Pub Date : 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1186/s12983-025-00556-4
Álvaro Quesada, Manuel Hernández Fernández, Iris Menéndez
Species richness increases gradually as latitude decreases, however, the explanation for this phenomenon remains unclear. Ecological hypotheses suggest that greater niche diversity in tropical biomes may facilitate the coexistence of a larger number of species. The close relationship between species morphology and ecology can lead to a greater morphological disparity in tropical biomes. In this study, we used 2D geometric morphometric techniques on the ventral view of the cranium of flying squirrels (Pteromyini, Sciuridae) to determine the relationship between diet and cranial morphology and to evaluate if morphological disparity is higher in tropical biomes. The results show that diet has a significant impact on cranial shape and size, with large, wide and robust crania in folivorous and generalist species, while frugivorous species tend towards smaller and narrower crania, and nucivorous have a wide variability. This suggests that biomes with more available dietary niches would show greater morphological disparity. However, we found no statistical differences in shape and size disparity among biomes or between observed and simulated disparity based on species richness. Our results show that there are not disparity differences between tropical and temperate biomes, even when temperate biomes are less rich than tropical ones, suggesting that the quantity of available niches may not be the key factor in generating morphological disparity. Instead, it could be the presence of extreme niches that demand specialised adaptations for exploitation, which might be of greater significance. A greater importance of size-changing adaptations would decrease shape disparity in biomes with many niches.
{"title":"Cranial morphology in flying squirrels: diet, shape, and size disparity across tropical and temperate biomes","authors":"Álvaro Quesada, Manuel Hernández Fernández, Iris Menéndez","doi":"10.1186/s12983-025-00556-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00556-4","url":null,"abstract":"Species richness increases gradually as latitude decreases, however, the explanation for this phenomenon remains unclear. Ecological hypotheses suggest that greater niche diversity in tropical biomes may facilitate the coexistence of a larger number of species. The close relationship between species morphology and ecology can lead to a greater morphological disparity in tropical biomes. In this study, we used 2D geometric morphometric techniques on the ventral view of the cranium of flying squirrels (Pteromyini, Sciuridae) to determine the relationship between diet and cranial morphology and to evaluate if morphological disparity is higher in tropical biomes. The results show that diet has a significant impact on cranial shape and size, with large, wide and robust crania in folivorous and generalist species, while frugivorous species tend towards smaller and narrower crania, and nucivorous have a wide variability. This suggests that biomes with more available dietary niches would show greater morphological disparity. However, we found no statistical differences in shape and size disparity among biomes or between observed and simulated disparity based on species richness. Our results show that there are not disparity differences between tropical and temperate biomes, even when temperate biomes are less rich than tropical ones, suggesting that the quantity of available niches may not be the key factor in generating morphological disparity. Instead, it could be the presence of extreme niches that demand specialised adaptations for exploitation, which might be of greater significance. A greater importance of size-changing adaptations would decrease shape disparity in biomes with many niches.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143589639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-28DOI: 10.1186/s12983-025-00558-2
Ulrich Technau
<p>It is hard to imagine our journal <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> without Jürgen Heinze, who has been the Co-Editor in Chief since 2004, when he and Diethard Tautz founded the journal as the official journal of the German Zoological Society (DZG). The goal and mission was and is to establish a leading journal in the field of Zoology and indeed since the beginning, <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> has been mostly ranked among the top 10 journals in the category Zoology. To keep this high quality is to a large extent the merit of Jürgen Heinze. However, with his retirement, Jürgen decided to step down from his role as a Co-Editor in Chief for <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i>. Effective with January 1, 2025, he hands over the torch to Angelika Stollewerk, for many years herself a member of the Editorial Board of <i>Frontiers in Zoology.</i> Since 2014, when I took over the co-Editior in Chief position from Diethard Tautz, I have been working with Jürgen and got to know him a vigilant, careful and thoughtful Editor, who always kept an eye on the whole journal, somebody who was constantly looking after and promoting the journal. Therefore, also in the name of the board of the DZG, I would like to take this opportunity to express our enormous gratitude to Jürgen Heinze for serving as an Editor in Chief for more than 20 years.