Table of Contents
INSIDE JEB
OUTSIDE JEB
REVIEWS
- Evolution of neuropeptide signalling systems
Summary: A review of the revolutionary advances in our knowledge of the evolution of neuropeptide signalling systems that have been enabled by comparative genomics and neuropeptide receptor deorphanisation.
- The long and the short of it – a perspective on peptidergic regulation of circuits and behaviour
Summary: Neuropeptides are the largest class of neuromodulators in nervous systems. Here we review the general principles and mechanistic insights that have emerged from studies of various animal models and discuss some of the outstanding major challenges.
- New techniques, applications and perspectives in neuropeptide research
Summary: This Review discusses a range of molecular aspects of neuropeptide biology and integrates techniques, model organisms and applications, highlighting new perspectives enabled by technical advancements in neuropeptide research.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Reducing gravity takes the bounce out of running
Highlighted Article: During running, humans take higher leaps in normal gravity than in reduced gravity, in order to optimally balance the competing costs of stance and leg-swing work.
- Honey bee (Apis mellifera) sociability and nestmate affiliation are dependent on the social environment experienced post-eclosion
Summary: Sociability and nestmate affiliation in honey bees are influenced by social experience and exposure to the hive environment in early adult life.
- Directionality of nose-emitted echolocation calls from bats without a nose leaf (Plecotus auritus)
Summary: Nose-emitting bats without an obvious means of emitting a narrow bio-sonar beam still emit a highly directional beam, potentially by emitting sound through the mouth as well as the nostrils.
- Exposure to CO2 influences metabolism, calcification and gene expression of the thecosome pteropod Limacina retroversa
Summary: Severity and duration of CO2 exposure influence calcification and respiration differentially in Limacina retroversa, as shown by organismal and gene expression responses, while captivity interactively influences respiration and gene expression.
- Eating when ill is risky: immune defense impairs food detoxification in the caterpillar Manduca sexta
Editors' Choice: Appetite loss during illness occurs in all animals. It may be an important protection against food toxins. Mobilizing immune defense depresses the ability to detoxify food (as shown in caterpillars).
- Visual associative learning in wood ants
Summary: Ants form an associative memory of a visual cue paired with a reward through classical conditioning. This allows visual associative learning to be studied in fixed rather than free-moving ants.
- GABAA receptors activate fish feeding behaviour via two distinct functional pathways
Summary: Behavioural tests combined with cellular and molecular electrophysiology clarify molecular mechanisms that control fish feeding, revealing two partially competitive mechanisms originating from the same neural receptor.
- Conversion efficiency of α-linolenic acid to omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in aerial insectivore chicks
Highlighted Article: A stable-isotope-labeled tracer reveals the mechanism for omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) limitation in a wild avian insectivore, showing that HUFAs are an ecologically essential nutrient.
- Ontogeny and morphometrics of the gills and swim bladder of air-breathing striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus
Summary: The paradox of how an active tropical fish can meet its oxygen requirements using gills with an apparently small surface area is explained.
CORRECTIONS
This issue
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
Welcome to our new Editorial Advisory Board members
Shelley A. Adamo (Dalhousie University, Canada)
Michael Berenbrink (University of Liverpool, UK)
Suzanne Currie (Mount Allison University, Canada)
Martin Grosell (University of Miami, USA)
Alison Mercer (University of Otago, New Zealand)
Jeffrey Richards (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Sanjay Sane (National Center for Biological Sciences, India)
Holly Shiels (University of Manchester, UK)
Editors’ choice – Biochemical bases of growth variation during development
Photo credit: T.-C. Francis Pan
Some oyster larvae grow faster than others, but now Donal T. Manahan and colleagues reveal that the fastest growers are marked out by their high protein synthesis rates.
Conversation – Simon Sponberg
“One of the underappreciated benefits of fellowships is the act of applying for them, because you have to write and articulate your ideas.”
In our latest early-career interview, we chat to Simon Sponberg, Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. He shares the story of his career, beginning with how he combined a love of physics and biology by studying how geckos stick to walls.
Review – Why do mammals hop?
A new Review from Craig P. McGowan and Clint E. Collins looks at the ecology, biomechanics and evolution of bipedal hopping in mammals, with a focus on why bipedal hopping has arisen in multiple clades of mammals.
JEB in the news – Threatened whales and dolphins recognise predatory killer whales from their alarming calls
Photo credit: Ari Friedlaender
Not all orca species prey on aquatic mammals, so how do delphinids know when they are at risk? A new study shows that pilot whales and Risso’s dolphins flee from a subset of orca calls that share acoustic characteristics with other mammal alarm calls, including human screams. This article was featured in Science magazine.
preLights – Call for new preLighters
At the heart of preLights is the community of early-career researchers who select and highlight interesting preprints in various fields. We are now ready to grow our team of preLighters who are passionate about preprints and enjoy writing and communicating science. Find out more here and apply by 30 June 2018.