Versatile gene expression helps trail-blazing house sparrows adapt [INSIDE JEB]
Kathryn Knight (Source: Journal of Experimental Biology)
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 28, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Knight, K. Tags: INSIDE JEB Source Type: research

Experience, but not age, is associated with volumetric mushroom body expansion in solitary alkali bees [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Mallory A. Hagadorn, Makenna M. Johnson, Adam R. Smith, Marc A. Seid, and Karen M. Kapheim In social insects, changes in behavior are often accompanied by structural changes in the brain. This neuroplasticity may come with experience (experience-dependent) or age (experience-expectant). Yet, the evolutionary relationship between neuroplasticity and sociality is unclear, because we know little about neuroplasticity in the solitary relatives of social species. We used confocal microscopy to measure brain changes in response to age and experience in a solitary halictid bee (Nomia melanderi). First, we compared the volume of ...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 28, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Hagadorn, M. A., Johnson, M. M., Smith, A. R., Seid, M. A., Kapheim, K. M. Tags: Neuroethology RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Epigenetic potential affects immune gene expression in house sparrows [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Haley E. Hanson, Cedric Zimmer, Bilal Koussayer, Aaron W. Schrey, J. Dylan Maddox, and Lynn B. Martin Epigenetic mechanisms may play a central role in mediating phenotypic plasticity, especially during range expansions, when populations face a suite of novel environmental conditions. Individuals may differ in their epigenetic potential (EP; their capacity for epigenetic modifications of gene expression), which may affect their ability to colonize new areas. One form of EP, the number of CpG sites, is higher in introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) than in native birds in the promoter region of a microbial surveill...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 28, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Hanson, H. E., Zimmer, C., Koussayer, B., Schrey, A. W., Maddox, J. D., Martin, L. B. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Dwarf sperm whales click like shallow dwellers despite open ocean lifestyle [INSIDE JEB]
Kathryn Knight (Source: Journal of Experimental Biology)
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Knight, K. Tags: INSIDE JEB Source Type: research

Echolocation click parameters and biosonar behaviour of the dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Chloe E. Malinka, Pernille Tonnesen, Charlotte A. Dunn, Diane E. Claridge, Tess Gridley, Simon H. Elwen, and Peter Teglberg Madsen Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) are small toothed whales that produce narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) echolocation clicks. Such NBHF clicks, subject to high levels of acoustic absorption, are usually produced by small, shallow-diving odontocetes, such as porpoises, in keeping with their short-range echolocation and fast click rates. Here, we sought to address the problem of how the little-studied and deep-diving Kogia can hunt with NBHF clicks in the deep sea. Specifically, we tested the hyp...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Malinka, C. E., Tonnesen, P., Dunn, C. A., Claridge, D. E., Gridley, T., Elwen, S. H., Teglberg Madsen, P. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Combined secondary compounds naturally found in nectars enhance honeybee cognition and survival [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Ignacio L. Marchi, Florencia Palottini, and Walter M. Farina The alkaloid caffeine and the amino acid arginine are present as secondary compounds in nectars of some flower species visited by pollinators. Each of these compounds affects honeybee appetitive behaviours by improving foraging activity and learning. While caffeine potentiates responses of mushroom body neurons involved in honeybee learning processes, arginine acts as precursor of nitric oxide, enhancing the protein synthesis involved in memory formation. Despite existing evidence on how these compounds affect honeybee cognitive ability individually, their combi...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Marchi, I. L., Palottini, F., Farina, W. M. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Independent effects of seawater pH and high PCO2 on olfactory sensitivity in fish: possible role of carbonic anhydrase [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Zelia Velez, Rita A. Costa, Wenjing Wang, and Peter C. Hubbard Ocean acidification may alter olfactory-driven behaviour in fish by direct effects on the peripheral olfactory system; olfactory sensitivity is reduced in CO2-acidified seawater. The current study tested whether this is due to elevated PCO2 or the consequent reduction in seawater pH and, if the former, the possible involvement of carbonic anhydrase, the enzyme responsible for the hydration of CO2 and production of carbonic acid. Olfactory sensitivity to amino acids was assessed by extracellular multi-unit recording from the olfactory nerve of the gilthead...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Velez, Z., Costa, R. A., Wang, W., Hubbard, P. C. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Controlled expression of the migratory phenotype affects oxidative status in birds [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
We examined whether the emergence of the migratory phenotype, primarily signalled by increased food intake and fuelling, is accompanied by changes in oxidative status. We induced autumn migration followed by a non-migratory wintering phase in common quails (Coturnix coturnix). We compared three markers of oxidative status – oxidative damage to lipids expressed as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS); superoxide dismutase (SOD); and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) – between birds sampled during the migratory and non-migratory phase. We found that the emergence of the migratory phenotype was associated wi...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Marasco, V., Sebastiano, M., Costantini, D., Pola, G., Fusani, L. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Not just shades of grey: life is full of colour for the ocellate freshwater river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
In conclusion, the genetic and behavioural results support prior data on marine stingrays. However, this study suggests that freshwater stingrays of the family Potamotrygonidae may have a visual colour system that has ecologically adapted to a riverine habitat. (Source: Journal of Experimental Biology)
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Schluessel, V., Rick, I. P., Seifert, F. D., Baumann, C., Davies, W. I. L. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Exposure to artificial light at night alters innate immune response in wild great tit nestlings [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
This study provides a potential physiological mechanism underlying the documented differences in immune function between urban and rural birds observed in other studies. Moreover, it gives evidence that ALAN exposure affects nestling physiology, potentially causing long-term effects on physiology and behaviour, which ultimately can affect their fitness. (Source: Journal of Experimental Biology)
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Ann-Kathrin, Z., Hannah, W., Arne, H., Richard, M., Virginie, C., Jan-Ake, N., Caroline, I. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Carbon dioxide and bicarbonate accumulation in caiman erythrocytes during diving [SHORT COMMUNICATION]
Naim M. Bautista, Christian Damsgaard, Angela Fago, and Tobias Wang The ability of crocodilian haemoglobins to bind HCO3– has been appreciated for more than half a century, but the functional implication of this is exceptional mechanism has not previously been assessed in vivo. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to address the hypothesis that CO2 primarily binds to Hb, rather than being accumulated in plasma as in other vertebrates, during diving in caimans. Here, we demonstrate that CO2 primarily accumulates within the erythrocyte during diving and that most of the accumulated CO2 is bound to haemoglobin. ...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 26, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Bautista, N. M., Damsgaard, C., Fago, A., Wang, T. Tags: SHORT COMMUNICATION Source Type: research