</p><p>As an Editor, one has to take many decisions about manuscripts and there is hardly any field that is more diverse than Zoology. His work as an Editor was always guided by fostering this breadth of topics in Zoology, yet foremost by applying high standards in scientific quality and ethics. He followed the same high standards in his own scientific work. Jürgen was trained as a behavioral and evolutionary entomologist at the TU Darmstadt, a topic he remained faithful to throughout his whole career. He did a postdoc with E.O Wilson, followed by a research fellow (“University assistant”) in the lab of Bert Hölldobler, two “giants” in the field of ant biology. In 1996 he became Professor at the University of Nürnberg-Erlangen and moved to a full professorship at the University of Regensburg in 2000. He has been a leader in the field of social insects, specializing on cooperation and conflict in ant populations. Besides his continuous work as Editor-in-Chief of <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> he was active in several boards of the German Science Foundation and the “Wissenschaftsrat”, the Science Council of the German government. He is elected member of several academies, including the National German Academy of Science, Leopoldina and was awarded the Karl von Frisch Medal of the DZG. All these activities and honors reflect the deep appreciation and recognition he has received from the scientific community. We cordially thank Jürgen for his tremendous work and the service to the Science community, for being an advocate for Zoology and for developing <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> as one of the top journals in the field of Zoology.</p><p>Angelika Stol
创作共用 "许可协议允许以任何媒介或格式使用、共享、改编、分发和复制文章，但必须注明原作者和出处，提供指向 "创作共用 "许可协议的链接，并说明是否进行了修改。本文中的图片或其他第三方材料均包含在文章的知识共享许可协议中，除非在材料的署名栏中另有说明。如果材料未包含在文章的知识共享许可协议中，且您打算使用的材料不符合法律规定或超出许可使用范围，您需要直接从版权所有者处获得许可。如需查看该许可的副本，请访问 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/。创意共享公共领域专用免责声明 (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) 适用于本文提供的数据，除非在数据的信用行中另有说明。转载与许可引用本文Technau, U. Time for a change, time to say thank you.Front Zool 22, 4 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00558-2Download citationPublished: 28 February 2025DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00558-2Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
{"title":"Time for a change, time to say thank you","authors":"Ulrich Technau","doi":"10.1186/s12983-025-00558-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00558-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p>It is hard to imagine our journal <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> without Jürgen Heinze, who has been the Co-Editor in Chief since 2004, when he and Diethard Tautz founded the journal as the official journal of the German Zoological Society (DZG). The goal and mission was and is to establish a leading journal in the field of Zoology and indeed since the beginning, <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> has been mostly ranked among the top 10 journals in the category Zoology. To keep this high quality is to a large extent the merit of Jürgen Heinze. However, with his retirement, Jürgen decided to step down from his role as a Co-Editor in Chief for <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i>. Effective with January 1, 2025, he hands over the torch to Angelika Stollewerk, for many years herself a member of the Editorial Board of <i>Frontiers in Zoology.</i> Since 2014, when I took over the co-Editior in Chief position from Diethard Tautz, I have been working with Jürgen and got to know him a vigilant, careful and thoughtful Editor, who always kept an eye on the whole journal, somebody who was constantly looking after and promoting the journal. Therefore, also in the name of the board of the DZG, I would like to take this opportunity to express our enormous gratitude to Jürgen Heinze for serving as an Editor in Chief for more than 20 years.</p><p>As an Editor, one has to take many decisions about manuscripts and there is hardly any field that is more diverse than Zoology. His work as an Editor was always guided by fostering this breadth of topics in Zoology, yet foremost by applying high standards in scientific quality and ethics. He followed the same high standards in his own scientific work. Jürgen was trained as a behavioral and evolutionary entomologist at the TU Darmstadt, a topic he remained faithful to throughout his whole career. He did a postdoc with E.O Wilson, followed by a research fellow (“University assistant”) in the lab of Bert Hölldobler, two “giants” in the field of ant biology. In 1996 he became Professor at the University of Nürnberg-Erlangen and moved to a full professorship at the University of Regensburg in 2000. He has been a leader in the field of social insects, specializing on cooperation and conflict in ant populations. Besides his continuous work as Editor-in-Chief of <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> he was active in several boards of the German Science Foundation and the “Wissenschaftsrat”, the Science Council of the German government. He is elected member of several academies, including the National German Academy of Science, Leopoldina and was awarded the Karl von Frisch Medal of the DZG. All these activities and honors reflect the deep appreciation and recognition he has received from the scientific community. We cordially thank Jürgen for his tremendous work and the service to the Science community, for being an advocate for Zoology and for developing <i>Frontiers in Zoology</i> as one of the top journals in the field of Zoology.</p><p>Angelika Stol","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143518667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-02-10DOI: 10.1186/s12983-025-00557-3
