Article
Zoology
Valentina Segura, David Flores, Guillermo Deferrari
Summary: Beavers and muskrats are invasive semi-aquatic rodents in southern South America, with significant impacts on the ecosystem. Despite sharing some skull morphological characters, they exhibit distinct shape differences in the skulls during ontogeny, attributed to different body sizes and phylogenetic history. Through quantitative analysis of ontogenetic series, we found high differences in the ontogenetic trajectories of the two species, suggesting contrasting muscular, functional, and structural conditions in their skulls. These findings indicate that similar behavioral and ecological specializations can be achieved through distinct patterns of skull development.
ZOOLOGISCHER ANZEIGER
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Gaelle Van Laere, Thomas Mors
Summary: This paper examines a portion of the rodent fauna found at Hambach 11C in the Hambach lignite mine in Germany. The study focuses on four species, including two Castoridae and two Sciuridae. The discovery of rare fossil records for T. minus and B. miocaenica makes this material highly significant.
Review
Paleontology
Steven R. May, Matthew A. Brown
Summary: The fossil record of beavers from the Miocene age in the Texas Coastal Plain is limited. New discoveries include Arikareean age beaver fossils and two species, Monosaulax and Anchitheriomys, from early Barstovian faunas. Anchitheriomys buceei, a relatively large beaver resembling A. fluminis in size, shares characteristics with both A. fluminis and A. nanus. These fossils provide insights into the development of Miocene vertebrate biostratigraphy in the Texas Coastal Plain.
PALAEONTOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Kelly E. Lubbers, Joshua X. Samuels
Summary: This study compares the morphological differences between the Miocene to early Pleistocene-aged beaver fossils (C. californicus) and extant North American beavers (C. canadensis). The results show morphological similarities between the two species, suggesting that they may represent the same species undergoing changes over time.
PALAEONTOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
(2023)
Article
Physiology
Nathan J. Robinson, Daniel Garcia-Parraga, Brian A. Stacy, Alexander M. Costidis, Gabriela S. Blanco, Chelsea E. Clyde-Brockway, Heather L. Haas, Craig A. Harms, Samir H. Patel, Nicole I. Stacy, Andreas Fahlman
Summary: Through building a mathematical model and observing sea turtles in the wild, this study found that cardiac output plays a significant role in modulating gas embolism (GE) risk, especially in deeper dives. Sea turtles have a high risk of GE during routine diving behavior, indicating potential behavioral, anatomical, and physiological adaptations that were not incorporated in the model. Identifying and incorporating these adaptations in future iterations will further reveal the factors driving GE in sea turtles.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Tatyana Fadeeva, Pavel Kosintsev, Elena Chirkova
Summary: This article presents data on the enamel characteristics of the first lower molars of the European water vole from fossil and modern samples from the Perm Pre-Urals, Russia. The study found that adult group teeth from different time periods had varying SDQ values.
QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Ivan Rey-Rodriguez, Julie Arnaud, Juan-Manuel Lopez-Garcia, Emmanuelle Stoetzel, Christiane Denys, Raphael Cornette, Behrouz Bazgir
Summary: This study used geometric morphometric methods to analyze Ellobius species, successfully distinguishing the three extant species and identifying corresponding fossil specimens in archaeological sites.
PALAEONTOLOGIA ELECTRONICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
A. A. Bannikova, V. S. Lebedev
Summary: The development of molecular clock concept is associated with advancements in methods, with Relaxed clock methods being commonly used for dating. The accuracy of dating is influenced by the instability of the molecular evolution rate, the increase in data volume to the genomic level, and the use of different evolution rate models. Despite improvements in estimating molecular divergences, uncertainties in dating persist due to calibration ambiguities and limitations in DNA sequence evolution models.
ZHURNAL OBSHCHEI BIOLOGII
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Rian H. Crowther, Ian Renshaw, Wayne A. Spratford, Mark G. Sayers, Adam D. Gorman
Summary: The ecological dynamics framework emphasizes the importance of the relationship between performers and their environment in guiding movement solutions. This study focuses on individual cricket spin bowlers and examines how their prior learning experiences influence their strategies on different pitches. The results show that diverse learning experiences can lead to flexible movement solutions and better performance outcomes.
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH-PSYCHOLOGISCHE FORSCHUNG
(2023)