Sound detection by the American lobster (Homarus americanus) [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Youenn Jezequel, Ian T. Jones, Julien Bonnel, Laurent Chauvaud, Jelle Atema, and T. Aran Mooney Although many crustaceans produce sounds, their hearing abilities and mechanisms are poorly understood, leaving uncertainties regarding whether or how these animals use sound for acoustic communication. Marine invertebrates lack gas-filled organs required for sound pressure detection, but some of them are known to be sensitive to particle motion. Here, we examined whether the American lobster (Homarus americanus) could detect sound and subsequently sought to discern the auditory mechanisms. Acoustic stimuli responses were measu...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 25, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Jezequel, Y., Jones, I. T., Bonnel, J., Chauvaud, L., Atema, J., Mooney, T. A. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Masculinized Drosophila females adapt their fighting strategies to their opponent [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Rachel E. Monyak, Nicole M. Golbari, Yick-Bun Chan, Ausra Pranevicius, Grace Tang, Maria Paz Fernandez, and Edward A. Kravitz Many animal species show aggression to gain mating partners and to protect territories and other resources from competitors. Both male and female fruit flies of the species Drosophila melanogaster exhibit aggression in same-sex pairings, but the strategies used are sexually dimorphic. We have begun to explore the biological basis for the differing aggression strategies, and the cues promoting one form of aggression over the other. Here, we describe a line of genetically masculinized females that sw...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 25, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Monyak, R. E., Golbari, N. M., Chan, Y.-B., Pranevicius, A., Tang, G., Fernandez, M. P., Kravitz, E. A. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Effects of wave-driven water flow on the fast-start escape response of juvenile coral reef damselfishes [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Dominique G. Roche Fish often evade predators with a fast-start escape response. Studies typically examine this behaviour in still water despite water motion being an inherent feature of aquatic ecosystems. In shallow habitats, waves create complex flows that likely influence escape performance, particularly in small fishes with low absolute swimming speeds relative to environmental flows. I examined how wave-driven water flow affects the behaviour and kinematics of escape responses in juveniles of three coral reef damselfishes (Pomacentridae) with different body morphologies. Tropical damselfishes have similar fin and bo...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 25, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Roche, D. G. Tags: Comparative biomechanics of movement RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research

Metabolic response of dolphins to short-term fasting reveals physiological changes that differ from the traditional fasting model [RESEARCH ARTICLE]
Dorian S. Houser, Davina Derous, Alex Douglas, and David Lusseau Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) typically feed on prey that are high in lipid and protein content and nearly devoid of carbohydrate, a dietary feature shared with other marine mammals. However, unlike fasted-adapted marine mammals that predictably incorporate fasting into their life history, dolphins feed intermittently throughout the day and are not believed to be fasting-adapted. To assess whether the physiological response to fasting in the dolphin shares features with or distinguishes them from those of fasting-adapted marine mammals, the plasma ...
Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - March 25, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Houser, D. S., Derous, D., Douglas, A., Lusseau, D. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research