Chenxi Wang, Shaoxia Xia, Xiubo Yu, Li Wen
Climate change and anthropogenic activities are accelerating environmental changes, challenging wild animals’ survival. Behavioral plasticity, such as adjusting habitat selection and foraging activity, is a key mechanism for responding to rapid environmental changes in the Anthropocene era. However, this shift may expose animals to new challenges. Moreover, not all behavioral plasticity is adaptive, as evidenced by ecological traps. This study focuses on Poyang Lake, a Ramsar wetland and a critical wintering ground for waterbirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Historically, the migratory patterns of waterbirds were synchronized with the plant life cycle. However, recent hydrological regime changes have diminished suitable habitats and food resources, thereby posing significant conservation challenges for waterbirds. Utilizing multiyear satellite tracking data, we examined the variations in wintering home range and behaviors of four herbivorous waterbird species between natural and artificial wetlands in Poyang Lake under different hydrological conditions. Our results reveal significant differences in home range area and movement speed among species and across hydrological years. All species demonstrated a marked increase in their use of artificial wetlands under unfavorable conditions. Specifically, the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) shifted its distribution to artificial wetlands during drought years while favoring natural wetlands under normal conditions, indicating a stress-induced adaptation. In contrast, the Bean Goose (A. fabalis) and Swan Goose (A. cygnoid) displayed greater behavioral plasticity. Notably, the Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) increasingly used artificial wetlands, likely due to human protection, raising concerns about potential ecological traps. Additionally, waterbirds foraging in artificial wetlands generally exhibited higher movement speeds during drought conditions. This behavior suggests maladaptation and a more dispersed distribution. Our study underscored the critical role of artificial wetlands in supporting migratory waterbirds during drought, though elevated movement speeds observed in these habitats suggest potential maladaptation. Species-specific responses raise concerns about ecological traps if these habitats fail to meet key ecological needs. To ensure long-term conservation, efforts should focus on preserving natural wetlands and enhancing the quality of artificial habitats. Future research should prioritize long-term monitoring to guide habitat management and address species-specific needs in the face of climate change and habitat degradation.
{"title":"Responses to extreme drought in wintering waterbirds: a multi-species approach","authors":"Chenxi Wang, Shaoxia Xia, Xiubo Yu, Li Wen","doi":"10.1186/s12983-025-00557-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00557-3","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change and anthropogenic activities are accelerating environmental changes, challenging wild animals’ survival. Behavioral plasticity, such as adjusting habitat selection and foraging activity, is a key mechanism for responding to rapid environmental changes in the Anthropocene era. However, this shift may expose animals to new challenges. Moreover, not all behavioral plasticity is adaptive, as evidenced by ecological traps. This study focuses on Poyang Lake, a Ramsar wetland and a critical wintering ground for waterbirds in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Historically, the migratory patterns of waterbirds were synchronized with the plant life cycle. However, recent hydrological regime changes have diminished suitable habitats and food resources, thereby posing significant conservation challenges for waterbirds. Utilizing multiyear satellite tracking data, we examined the variations in wintering home range and behaviors of four herbivorous waterbird species between natural and artificial wetlands in Poyang Lake under different hydrological conditions. Our results reveal significant differences in home range area and movement speed among species and across hydrological years. All species demonstrated a marked increase in their use of artificial wetlands under unfavorable conditions. Specifically, the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) shifted its distribution to artificial wetlands during drought years while favoring natural wetlands under normal conditions, indicating a stress-induced adaptation. In contrast, the Bean Goose (A. fabalis) and Swan Goose (A. cygnoid) displayed greater behavioral plasticity. Notably, the Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus) increasingly used artificial wetlands, likely due to human protection, raising concerns about potential ecological traps. Additionally, waterbirds foraging in artificial wetlands generally exhibited higher movement speeds during drought conditions. This behavior suggests maladaptation and a more dispersed distribution. Our study underscored the critical role of artificial wetlands in supporting migratory waterbirds during drought, though elevated movement speeds observed in these habitats suggest potential maladaptation. Species-specific responses raise concerns about ecological traps if these habitats fail to meet key ecological needs. To ensure long-term conservation, efforts should focus on preserving natural wetlands and enhancing the quality of artificial habitats. Future research should prioritize long-term monitoring to guide habitat management and address species-specific needs in the face of climate change and habitat degradation. ","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143375170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) initiate the process of odorant perception. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that OBPs bind a broad variety of chemicals and are more likely to carry pheromones or odor molecules with high binding affinities. However, few studies have investigated its effects on insect behavior. Previously, we found that AmelOBP4 has a significantly higher expression in the heads of foragers than that of nurses regardless of their ages, revealing its importance in foraging behaviour of the honey bee. RNA interference (RNAi) is the induction of sequence specific gene silencing by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), it is a powerful tool that makes gene inactivation possible in organisms that were not amenable to genetic analysis before. In this study, we found that AmelOBP4 had high expression levels in the antennae of both nurses and foragers, and could be successfully inhibited by feeding double stranded RNA of AmelOBP4 (dsAmelOBP4). Foragers with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly lower sugar responsiveness than control bees, and also significantly reduced EAG response to plant volatiles of nonanal, linalool and 1-Octen-3ol. On the other hand, nurses with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly reduced EAG response to brood pheromone of ethyl oleate, methyl linoleate, methyl palmitate and β-ocimene. Finally, the Y-tube choice assay showed nurses only exhibited a significantly reduced preference to ethyl oleate, but foragers exhibited significantly reduced preference to all these three plant volatiles. The findings of our study suggested that AmelOBP4 plays an important role in the odorant binding process, especially in modulating olfactory behaviour in workers. Our results provide a foundation for exploring the olfactory mechanism of Apis mellifera.
{"title":"AmelOBP4: an antenna-specific odor-binding protein gene required for olfactory behavior in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)","authors":"Fang Liu, Yu Lai, Lixian Wu, Qiang Li, Linyue Lei, Wei Yin, Yuan Zhang, Zachary Y. Huang, Hongxia Zhao","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00554-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00554-y","url":null,"abstract":"Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) initiate the process of odorant perception. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that OBPs bind a broad variety of chemicals and are more likely to carry pheromones or odor molecules with high binding affinities. However, few studies have investigated its effects on insect behavior. Previously, we found that AmelOBP4 has a significantly higher expression in the heads of foragers than that of nurses regardless of their ages, revealing its importance in foraging behaviour of the honey bee. RNA interference (RNAi) is the induction of sequence specific gene silencing by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), it is a powerful tool that makes gene inactivation possible in organisms that were not amenable to genetic analysis before. In this study, we found that AmelOBP4 had high expression levels in the antennae of both nurses and foragers, and could be successfully inhibited by feeding double stranded RNA of AmelOBP4 (dsAmelOBP4). Foragers with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly lower sugar responsiveness than control bees, and also significantly reduced EAG response to plant volatiles of nonanal, linalool and 1-Octen-3ol. On the other hand, nurses with inhibited AmelOBP4 showed significantly reduced EAG response to brood pheromone of ethyl oleate, methyl linoleate, methyl palmitate and β-ocimene. Finally, the Y-tube choice assay showed nurses only exhibited a significantly reduced preference to ethyl oleate, but foragers exhibited significantly reduced preference to all these three plant volatiles. The findings of our study suggested that AmelOBP4 plays an important role in the odorant binding process, especially in modulating olfactory behaviour in workers. Our results provide a foundation for exploring the olfactory mechanism of Apis mellifera.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"83 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142974594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00555-x
Peter Jägers, Stefan Herlitze
During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal’s movement direction. Information transfer e.g., via alarm signals is an important aspect in group living species especially when being under threat. In dark environments, bioluminescence has the potential to accurately transfer such information. Under threat A. katoptron show increased swimming speeds and a higher group cohesion accompanied by fast blink frequencies. In this study we used a two-choice paradigm to test the preferences for typical blink characteristics e.g., frequency and duration. Our data show that individuals decided within short periods (< 4 s) for faster blink frequencies of artificial light organs and the preference for the higher blink frequencies became more pronounced as the difference between the presented frequencies increased. The preference correlated with the frequency rather than the duration. Our study suggests that fast, bioluminescent blinks of light organs lead to aggregations of A. katoptron.
