INSIDE JEB
COMMENTARY
- Help, there are ‘omics’ in my comparative physiology!
Summary: Practical advice for successful design and implementation of omics-based experiments and interpretation of the resulting data to evaluate and test hypotheses in comparative physiology.
REVIEW
- Developmental and reproductive physiology of small mammals at high altitude: challenges and evolutionary innovations
Summary: This Review describes challenges and evolutionary innovations of pregnant and nursing small mammals and their offspring at high altitude, which are little studied relative to the physiological adaptations of non-reproducing adults.
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
- A direct excitatory action of lactate ions in the central respiratory network of bullfrogs, Lithobates catesbeianus
Summary: Lactate ions stimulate central respiratory motor output in vertebrates.
- Pursuit predation with intermittent locomotion in zebrafish
Highlighted Article: Predatory zebrafish adjust their heading during intermittent bursts in their motion toward evasive prey by modulating the maximum tail excursion in proportion to the prey's bearing.
- A deposit-feeder sea cucumber also ingests suspended particles through the mouth
Summary: A sea cucumber previously recorded to be a deposit feeder can also ingest suspended particles through the mouth.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Drivers of plasticity in freeze tolerance in the intertidal mussel Mytilus trossulus
Summary: Plasticity in freeze tolerance in an intertidal mussel is correlated with an accumulation of osmolytes, supporting the hypothesis that osmolytes are important cryoprotectants in intertidal invertebrates.
- The impact of long-term reduced access to cleaner fish on health indicators of resident client fish
Summary: Thirteen years of experimental reef manipulations show that fishes permanently without access to cleaners have lower body condition with no signs of hormonal and immune alteration.
- Morphological colour adaptation during development in fish: involvement of growth hormone receptor 1
Summary: The ability of fish to morphologically adapt to the background is present at early stages of development and is dependent upon growth hormone receptor ghr1 expression.
- Cilia density and flow velocity affect alignment of motile cilia from brain cells
Summary: Alignment of motile cilia in mammalian brains is essential for transport of fluids as described in an in vitro model of the developing brain.
- Synergetic effects of immune challenge and stress depress cortisol, inflammatory response and antioxidant activity in fish-eating Myotis
Summary: Analysis of the cortisol–oxidative stress relationship, and the effect of simultaneous exposure to prolonged stress and an immune challenge in the insular bat Myotis vivesi.
- Phylogenetic analysis of maximal oxygen consumption during exercise (V̇O2,max) and ecological correlates among lizard species
Summary: Among species of lizards, helodermatids, varanids and skinks (which are mainly active foragers) have relatively high maximal aerobic capacity during forced exercise (V̇O2,maxV̇O2,max), whereas viviparous species have relatively low V̇O2,maxV̇O2,max.
- Social hierarchy is established and maintained with distinct acts of aggression in male Drosophila melanogaster
Summary: Precise descriptions of aggression aligned to changes in social status reveal how the recurring sequence and escalation of distinct behaviors relate to the establishment, maintenance and reversal of social dominance.
- Structure and function of the nervous system in nectophores of the siphonophore Nanomia bijuga
Summary: Nanomia colonies have specialized swimming bells capable of forward or backward swimming; thrust is redirected by an epithelial signal that spreads electrotonically but initiates muscle contraction via a synaptic event.
- Limits to sustained energy intake. XXXII. Hot again: dorsal shaving increases energy intake and milk output in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
Summary: Shaved lactating solitary golden hamsters show increased rates of milk energy output and pup growth, and provide experimental support for heat dissipation limits.
- Elastic wing deformations mitigate flapping asymmetry during manoeuvres in rose chafers (Protaetia cuprea)
Summary: During aerial turning, the chordwise flexibility of rose chafer wings increases the torque of each wing while improving maneouvring stability by mitigating the asymmetry in wing pitch between contralateral wings.
- Multimodal mechanosensing enables treefrog embryos to escape egg-predators
Highlighted Article: Red-eyed treefrog embryos use both their lateral line and vestibular systems to sense the disturbance cues in egg-predator attacks that inform escape-hatching decisions.
- A motion compensation treadmill for untethered wood ants (Formica rufa): evidence for transfer of orientation memories from free-walking training
Summary: We have developed and validated a motion compensating treadmill for wood ants which opens new perspectives to study insect navigation behaviour in a fully controlled manner over ecologically relevant durations.
- Seismic sensitivity and bone conduction mechanisms enable extratympanic hearing in salamanders
Summary: Terrestrial hearing in salamanders that lack a tympanic middle ear is mediated by bone conduction of sound that is detected by the acoustic end organs of the inner ear.
- Ambient temperature affects multiple drivers of physiology and behaviour: adaptation for timely departure of obligate spring migrants
Editor's choice: Songbirds use temperature in the behavioral decision of when to migrate from wintering areas. Transcriptional responsiveness to temperature is a significant component of the overall adaptive strategy for spring migration.
- Thermal acclimation leads to variable muscle responses in two temperate labrid fishes
Summary: Two fish species from the Northwest Atlantic demonstrate variable acclimation responses when presented with temperatures that naturally induce winter quiescence.
- Chicken colour discrimination depends on background colour
Highlighted Article: Colour discrimination performance in chickens is worse when the colours being discriminated differ greatly from the background colour. The ecological, physiological and psychophysical implications of this finding are discussed.
This issue
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
Meet the Editors at SICB Virtual 2021
Reserve your place to join some of the journal editors, including Editor-in-Chief Craig Franklin, at our Meet the Editor session on 17 February at 2pm (EST). Don’t forget to view our SICB Subject Collection, featuring relevant JEB papers relating to some of the symposia sessions.
2020 at The Company of Biologists
Despite 2020's challenges, we were able to bring a number of long-term projects and new ventures to fruition. As we enter a new year, join us as we reflect on the triumphs of the last 12 months.
The Big Biology podcast
JEB author Christine Cooper talks to Big Biology about her research. In this fascinating JEB sponsored podcast she tells us how tough zebra finches adjust their physiology to cope with extreme climate events.
Developmental and reproductive physiology of small mammals at high altitude
Cayleih Robertson and Kathryn Wilsterman focus on high-altitude populations of the North American deer mouse in their review of the challenges and evolutionary innovations of pregnant and nursing small mammals at high altitude.
Read & Publish participation extends worldwide
“Being able to publish Open Access articles free of charge means that my article gets maximum exposure and has maximum impact, and that all my peers can read it regardless of the agreements that their universities have with publishers.”
Professor Roi Holzman (Tel Aviv University) shares his experience of publishing Open Access as part of our growing Read & Publish initiative. We now have over 60 institutions in 12 countries taking part – find out more and view our full list of participating institutions.