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Fine-grained image classification on bats using VGG16-CBAM: a practical example with 7 horseshoe bats taxa (CHIROPTERA: Rhinolophidae: Rhinolophus ) from Southern China

Rapid identification and classification of bats are critical for practical applications. However, species identification of bats is a typically detrimental and time-consuming manual task that depends on taxono...

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Molecular analysis of scats revealed diet and prey choice of grey wolves and Eurasian lynx in the contact zone between the Dinaric Mountains and the Alps

A comprehensive understanding of the dietary habits of carnivores is essential to get ecological insights into their role in the ecosystem, potential competition with other carnivorous species, and their effec...

Updated single cell reference atlas for the starlet anemone Nematostella vectensis

The recent combination of genomics and single cell transcriptomics has allowed to assess a variety of non-conventional model organisms in much more depth. Single cell transcriptomes can uncover hidden cellular...

Obituary: Claus Nielsen 1938–2024

Correction: support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the african great lakes region and the description of five new  macrostomum  species.

The original article was published in Frontiers in Zoology 2023 20 :31

Rediscovering the unusual, solitary bryozoan Monobryozoon ambulans Remane, 1936: first molecular and new morphological data clarify its phylogenetic position

One of the most peculiar groups of the mostly colonial phylum Bryozoa is the taxon Monobryozoon , whose name already implies non-colonial members of the phylum. Its peculiarity and highly unusual lifestyle as a me...

Fat accumulation in striped hamsters ( Cricetulus barabensis ) reflects the temperature of prior cold acclimation

Proper adjustments of metabolic thermogenesis play an important role in thermoregulation in endotherm to cope with cold and/or warm ambient temperatures, however its roles in energy balance and fat accumulatio...

Differences in spatial niche of terrestrial mammals when facing extreme snowfall: the case in east Asian forests

Recent climate changes have produced extreme climate events. This study focused on extreme snowfall and intended to discuss the vulnerability of temperate mammals against it through interspecies comparisons of...

New insights into mesoderm and endoderm development, and the nature of the onychophoran blastopore

Early during onychophoran development and prior to the formation of the germ band, a posterior tissue thickening forms the posterior pit. Anterior to this thickening forms a groove, the embryonic slit, that...

Wide-spread dispersal in a deep-sea brooding polychaete: the role of natural history collections in assessing the distribution in quill worms (Onuphidae, Annelida)

Modern integrative taxonomy-based annelid species descriptions are detailed combining morphological data and, since the last decades, also molecular information. Historic species descriptions are often compara...

MicroRNA ame-let-7 targets Amdop2 to increase sucrose sensitivity in honey bees ( Apis mellifera )

As an important catecholamine neurotransmitter in invertebrates and vertebrates, dopamine plays multiple roles in the life of the honey bee. Dopamine receptors (DA), which specifically bind to dopamine to acti...

The oral sensory organs in Bathochordaeus stygius (Tunicata Appendicularia) are unique in structure and homologous to the coronal organ

Appendicularia consists of approximately 70 purely marine species that belong to Tunicata the probable sister taxon to Craniota. Therefore, Appendicularia plays a pivotal role for our understanding of chordate...

Frequency jumps and subharmonic components in calls of female Odorrana tormota differentially affect the vocal behaviors of male frogs

Studies have demonstrated that the sounds of animals from many taxa with nonlinear phenomena (NLP)—caused by nonlinear characteristics of vocal organ dynamics that lead to nonlinear vocal phenomena—can influen...

Using fuzzy logic to compare species distribution models developed on the basis of expert knowledge and sampling records

Experts use knowledge to infer the distribution of species based on fuzzy logical assumptions about the relationship between species and the environment. Thus, expert knowledge is amenable to fuzzy logic model...

Holding in the stream: convergent evolution of suckermouth structures in Loricariidae (Siluriformes)

Suckermouth armoured catfish (Loricariidae) are a highly speciose and diverse freshwater fish family, which bear upper and lower lips forming an oral disc. Its hierarchical organisation allows the attachment t...

Despite genetic isolation in sympatry, post-copulatory reproductive barriers have not evolved between bat- and human-associated common bedbugs ( Cimex lectularius L.)

The common bedbug Cimex lectularius is a widespread ectoparasite on humans and bats. Two genetically isolated lineages, parasitizing either human (HL) or bat (BL) hosts, have been suggested to differentiate becau...

Comparative metabolomics analysis reveals high-altitude adaptations in a toad-headed viviparous lizard, Phrynocephalus vlangalii

Extreme environmental conditions at high altitude, such as hypobaric hypoxia, low temperature, and strong UV radiation, pose a great challenge to the survival of animals. Although the mechanisms of adaptation ...

Effects of reduced kinematic and social play experience on affective appraisal of human-rat play in rats

Play is a common and developmentally important behaviour in young mammals. Specifically in Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ), reduced opportunity to engage in rough-and-tumble (RT) play has been associated with imp...

Age, brood fate, and territory quality affect nest-site fidelity in white stork Ciconia ciconia

A particular type of site fidelity is faithfulness to the nest site, where birds are not only reoccupying breeding territories but also reusing nests built in previous breeding seasons. Staying faithful to the...