{"title":"Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856)","authors":"Peter Jägers, Stefan Herlitze","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00555-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00555-x","url":null,"abstract":"During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal’s movement direction. Information transfer e.g., via alarm signals is an important aspect in group living species especially when being under threat. In dark environments, bioluminescence has the potential to accurately transfer such information. Under threat A. katoptron show increased swimming speeds and a higher group cohesion accompanied by fast blink frequencies. In this study we used a two-choice paradigm to test the preferences for typical blink characteristics e.g., frequency and duration. Our data show that individuals decided within short periods (< 4 s) for faster blink frequencies of artificial light organs and the preference for the higher blink frequencies became more pronounced as the difference between the presented frequencies increased. The preference correlated with the frequency rather than the duration. Our study suggests that fast, bioluminescent blinks of light organs lead to aggregations of A. katoptron.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142968274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-19DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00553-z
Kaiyue Cui, Shengnan Yang, Junhua Hu
Climatic and geographic variations have profound effects on the resource utilization of individuals and populations. Evaluating resource use in different environments is crucial for understanding species ecological adaptation strategies and promoting biodiversity conservation. Stable isotopes are widely used to assess trophic niches, providing quantitative indicators of ecological interactions between organisms and resource use in ecosystems. This study assesses the trophic niche traits of spiny-bellied frogs (Quasipaa boulengeri) in the marginal mountains of the Sichuan Basin in southwestern China using stable isotopes. Trophic niche variation under different time periods and environmental conditions is explored. The spiny-bellied frogs experienced a significant reduction in trophic niche width during the past breeding season. The populations in the northwestern Sichuan Basin had a greater trophic niche width than the southeastern populations, and their δ15N values showed a positive correlation with temperature seasonality and a negative correlation with annual precipitation. Despite differences between the northwestern and southeastern populations, there was a consistent trend of increased individual specialization with latitude in both the northwestern and southeastern regions. Ontogenetic niche shifts and differences in trophic niche traits between the northwestern and southeastern populations indicate diverse adaptation strategies in mountain frogs. The findings underscore the impact of geographical and climate variations on the resource utilization of amphibians. In addition, patterns of individual specialization highlight the significance of considering intra- and interpopulational changes when studying ecological adaptation.
