Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xue Bian, Angela Pinilla, Tom Chandler, Richard Peters
Summary: Habitat-specific characteristics can influence signal transmission, resulting in different signal effectiveness in different environments. Comparative studies on signal effectiveness in various habitats, using 3D animations, have shown how habitats can impact the performance of signals in different species such as Australian lizards.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Cristina Romero-Diaz, Cindy Xu, Stephanie M. Campos, Morgan A. Herrmann, Kenro Kusumi, Diana K. Hews, Emilia P. Martins
Summary: An experiment on a territorial lizard with multimodal communication revealed significant differences in brain gene expression between different sensory modalities, which may explain behavioral differences in response to different sensory signals.
GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Raimundo N. Alencar Jr, Sergio L. G. Nogueira-Filho, Selene S. C. Nogueira
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the function of multimodal communication in white-lipped peccaries (WLPs) and the individual factors influencing the production of, and responses to, unimodal and multimodal signals. The results showed that WLPs most often produce multimodal signals independently, suggesting that they add more information instead of increasing efficacy. The sender's social rank had an impact on the production and response to multimodal signals, with higher-ranked senders producing more multimodal signals during threatening behaviors and lower-ranked senders producing more multimodal signals during submissive behaviors. Multimodal signals elicited more non-aggressive responses and the occurrence of non-aggressive responses was higher in higher-ranked senders during threatening displays.
Article
Zoology
J. Jaime Zuniga-Vega, Jake A. Pruett, Alison G. Ossip-Drahos, Stephanie M. Campos, Ryan J. Seddon, Savannah L. Price, Cristina Romero-Diaz, Julio A. Rivera, Cuauhcihuatl Vital-Garcia, Diana K. Hews, Emilia P. Martins
Summary: Colorful ornaments on male lizards provide information about body size, condition, and immune function. These signals appear to be inherited from a common ancestor, with some species-specific variations. The color characteristics of abdominal patches also suggest a link between body condition and immune competence.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marco Mangiacotti, Marco Fumagalli, Claudio Casali, Marco Biggiogera, Federico Forneris, Roberto Sacchi
Summary: The evolution of chemical signals is influenced by environmental constraints. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs), enzymes involved in physiological processes, have been identified in the femoral gland secretions (FG) of marine iguanas and may contribute to the stability of the signal. To validate this, FG secretions of wall lizards were analyzed, confirming the presence of CA-IV and supporting the hypothesis of its role in signal homeostasis. This discovery opens up new perspectives on the role of proteins in vertebrate chemical communication.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Cyril J. Versoza, Julio A. Rivera, Erica Bree Rosenblum, Cuauhcihuatl Vital-Garcia, Diana K. Hews, Susanne P. Pfeifer
Summary: Despite limited knowledge about rates of recombination in most species, including squamate reptiles, studying recombination maps in spiny lizards can provide insights into the causes and consequences of rate variation, determinants of within-genome rate variation, and the general tempo of recombination rate evolution.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Simon Baeckens, Martin J. Whiting
Summary: Recent studies have focused on the evolution of sociality and traits that correlate with sociality, emphasizing the importance of reliable information to reduce social conflict and foster social tolerance. By analyzing a dataset of lizard species, it was found that epidermal glands and social grouping show correlated evolution, highlighting the potential importance of chemical signaling in facilitating information transfer and reducing social conflict during social evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Israel Valencia-Esquivel, Lynna Marie Kiere, Marcela Osorio-Beristain
Summary: In seasonally dry ecosystems, loss of vegetation cover can threaten lizard performance by increasing their body temperatures. Establishing protected areas to preserve vegetation may mitigate these effects. Using remote sensing and modelling, we found that the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve (REBIOSH) provided cooler microclimates and greater thermal safety margins for lizards compared to adjacent unprotected areas. Vegetation cover increased in all three areas from 1999 to 2020, with REBIOSH having the highest cover. These results highlight the importance of protected areas and preserving vegetation to mitigate climate change impacts.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jose Martin, Gonzalo Rodriguez-Ruiz, Pilar Lopez
Summary: Chemosensory communication in lizards involves multiple compounds from external and internal glands and feces. While femoral gland secretions contain steroids and fatty acids, feces contain steroids, alkanes, and branched alkanes. The proportions of these compounds in feces and secretions predict body size in males, while the chemical profiles in feces may allow sex recognition. Therefore, the information conveyed by feces and femoral secretions differs in terms of chemical composition and provides different information about sex and body size.
