Review
Ecology
Barbara Taborsky, Sinead English, Tim W. Fawcett, Bram Kuijper, Olof Leimar, John M. McNamara, Suvi Ruuskanen, Carmen Sandi
Summary: All organisms have different stress response systems to cope with environmental threats, with environmental predictability and physiological constraints being key factors shaping stress response evolution. An integrated research programme combining theory, experimental evolution, and comparative analysis is needed to advance scientific understanding of how this core physiological system has evolved.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Spectroscopy
Dongdong Ni, Heather E. Smyth, Michael J. Gidley, Daniel Cozzolino
Summary: This study evaluated the ability of a portable NIR instrument to analyze different tissues in healthy individuals and correlate spectral data with age, RMR, RQ, BF, and BMI. The results suggest that non-destructive techniques like vibrational spectroscopy have the potential to better categorize and understand individual differences in physiology and nutrition.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Karla Alujevic, Jeffrey W. Streicher, Raquel A. Garcia, Ana Riesgo, Sergio Taboada, Michael L. Logan, Susana Clusella-Trullas
Summary: Understanding the relationship between behavioural buffering of temperature change and organismal fitness is crucial in the era of human-driven climate change. This study investigated how thermal landscapes, physiological performance, and behaviour interact and shape fitness in the southern rock agama lizard. The results showed that male lizards in territories with low thermal quality spent more time compensating for sub-optimal temperatures and displayed less. Moreover, the display rate was positively associated with lizard fitness, indicating that engaging in thermoregulatory behaviour may incur opportunity costs as climate change progresses.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Dean M. Corva, Nathan Semianiw, Anne C. Eichholtzer, Scott D. Adams, M. A. Parvez Mahmud, Kendrika Gaur, Angela J. L. Pestell, Don A. Driscoll, Abbas Z. Kouzani
Summary: The current camera traps can only monitor endothermic animals, but this study presents a solar-powered and artificial-intelligence-assisted camera trap system that can monitor both endothermic and ectothermic animals. Field trials showed a high success rate in recording animals.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Claire E. Williams, Jordan G. Kueneman, Daniel J. Nicholson, Adam A. Rosso, Edita Folfas, Brianna Casement, Maria A. Gallegos-Koyner, Lauren K. Neel, John David Curlis, W. Owen McMillan, Christian L. Cox, Michael L. Logan
Summary: As climate change progresses, understanding how animals respond to shifts in their local environments is crucial. Changes in microbial communities that live in and on host organisms are part of this response. We investigated the effects of shifting climates on the gut microbiome of slender anole lizards through field and laboratory studies, including transplants to warmer islands in the Panama Canal. We found that slender anole microbiomes remained stable in response to short-term warming but may be sensitive to sustained climate anomalies, such as droughts. These findings have important implications for a species considered highly vulnerable to climate change.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Jeffrey A. A. Harvey, Yuting Dong
Summary: Anthropogenic climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, with extreme temperature events increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity. While the effects of climate extremes on insects have been well-studied, spiders and other arthropods have received less attention. This paper discusses spider responses to extreme temperatures and identifies important knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to understand their vulnerability to climate change.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paul L. Else
Summary: The research began with explaining the high level of aerobic metabolism in mammals and progressed to investigate the role of membrane lipids in metabolism. It was found that the increase in aerobic metabolism in mammals is driven by increases in mitochondrial volume, membrane densities, organ size, and changes in enzyme activity. The increase in energy production is matched by increases in energy use, notably driven by increases in H+, Na+, and K+ fluxes. Maintaining Na+ gradient across cell membranes depends on an increase in sodium pump molecular activity rather than an increase in sodium pump number, coupled with an increase in highly unsaturated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in membranes.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Haley R. Dolton, Andrew L. Jackson, Robert Deaville, Jackie Hall, Graham Hall, Gavin McManus, Matthew W. Perkins, Rebecca A. Rolfe, Edward P. Snelling, Jonathan D. R. Houghton, David W. Sims, Nicholas L. Payne
Summary: A recent study has found that endangered basking sharks are not completely ectothermic, but possess traits of regional endotherms, which challenges our current understanding of the species and may have implications for conservation efforts.
ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Elvire Bestion, Luis M. San-Jose, Lucie Di Gesu, Murielle Richard, Barry Sinervo, Jessica Cote, Olivier Calvez, Olivier Guillaume, Julien Cote
Summary: In this study, we examined the effects of a 2 degrees C-warmer climate on the thermal traits of Zootoca vivipara lizards. We found that adults exhibited plastic changes in dorsal coloration and preferred temperature in warmer climates, and these changes were not in line with the selective gradients. Juvenile lizards, on the other hand, showed darker coloration in warmer climates, either through plasticity or selection, and this effect was further enhanced by intergenerational plasticity. The study highlights the importance of considering both plasticity and selection in understanding adaptation to climate change.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nagwa El-Desoky, Nesrein M. Hashem, Antonio Gonzalez-Bulnes, Ahmed G. Elkomy, Zahraa R. Abo-Elezz
Summary: The study found that Moringa leaf ethanolic extract (MLEE) had positive effects on heat stress indicators, immunology, hormonal balance, and reproductive performance in rabbit does. Nanoencapsulation technology allowed for a reduction in optimal dosage without compromising treatment efficiency.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Marcello Mezzasalma, Elvira Brunelli, Gaetano Odierna, Fabio Maria Guarino
Summary: This article provides a comprehensive report on the presence of different types of polyploidy in tetrapods, with a particular focus on its genomic, evolutionary, and ecological diversity. It suggests that polyploidy is an important pathway of genomic evolution in tetrapods, occurring in most higher-taxa and displaying a variety of different forms, genomic configurations, and biological implications.
Article
Physiology
Natascha Wosnick, Renata Daldin Leite, Eloisa Pinheiro Giareta, Danny Morick, Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
Summary: This study aims to characterize the energy transfer from parental organisms to offspring in Brazilian Guitarfish through the analysis of energy markers in parental fluids. The results indicate that these markers are being made available to the offspring, possibly as complementary sources of energy. This research sheds light on the metabolic dynamics during reproduction stage in Elasmobranchs.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
T. C. Bruinje, J. P. Rosadiuk, F. Moslemipur, H. Sauerwein, M. A. Steele, D. J. Ambrose
Summary: The different planes of pre- and postweaning nutrition have effects on prepubertal serum leptin concentrations, LH profiles, and age at puberty in Holstein heifers. Higher preweaning nutrition levels can increase leptin concentrations, while higher postweaning nutrition levels may lead to an earlier onset of puberty.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michelle A. E. Anderson, Estela Gonzalez, Joshua X. D. Ang, Lewis Shackleford, Katherine Nevard, Sebald A. N. Verkuijl, Matthew P. P. Edgington, Tim Harvey-Samuel, Luke Alphey
Summary: CRISPR/Cas9-based homing gene drives are a potential new approach to mosquito control. In this study, researchers successfully generated transgenic Ae. aegypti lines expressing Cas9, which significantly biased the inheritance of an sgRNA-expressing element. The sds3G1-Cas9 isolate showed the highest average inheritance, indicating its potential for driving the spread of the targeted element more efficiently.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Lindsey J. Broadus, Brian Lee, Maja M. Makagon
Summary: This study compared the effects of rearing male ducklings with and without physical access to female ducklings on their reproductive behavior, physiology, and overall flock fertility. The results showed that auditory and visual exposure to female ducklings was sufficient to promote reproductive behavior and physiology in male ducklings, leading to high fertility within the flock.
Article
Biology
Heidi D. Horrell, Anika Lindeque, Anthony P. Farrell, Roger S. Seymour, Craig R. White, Kayla M. Kruger, Edward P. Snelling
Summary: This meta-study found that cardiac capillary numerical density and mitochondrial volume density decrease with increasing body mass. The scaling trajectories suggest quantitative matching between the supply and consumption of oxygen in the heart, supporting the economic design at the cellular level. However, the exponent for the maximum external mechanical power of the cardiac tissue decreases at a slower rate, implying a declining external mechanical efficiency of the heart with increasing body mass.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Steven J. Portugal, Craig R. White
Summary: The study found that animal-borne logging devices can impact the body weight and energy budget of animals, and it is important to consider device size and attachment time when using biologging technology.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Emily L. Richardson, Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: The study examines the growth rate and mass changes during larval stages and metamorphosis across various taxa. It finds support for Werner's assumption regarding growth rates but contradicts the assumption that body size remains constant during transitions. The research suggests that mass changes profoundly affect the timing of transitions, emphasizing the need to consider the impact of mass loss or gain on fitness.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Pieter A. Arnold, Shuo Wang, Alexandra A. Catling, Loeske E. B. Kruuk, Adrienne B. Nicotra
Summary: Climate change presents challenges for plants due to increased temperature exposure. Phenotypic plasticity plays an important role in plant responses. Different traits show different responses to temperature. Temperature affects plasticity in germination, leaf, physiology, and reproductive traits, and plasticity variation among family lines is related to fitness.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rocco F. Notarnicola, Adrienne B. Nicotra, Loeske E. B. Kruuk, Pieter A. Arnold
Summary: This study investigates the effects of climate warming on the trade-off between seed size and number in an alpine plant. The results show that warming during parental growth reduces both seed size and number, but does not affect germination. This highlights the detrimental effect of warming on parental fitness and the potential risk of climate change for alpine plant communities.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Craig R. White, Lesley A. Alton, Candice L. Bywater, Emily J. Lombardi, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Organisms use energy for growth and reproduction, and metabolism, growth, and reproduction are tightly linked, determining fitness. Our model predicts that anthropogenic change will have detrimental effects on the metabolism, growth, and reproduction of animals.