{"title":"Trophic niche adaptation of mountain frogs around the Sichuan Basin: individual specialization and response to climate variations","authors":"Kaiyue Cui, Shengnan Yang, Junhua Hu","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00553-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00553-z","url":null,"abstract":"Climatic and geographic variations have profound effects on the resource utilization of individuals and populations. Evaluating resource use in different environments is crucial for understanding species ecological adaptation strategies and promoting biodiversity conservation. Stable isotopes are widely used to assess trophic niches, providing quantitative indicators of ecological interactions between organisms and resource use in ecosystems. This study assesses the trophic niche traits of spiny-bellied frogs (Quasipaa boulengeri) in the marginal mountains of the Sichuan Basin in southwestern China using stable isotopes. Trophic niche variation under different time periods and environmental conditions is explored. The spiny-bellied frogs experienced a significant reduction in trophic niche width during the past breeding season. The populations in the northwestern Sichuan Basin had a greater trophic niche width than the southeastern populations, and their δ15N values showed a positive correlation with temperature seasonality and a negative correlation with annual precipitation. Despite differences between the northwestern and southeastern populations, there was a consistent trend of increased individual specialization with latitude in both the northwestern and southeastern regions. Ontogenetic niche shifts and differences in trophic niche traits between the northwestern and southeastern populations indicate diverse adaptation strategies in mountain frogs. The findings underscore the impact of geographical and climate variations on the resource utilization of amphibians. In addition, patterns of individual specialization highlight the significance of considering intra- and interpopulational changes when studying ecological adaptation.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-12-04DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00549-9
Bruno Cavalcante Bellini, Nikolas Gioia Cipola, Sopark Jantarit, Nathália Michelly da Cunha Santos, Areeruk Nilsai, Hsin-Ju Cheng, Nerivânia Nunes Godeiro
The subfamily Seirinae (Collembola: Entomobryidae) is among the most diverse suprageneric taxa of epedaphic springtails and is particularly abundant and species-rich in tropical and subtropical regions. Numerous studies have investigated its internal and external phylogenetic relationships, enhancing our understanding on Seirinae systematics. Recent taxonomic efforts have also advanced our knowledge on the subfamily morphology and diversity. In this study, we reevaluate the phylogeny of Seirinae using the mitogenomes of 26 samples from different continents, aiming to discuss recent findings regarding the group systematics, to identify cases of alien species introduced in China and Thailand, and propose new synonyms for Seira spp. Additionally, we describe a new species from Thailand and provide a redescription of Seira brasiliana (Arlé) based on the study of Brazilian and Chinese specimens. Through these efforts, we provide further ground for understanding the evolution, systematics, distribution and taxonomy of the group, contributing to future studies on Seirinae and Entomobryidae.
{"title":"Exploring mitogenomic data to enhance the understanding of Seirinae (Collembola: Entomobryidae) evolution, distribution and taxonomy","authors":"Bruno Cavalcante Bellini, Nikolas Gioia Cipola, Sopark Jantarit, Nathália Michelly da Cunha Santos, Areeruk Nilsai, Hsin-Ju Cheng, Nerivânia Nunes Godeiro","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00549-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00549-9","url":null,"abstract":"The subfamily Seirinae (Collembola: Entomobryidae) is among the most diverse suprageneric taxa of epedaphic springtails and is particularly abundant and species-rich in tropical and subtropical regions. Numerous studies have investigated its internal and external phylogenetic relationships, enhancing our understanding on Seirinae systematics. Recent taxonomic efforts have also advanced our knowledge on the subfamily morphology and diversity. In this study, we reevaluate the phylogeny of Seirinae using the mitogenomes of 26 samples from different continents, aiming to discuss recent findings regarding the group systematics, to identify cases of alien species introduced in China and Thailand, and propose new synonyms for Seira spp. Additionally, we describe a new species from Thailand and provide a redescription of Seira brasiliana (Arlé) based on the study of Brazilian and Chinese specimens. Through these efforts, we provide further ground for understanding the evolution, systematics, distribution and taxonomy of the group, contributing to future studies on Seirinae and Entomobryidae.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tibetan sheep are indigenous to the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Owing to the harsh hypoxic environment in this plateau, the hemoglobin (Hb) protein in Tibetan sheep has undergone adaptive changes over time. Hb is primarily responsible for transporting O2 and CO2 between the lungs and other tissues of the body. The α subunit of Hb, encoded by the HBA gene, is a crucial component of the protein. However, whether variations in the HBA gene sequence affect the adaptation of Tibetan sheep to high-altitude hypoxia remains unclear. In this study, we sequenced the HBA gene and identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs were genotyped in Tibetan and Hu sheep using Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP). The results showed that the frequencies of the AT genotype and H1H2 haplotype were higher in Tibetan sheep than in Hu sheep. Individuals with the AT genotype exhibited higher P50 levels, whereas those with the H1H2 haplotype exhibited lower PO2 and SaO2 levels. The higher P50 levels indicated that O2 was more readily released from oxygenated Hb into the tissues, with the lower PO2 and SaO2 levels facilitating this process. These findings indicate that variations in the HBA gene sequence contribute to enhancing O2 transfer efficiency in Tibetan sheep.
