outcomes. Building on these studies, we highlight key unanswered questions regarding the mechanisms underlying carry-over effects and how those mechanisms may shape evolutionary potential or constraint. Our overarching goal is to synthesize existing knowledge and motivate new research on this influential yet incompletely understood driver of adult trait and fitness variation in a taxonomic group increasingly challenged by environmental change.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789752","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":"Tadpole and frog skin thicknesses are evolutionarily decoupled.","authors":"Molly C Womack, Marisol Hamada, Chesney Melissinos, Leah Ormaechea, Quang N Pham, Veronica L Urgiles, Eric A Riddell","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Most animals have a complex life cycle that allows organisms to evolve distinct phenotypes at different life stages, termed developmental or adaptive decoupling. Support for developmental decoupling has been found in a wide range of morphological, physiological, behavioral, and molecular traits, largely from studies on insects and amphibians. However, few studies have focused on morphological structures that are continuously present and developing throughout metamorphosis, which may not evolve as independently as structures only present in one life stage or structures that completely regenerate during metamorphosis. Most anurans undergo metamorphosis, transitioning from larval (tadpole) to adult stages, while remaining continuously active. Critical organs, such as the skin, are present and developing before, during, and after metamorphosis. We measured and compared dorsal and ventral skin layer thicknesses of both tadpoles and adults in ten anuran species. Our results support developmental decoupling of anuran skin thickness across metamorphosis, agreeing with prior studies of anuran morphological traits. In testing this hypothesis, we found interesting skin thickness variation among tadpole and adult species that was not fully explained by body size, which prompts future studies to test skin adaptation hypotheses within each life stage.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789729","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":"Isotopic assessment of ontogenetic and sex-based niche segregation in blue sharks (Prionace glauca).","authors":"Raibel Z Núñez-González, Arturo Tripp-Valdez, Fernando R Elorriaga-Verplancken, Antonio Delgado Huertas, Felipe Galván-Magaña","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icag039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The blue shark (Prionace glauca) plays a key ecological role in pelagic ecosystems due to its broad distribution and diverse feeding strategies. To better understand its trophic dynamics in the Northeastern Pacific, we examined the feeding ontogeny of individuals sampled off Baja California Sur (Mexico), a key area within this region, using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis (SIA) from muscle and vertebral tissues. δ¹⁵N values from both tissues indicated broadly overlapping trophic positions across maturity stages, although a slight but significant increase was observed in adults. In contrast, δ¹³C values revealed clear ontogenetic shifts in habitat use: adults occupied more coastal-influenced zones, while juveniles were associated with oceanic waters. Isotopic niche overlap between maturity stages (I-II vs. III) and between sexes was low (<0.25), indicating marked ecological segregation. Significant δ¹⁵N differences linked to maturity stage and sex may reflect female-biased migratory behaviour and broader thermal tolerance. Overall, our results highlight pronounced variation in trophic niches associated with sex and ontogeny, likely driven by sea surface temperature gradients and spatial differences in prey availability. These findings provide new insight into the ecological drivers shaping blue shark feeding strategies in a dynamic subtropical ecosystem.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147823610","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":"Endosymbiotic Apicomplexans of Marine Holobionts: Microbial Parasites in a Warming Ocean.","authors":"Anthony M Bonacolta, Linmei Li, Javier Del Campo, Patrick J Keeling","doi":"10.1093/icb/icag006","DOIUrl":"10.1093/icb/icag006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Apicomplexans are a large group of protists, including several species of major medical importance, most notably those which cause malaria and toxoplasmosis in humans. They are obligate intracellular symbionts that have an interesting evolutionary history, having evolved from a free-living, phototrophic ancestor. Despite the extensive research interest in this group, novel apicomplexans with important ecological roles are still being discovered, particularly from the marine environment. These often-overlooked microbes infect a myriad of marine organisms, and recent research on this clade has expanded our knowledge of parasite evolution and symbiosis in the ocean. Corallicolids, for instance, have impacted our understanding of plastid evolution and have also been shown to play a role in coral thermal tolerance. Closely related are the ichthyocolids, intracellular fish blood symbionts that were mostly overlooked and misclassified until a phylogenomic investigation showed they are sister to the corallicolids, and incredibly widespread across marine fish diversity. Another recent phylogenomic study similarly resolved a new apicomplexan class, marosporidians, which have been implicated in marine heat wave-triggered mollusk mass mortality events. Given the pace of recent discoveries within this lineage, developing a cohesive framework for studying endosymbiotic apicomplexans is critical. Such an approach will illuminate their hidden biodiversity, clarify their impacts on host health and fitness, and provide the knowledge needed to predict how these symbionts and their hosts will respond to accelerating climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":54971,"journal":{"name":"Integrative and Comparative Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146159245","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}