Article
Plant Sciences
Rosalie J. Harris, Callum Bryant, Melinda A. Coleman, Andrea Leigh, Veronica F. Briceno, Pieter A. Arnold, Adrienne B. Nicotra
Summary: Foundation seaweed species are declining and facing extinctions due to unstable sea surface temperatures. Existing methods for characterizing seaweed thermal tolerance are time-consuming and hinder comparisons between species. A new method using temperature-dependent fluorescence curves offers a high-throughput approach for rapidly assessing photosynthetic thermal tolerance of seaweeds.
JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Peter Caley, Phillip Cassey
Summary: Invasive alien species cause biodiversity loss and environmental damage. Citizen reports are currently the main source of alien species detections. Mining social media data may improve citizen surveillance, but it needs to demonstrate its effectiveness and value compared to alternative approaches.
Article
Biology
Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Constraint-based explanations have dominated theories of size-related patterns in nature. However, we propose a new theory that predicts metabolic allometry arises as a consequence of the optimization of growth and reproduction to maximize fitness within a finite life. Our theory is free of physical geometric constraints and suggests that metabolic allometry can be explained without invoking traditionally assumed constraints.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
P. A. Arnold, P. Cassey, C. R. White
Summary: Dispersal plays a crucial role in individual fitness, population dynamics, and range expansion. The spatial sorting of phenotypes at range edges and invasion fronts can lead to changes in morphological traits related to dispersal. However, different study systems exhibit varying responses to spatial sorting, and separating spatial sorting from natural selection and population dynamics is challenging.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Craig R. White, Lesley A. Alton, Candice L. Bywater, Emily J. Lombardi, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Froese and Pauly argue that our model contradicts the observation that fish reproduce before their growth rate decreases. Kearney and Jusup show that our model incompletely describes growth and reproduction for some species. Here, we discuss the costs of reproduction, the relationship between reproduction and growth, and propose tests of models based on optimality and constraint.
Article
Ecology
Rodolfo O. Anderson, Reid Tingley, Conrad J. Hoskin, Craig R. White, David G. Chapple
Summary: Climate has a significant impact on animal physiology, which in turn affects geographic distributions. However, the mechanisms connecting climate, physiology, and distribution are not fully understood.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Madeleine J. De Jong, Lesley A. Alton, Craig R. White, Moira K. O'Bryan, David G. Chapple, Bob B. M. Wong
Summary: Incubation temperature has lasting effects on growth, locomotor performance, and metabolic rate of skink offspring. Cool and hot incubation temperatures result in faster growth and larger maximum size, while hot incubation temperatures reduce locomotor performance. Effects on metabolic rate are present in sub-adults, with higher rates in cool-incubated lizards. Additionally, cool and hot incubation treatments result in shorter sperm midpieces and heads.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Craig R. White, Dustin J. Marshall
Summary: Most explanations for the relationship between body size and metabolism are based on physical constraints, which limit their predictive capacity. Contemporary approaches to studying metabolic rate and life history need more pluralism.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Phillip Cassey, Lalita Gomez, Sarah Heinrich, Pablo Garcia-Diaz, Sarah Stoner, Chris R. Shepherd
Summary: Illegal wildlife trade, particularly in bear parts and derivatives, poses a significant threat to global conservation efforts. Analyzing seizures in Australia and New Zealand revealed the involvement of numerous countries in the illegal bear trade, highlighting the need for international collaboration to combat transnational smuggling and protect bear species.
PACIFIC CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2022)