{"title":"Variations in HBA gene contribute to high-altitude hypoxia adaptation via affected O2 transfer in Tibetan sheep","authors":"Pengfei Zhao, Xiong Ma, Jianming Ren, Lan Zhang, Yunxin Min, Chunyang Li, Yaoyao Lu, Ying Ma, Mingjie Hou, Hui Jia","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00551-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00551-1","url":null,"abstract":"Tibetan sheep are indigenous to the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Owing to the harsh hypoxic environment in this plateau, the hemoglobin (Hb) protein in Tibetan sheep has undergone adaptive changes over time. Hb is primarily responsible for transporting O2 and CO2 between the lungs and other tissues of the body. The α subunit of Hb, encoded by the HBA gene, is a crucial component of the protein. However, whether variations in the HBA gene sequence affect the adaptation of Tibetan sheep to high-altitude hypoxia remains unclear. In this study, we sequenced the HBA gene and identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs were genotyped in Tibetan and Hu sheep using Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP). The results showed that the frequencies of the AT genotype and H1H2 haplotype were higher in Tibetan sheep than in Hu sheep. Individuals with the AT genotype exhibited higher P50 levels, whereas those with the H1H2 haplotype exhibited lower PO2 and SaO2 levels. The higher P50 levels indicated that O2 was more readily released from oxygenated Hb into the tissues, with the lower PO2 and SaO2 levels facilitating this process. These findings indicate that variations in the HBA gene sequence contribute to enhancing O2 transfer efficiency in Tibetan sheep.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142684288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-19DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00550-2
Mariusz Kanturski, Yerim Lee, Hyojoong Kim
Background: Lachninae (Insecta: Aphididae) represent a fascinating group of aphids that are traditionally divided into five tribes. Among these, members of the tribe Tuberolachnini exhibit remarkable morphological and biological diversity. One genus of this group, Miyalachnus, known from Japan, is characterized by unique features. Our study aimed to re-examine the tribal classification within Lachninae, with a focus on the diverse Tuberolachnini and the previously understudied genera Miyalachnus and Sinolachnus.
Results: We conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis using four genes (COI, COII, CytB, and EF1α), employing both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods on a combined dataset. Our findings challenge the monophyly of Tuberolachnini. The analyses revealed that Miyalachnus and Sinolachnus are phylogenetically distinct from the core Tuberolachnini genera (Nippolachnus, Pyrolachnus, and Tuberolachnus), instead showing a closer relationship with Tramini. Specifically, the Miyalachnus clade forms a sister clade to the clade containing Sinolachnus and Tramini.
Conclusions: On the basis of these molecular results, corroborated by morphological evidence, we propose to erect a new tribe within the Lachninae-Miyalachnini trib. nov. with Miyalachnus as the type genus. We also provide updated taxonomic diagnoses for the remaining tribes and discuss their relationships as well as distinguishing features.
{"title":"Phylogenetic reconstruction of Tuberolachnini and Lachninae (Insecta, Hemiptera): Morphological and molecular analyses revealed a new tribe.","authors":"Mariusz Kanturski, Yerim Lee, Hyojoong Kim","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00550-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12983-024-00550-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lachninae (Insecta: Aphididae) represent a fascinating group of aphids that are traditionally divided into five tribes. Among these, members of the tribe Tuberolachnini exhibit remarkable morphological and biological diversity. One genus of this group, Miyalachnus, known from Japan, is characterized by unique features. Our study aimed to re-examine the tribal classification within Lachninae, with a focus on the diverse Tuberolachnini and the previously understudied genera Miyalachnus and Sinolachnus.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We conducted a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis using four genes (COI, COII, CytB, and EF1α), employing both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods on a combined dataset. Our findings challenge the monophyly of Tuberolachnini. The analyses revealed that Miyalachnus and Sinolachnus are phylogenetically distinct from the core Tuberolachnini genera (Nippolachnus, Pyrolachnus, and Tuberolachnus), instead showing a closer relationship with Tramini. Specifically, the Miyalachnus clade forms a sister clade to the clade containing Sinolachnus and Tramini.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>On the basis of these molecular results, corroborated by morphological evidence, we propose to erect a new tribe within the Lachninae-Miyalachnini trib. nov. with Miyalachnus as the type genus. We also provide updated taxonomic diagnoses for the remaining tribes and discuss their relationships as well as distinguishing features.</p>","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"21 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11575128/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142669732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-11-14DOI: 10.1186/s12983-024-00552-0
