Article
Zoology
Jan M. Wojcik, Rafal Kowalczyk, Jerzy Rybialek, Jeremy Herman
Summary: A fully albino individual of the common shrew was found in south-western Poland, which is one of the three recorded cases in mainland Europe.
Article
Ecology
Martina Dokulilova, Jarmila Krojerova-Prokesova, Marta Heroldova, Ladislav Cepelka, Josef Suchomel
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the population dynamics of shrews in mountain and upland forest clearings in the Czech Republic and to reveal how climatic factors influenced fluctuations in their abundance. The results showed that shrews are sensitive to winters with a longer period of snow cover and climatic oscillations associated with the NAO, which may indirectly affect them through their prey.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Iryna A. Kryshchuk, Victor N. Orlov, Elena V. Cherepanova, Yury M. Borisov
Summary: Analysis of the frequency of karyotypes and chromosomal rearrangements in four metacentric races of Sorex amneus Linnaeus, 1758 revealed features that are not typical for polymorphic populations. The frequency of the acrocentric karyotype and heterozygotes for fusion of acrocentric chromosomes was significantly higher than expected, suggesting hybridization between metacentric races and ancient acrocentric populations.
COMPARATIVE CYTOGENETICS
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Cecilia Baldoni, William R. Thomas, Dominik von Elverfeldt, Marco Reisert, Javier Lazaro, Marion Muturi, Liliana M. Davalos, John D. Nieland, Dina K. N. Dechmann
Summary: This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of the common shrew brain using histological, MRI, and transcriptomic approaches. The results highlight the importance of high-resolution morphological and genetic research in unraveling the mechanisms behind Dehnel's phenomenon.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lucie Farkova, Javier Lazaro, Boris Krystufek, Vladimir Vohralik
Summary: The morphological variation of the common shrew is influenced by climatic and geographical factors. At the continental scale, there is a negative correlation between body- and skull-size and latitude and longitude, but at regional scales such an association is often not apparent. Geometric morphometrics analysis confirmed the existence of significant interpopulation differences in both size and shape. Centroid size was found to be correlated with latitude, altitude, and annual precipitation.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
N. A. Shchipanov
Summary: The study found that the visiting pattern of shrews is close to random, and neighbors do not affect the visitation frequency. Given the specific biological features of common shrews, the system of space use based on random distribution and stochastic interaction of resident animals may be considered optimal for this species.
RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Nikolay A. Shchipanov, Tatiana B. Demidova
Summary: The study aimed to test individual common shrews from a long-term monitored population, revealing sex-related differences in behavioral traits and consistent individual differences in sociability, boldness, and exploration pattern. The correlations of sociability with population density and shared spatial activity were positive, while the correlation with non-residents' abundance was negative.
BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James W. Vaupel, Francisco Villavicencio, Marie-Pier Bergeron-Boucher
Summary: This article reviews key strands of demographic research on past trends in human longevity and explores possible future trends in life expectancy at birth. Life expectancy has been increasing at a steady pace, leading to a more equal distribution of individual life spans, but there is considerable uncertainty in forecasting future trends.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alexander Richard Mendenhall
Summary: The Mediterranean diet, which includes foods with high levels of cis-monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) such as olive oil, is associated with increased human lifespan. A recent study demonstrates that MUFAs stimulate a lipid droplet-peroxisome organelle network, reducing lipid oxidation and protecting cell membranes during ageing.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Svetlana Kornienko, Gergana P. Vasileva, Boyko B. Georgiev
Summary: Neoskrjabinolepis yanchevin is a newly described species of parasite found in common shrews from Bulgaria and Russia, characterized by unique rostellar hooks and claw-like blades, as well as a whip-shaped cirrus with needle-shaped spines. It is differentiated from the other species in the subgenus by its distinctive features.
SYSTEMATIC PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qi Chen, Qinjun Zhang, Amel Thanina Amrouche, Weisu Huang, Baiyi Lu
Summary: This study found that the male flowers of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. and its active compound asperuloside can improve muscle aging and muscle hypofunction, reduce lipid accumulation, and activate mitophagy. These findings provide potential evidence for the preventive application and functional food development of Eucommia ulmoides male flowers and asperuloside against muscle aging.
Article
Biology
N. A. Shchipanov
Summary: This study quantitatively assessed the nonresidency of common shrews and used their characteristic as a research method. By comparing the abundance of animals in the same area over five years, comparative data on the daily flow of nonresidents were obtained. The study found a relationship between the number of nonresidents and the density of settled population.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ren Dodge, Eric W. Jones, Haolong Zhu, Benjamin Obadia, Daniel J. Martinez, Chenhui Wang, Andres Aranda-Diaz, Kevin Aumiller, Zhexian Liu, Marco Voltolini, Eoin L. Brodie, Kerwyn Casey Huang, Jean M. Carlson, David A. Sivak, Allan C. Spradling, William B. Ludington
Summary: The gut is exposed to various bacteria from the diet and environment, but the composition of the gut microbiome remains stable over time in different host species. This study used gnotobiotic Drosophila to investigate the stability of different strains of bacteria in the fly gut. The researchers found that a physical niche in the foregut selectively binds bacteria with strain-specificity, stabilizing their colonization. Initial colonization by Lactobacillus species remodels the niche to favor secondary colonization by unrelated commensals. These findings provide insights into the establishment and stability of a multi-species intestinal microbiome.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Zoology
E. Ivanter
Summary: The Common Shrew's fur has adapted to its land burrow lifestyle with high heat-insulating properties and moderate hair thickness and length. Despite the tendency to shed due to contact with soil, timely restoration is achieved through additional molting processes.
ZOOLOGICHESKY ZHURNAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yifan Yang, Omer Karin, Avi Mayo, Xiaohu Song, Peipei Chen, Ana L. Santos, Ariel B. Lindner, Uri Alon
Summary: Genetically identical cells in the same stressful condition die at different times. The origin of this stochasticity is unclear; it may arise from different initial conditions that affect the time of demise, or from a stochastic damage accumulation mechanism that erases the initial conditions and instead amplifies noise to generate different lifespans. To understand why genetically identical cells die at different times, the authors measured damage dynamics in individual cells. They report lifespan variation comes not from initial conditions but from stochastic accumulation of damage that saturates repair systems.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)