Article
Ecology
Beatriz Willink
Summary: This study investigated the function of multimodal displays in stream-dwelling frogs using a robotic frog. The results support the hypothesis of inter-signal interaction, showing that the inclusion of visual signals modifies the interpretation of acoustic displays.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marie E. Bunker, Stacey L. Weiss
Summary: Animals and their microbiomes have mutual influence, with the environment, physiology, and phylogeny of the host impacting the microbiome composition, while the microbes can affect the behavior, health, and fitness of the host. This study examines the cloacal microbiome of different Sceloporus species and finds differences in beta diversity metrics between animals in different environments, despite closer relatedness. All species have the same dominant taxon, but variation is observed in low abundance taxa and at the ASV level. Understanding the factors influencing wild microbiome composition is important for ecological and evolutionary research of host animals.
Article
Biology
Logan S. James, Wouter Halfwerk, Kimberly L. Hunter, Rachel A. Page, Ryan C. Taylor, Preston S. Wilson, Michael J. Ryan
Summary: This study examined the relationship between components of communication systems in female tungara frogs and fringelipped bats. The results showed that vocal sac volume, call amplitude, and water ripple height were correlated, with vocal sac volume and call amplitude showing the strongest association. Multimodal models were found to predict the mass of calling males better than unimodal models, providing a foundation for future studies on complex displays integration and comparison by receivers.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nassima M. Bouzid, James W. Archie, Roger A. Anderson, Jared A. Grummer, Adam D. Leache
Summary: The study reveals that the population divergence of the western fence lizard shows hierarchical structure geographically with evidence of gene flow, supporting the importance of isolation-expansion model in population history. Despite potential population divergence as they spread northward, there is evidence of gene flow among populations at the northern terminus.
Article
Ecology
Arnaud Badiane, Andreaz Dupoue, Pauline Blaimont, Donald B. Miles, Anthony L. Gilbert, Mathieu Leroux-Coyau, Anna Kawamoto, David Rozen-Rechels, Sandrine Meylan, Jean Clobert, Jean-Francois Le Galliard
Summary: The study found that the three color signals conveyed information on different aspects of male condition, supporting a multiple message hypothesis. Testosterone only influenced parasitism, suggesting that it does not directly mediate the relationships between color signals and their information content. Additionally, color signals became more saturated in forested habitats, indicating an adaptation to degraded light conditions, and generally brighter in mesic conditions, contradicting the thermal melanism hypothesis.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Gopal Murali, Shai Meiri, Uri Roll
Summary: The presence of follicular epidermal glands, which are associated with chemical communication, does not have a strong effect on species diversification rates in lizards. This challenges the general role of sexually selected traits, including chemical communication, in broad-scale species diversification patterns.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Javed Iqbal, Magdalena Necpalova, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Robert P. Anex, Marie Bourguignon, Daryl Herzmann, David C. Mitchell, John E. Sawyer, Qing Zhu, Michael J. Castellano
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Agronomy
Raziel A. Ordonez, Michael J. Castellano, Jerry L. Hatfield, Matthew J. Helmers, Mark A. Licht, Matt Liebman, Ranae Dietzel, Rafael Martinez-Feria, Javed Iqbal, Laila A. Puntel, S. Carolina Cordova, Kaitlin Togliatti, Emily E. Wright, Sotirios V. Archontoulis
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zengming Chen, Yehong Xu, Michael J. Castellano, Sebastien Fontaine, Weijin Wang, Weixin Ding
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kaihua Liao, Xiaoming Lai, Zhiwen Zhou, Xiankui Zeng, Wenyi Xie, Michael J. Castellano, Qing Zhu
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Agronomy
M. D. McDaniel, D. T. Walters, L. G. Bundy, X. Li, R. A. Drijber, J. E. Sawyer, M. J. Castellano, C. A. M. Laboski, P. C. Scharf, W. R. Horwath
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lori J. Abendroth, Fernando E. Miguez, Michael J. Castellano, Paul R. Carter, Carlos D. Messina, Philip M. Dixon, Jerry L. Hatfield
Summary: Research shows that hybrid maturity length chosen in the northern region of the Midwest is more closely related to local growing degree day (GDD) requirements, while this relationship is weaker in central and southern areas. Over the past 17 years, hybrid maturity has shortened in most of the Midwest, with only a few areas seeing lengthening in maturity.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Yunjiao Zhu, Yuncong Chen, Md. Azahar Ali, Liang Dong, Xinran Wang, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, James C. Schnable, Michael J. Castellano
Summary: Soil NO3- concentration, which affects microbial processes, plant productivity, and environmental N losses, can be accurately measured with potentiometric sensors in both laboratory and field conditions. However, different sampling methods may lead to varying results, requiring further research and optimization when using sensors for soil analysis.
SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Heather Pasley, Virginia Nichols, Michael Castellano, Mitchell Baum, Eileen Kladivko, Matthew Helmers, Sotirios Archontoulis
Summary: There is a strong connection between nitrate leaching and nitrogen fertilizer input in annual crops. The study found that different cropping systems have varying responses to nitrogen fertilizer rates and NO3-N leaching loads. It was also discovered that rotating maize with soybean can reduce the impact of over-fertilization on NO3-N leaching compared to continuous maize.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Guillaume Bay, Conard Lee, Chiliang Chen, Navreet K. Mahal, Michael J. Castellano, Kirsten S. Hofmockel, Larry J. Halverson
Summary: The diversity of cropping systems affects the composition of soil microbial communities, particularly in the rhizosphere and endosphere. Diversified cropping systems recruit a more diverse bacterial community in the rhizosphere, while fungal species richness varies between different cropping systems.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Hussam Ibrahim, Shihao Yin, Satyanarayana Moru, Yunjiao Zhu, Michael J. Castellano, Liang Dong
Summary: A new nitrate sensor technology allows real-time monitoring of crop nitrate status, optimizing nitrogen management and enhancing agricultural productivity.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gerasimos J. N. Danalatos, Calvin Wolter, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Michael J. Castellano
Summary: Annual croplands in the U.S. Corn Belt are the main source of nitrate loading to waterways. However, there is extreme interannual variability in nitrate loss due to weather. Factors such as soil organic matter, tile drainage, interannual variability of precipitation, and watershed area explain the variability in nitrate loss.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Navreet K. Mahal, John E. Sawyer, Javed Iqbal, Aaron M. Sassman, Renuka Mathur, Michael J. Castellano
Summary: Sulfur is an important nutrient for plant growth and crop yield, but its deficiency is difficult to predict. The kinetics of sulfur fertilizer mineralization and solubility affect crop response to sulfur fertilizer.
SOIL SCIENCE SOCIETY OF AMERICA JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ye Li, Zengming Chen, Ji Chen, Michael J. Castellano, Chenglong Ye, Nan Zhang, Yuncai Miao, Huijie Zheng, Junjie Li, Weixin Ding
Summary: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a vital role in the response of soil organic matter (SOM) to global change. By studying the impact of atmospheric humidity and temperature on oxygen supply, as well as the regulation of microbial metabolism and iron redox status, predictions of soil carbon under climate change can be improved.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gerrit Angst, Kevin E. Mueller, Michael J. Castellano, Cordula Vogel, Martin Wiesmeier, Carsten W. Mueller
Summary: Much research is focused on increasing carbon storage in mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) that can persist for centuries to millennia. However, managing MAOM alone is insufficient as the formation pathways of persistent soil organic matter can vary with environmental conditions. Effective management should also consider particulate organic matter (POM) which can persist for long time scales and serve as a precursor to MAOM. A framework for context-dependent management strategies is presented, recognizing soils as complex systems where environmental conditions constrain POM and MAOM formation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Michael J. Castellano, Sotirios V. Archontoulis, Matthew J. Helmers, Hanna J. Poffenbarger, Johan Six
NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
(2019)