Danica Pavlović, Branislav Salatić, Srećko Ćurčić, Petar Milovanović, Dejan V. Pantelić
All living organisms exist in a world affected by many external influences, especially water and light. Photonic nanostructures present in certain insects, have evolved over time in response to diverse environmental conditions, facilitating communication within and between species, camouflage, thermoregulation, hydration, and more. Up to now, only a few insect species have been discovered whose elytron changes its color due to permeation of water (or its vapor) through cuticle. Here we report on a scarabaeid beetle Hoplia argentea remarkable in its ability to shift from green to brownish-red when exposed to water, demonstrating reversible changes. Here we show that elytron and scales form a complex and efficient micro/nano-optofluidic system. Water is channeled into the elytral lacunae, then transported internally to the petals of the scales, where it is wicked inside each scale, pushing the entrapped air out. Wicking is a very fast process, occurring during a few seconds. The advantage of this principle is in extremely high pressure (approximately 15 bar) produced by capillary forces, which expediates permeation of air. We present optical models that explain the physical mechanisms behind the coloration, detailing how superhydrophilic properties influence optical behavior. Species within the genus Hoplia exhibit diverse coloration strategies, likely linked to their specific ecological niches. These organisms have evolved intricate optical and microfluidic systems that facilitate rapid alterations in body coloration, potentially serving purposes such as environmental camouflage and thermoregulation. Studying microfluidic and optical properties of the elytra will not only enhance our understanding of the biological purposes behind color change but also inspires design of artificial biomimetic devices. Dynamic fluid flow patterns, described in this paper, are fairly constant and unique and can be used in security applications as a, so called, physically unclonable functions (PUF). More broadly, this kind of microfluidic system can be used for controlled drug release, sensing, hydraulic and pneumatic pumping.
{"title":"Complex interplay between the microfluidic and optical properties of Hoplia sp. beetles","authors":"Danica Pavlović, Branislav Salatić, Srećko Ćurčić, Petar Milovanović, Dejan V. Pantelić","doi":"10.1186/s12983-024-00552-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-024-00552-0","url":null,"abstract":"All living organisms exist in a world affected by many external influences, especially water and light. Photonic nanostructures present in certain insects, have evolved over time in response to diverse environmental conditions, facilitating communication within and between species, camouflage, thermoregulation, hydration, and more. Up to now, only a few insect species have been discovered whose elytron changes its color due to permeation of water (or its vapor) through cuticle. Here we report on a scarabaeid beetle Hoplia argentea remarkable in its ability to shift from green to brownish-red when exposed to water, demonstrating reversible changes. Here we show that elytron and scales form a complex and efficient micro/nano-optofluidic system. Water is channeled into the elytral lacunae, then transported internally to the petals of the scales, where it is wicked inside each scale, pushing the entrapped air out. Wicking is a very fast process, occurring during a few seconds. The advantage of this principle is in extremely high pressure (approximately 15 bar) produced by capillary forces, which expediates permeation of air. We present optical models that explain the physical mechanisms behind the coloration, detailing how superhydrophilic properties influence optical behavior. Species within the genus Hoplia exhibit diverse coloration strategies, likely linked to their specific ecological niches. These organisms have evolved intricate optical and microfluidic systems that facilitate rapid alterations in body coloration, potentially serving purposes such as environmental camouflage and thermoregulation. Studying microfluidic and optical properties of the elytra will not only enhance our understanding of the biological purposes behind color change but also inspires design of artificial biomimetic devices. Dynamic fluid flow patterns, described in this paper, are fairly constant and unique and can be used in security applications as a, so called, physically unclonable functions (PUF). More broadly, this kind of microfluidic system can be used for controlled drug release, sensing, hydraulic and pneumatic pumping.","PeriodicalId":55142,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Zoology","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142610157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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