Evolutionary trade-off between innate and acquired immune defences in birds

The development, maintenance, and use of immune defences are costly. Therefore, animals face trade-offs in terms of resource allocation within their immune system and between their immune system and other phys...

Support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the African Great Lakes region and the description of five new Macrostomum species

The African Great Lakes have long been recognized as an excellent location to study speciation. Most famously, cichlid fishes have radiated in Lake Tanganyika and subsequently spread into Lake Malawi and Lake ...

The Correction to this article has been published in Frontiers in Zoology 2024 21 :6

Food patch use of Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica ) varies with personality traits

The classic optimal foraging theory (OFT) predicts animals’ food patch use assuming that individuals in a population use the same strategy while foraging. However, due to the existence of animal personality, i...

Minimal resin embedding of SBF-SEM samples reduces charging and facilitates finding a surface-linked region of interest

For decoding the mechanism of how cells and organs function information on their ultrastructure is essential. High-resolution 3D imaging has revolutionized morphology. Serial block face scanning electron micro...

Third-party intervention and post-conflict behaviour in agonistic encounters of pigs ( Sus scrofa )

Third-party interference in agonistic contests entails a deliberate intervention in an ongoing fight by a bystanding individual (third party) and may be followed by post-conflict social behaviour to provide su...

Body mass is associated with hibernation length, body temperature, and heart rate in free-ranging brown bears

Despite centuries of research, debate remains on the scaling of metabolic rate to mass especially for intraspecific cases. The high variation of body mass within brown bears presents a unique opportunity to st...

Terebra steering in chalcidoid wasps

Various chalcidoid wasps can actively steer their terebra (= ovipositor shaft) in diverse directions, despite the lack of terebral intrinsic musculature. To investigate the mechanisms of these bending and rota...

Age-related mating rates among ecologically distinct lineages of bedbugs, Cimex lectularius

Understanding how many mates an animal has in its lifetime is a critical factor in sexual selection. At the same time, differences in an organism's ecology, such as the quantity and quality of food, could be r...

Effects of meteorological conditions on brood care in cooperatively breeding carrion crow and consequences on reproductive success

Meteorological stressors (e.g., temperature and rain shortage) constrain brood provisioning in some bird species, but the consequences on reproductive success have been rarely quantified. Here we show, in a co...

Variations in small-scale movements of, Rousettus aegyptiacus, a Marburg virus reservoir across a seasonal gradient

Bats are increasingly being recognized as important hosts for viruses, some of which are zoonotic and carry the potential for spillover within human and livestock populations. Biosurveillance studies focused o...

First 3-D reconstruction of copulation in Lepidoptera: interaction of genitalia in Tortrix viridana (Tortricidae)

The process of copulation in Lepidoptera is understudied and poorly understood from a functional perspective. The purpose of the present paper is to study the interaction of the male and female genitalia of Tortr...

Proteins from toad’s parotoid macroglands: do they play a role in gland functioning and chemical defence?

Parotoid gland secretion of bufonid toads is a rich source of toxic molecules that are used against predators, parasites and pathogens. Bufadienolides and biogenic amines are the principal compounds responsibl...

Interactions between carnivore species: limited spatiotemporal partitioning between apex predator and smaller carnivores in a Mediterranean protected area

There is need of information on ecological interactions that keystone species such as apex predators establish in ecosystems recently recolonised. Interactions among carnivore species have the potential to inf...

Food availability positively affects the survival and somatic maintenance of hibernating garden dormice ( Eliomys quercinus )

Torpor is an energy saving strategy achieved by substantial reductions of metabolic rate and body temperature that enables animals to survive periods of low resource availability. During hibernation (multiday ...

Southern Europe is becoming climatically favourable for African birds: anticipating the establishment of a new species

The current modification of species distribution ranges, as a response to a warmer climate, constitutes an interesting line of work and a recent challenge for biogeography. This study aimed to determine if the...

Hide or die when the winds bring wings: predator avoidance by activity shift in a mountain snake

Understanding predator–prey relationships is fundamental in many areas of ecology and conservation. In reptiles, basking time often increases the risk of predation and one way to minimise this risk is to reduc...

On latches in biological systems: a comparative morphological and functional study of the retinaculum and the dens lock in Collembola

Springtails have the ability to jump using morphological structures consisting of a catapult, the furca, and a latching system constructed with interaction of the retinaculum and the dens lock. The retinaculum...

A methodological exploration to study 2D arm kinematics in Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata)

Brittle stars, unlike most other echinoderms, do not use their small tube feet for locomotion but instead use their flexible arms to produce a rowing or reverse rowing movement. They are among the fastest-movi...

Appearance of a transparent protrusion containing two pairs of legs on the apodous ring preceding the anamorphic molt in a millipede, Niponia nodulosa

Arthropods gradually change their forms through repeated molting events during postembryonic development. Anamorphosis, i.e., segment addition during postembryonic development, is seen in some arthropod lineag...

The effect of temperature and invasive alien predator on genetic and phenotypic variation in the damselfly Ischnura elegans : cross-latitude comparison

Understanding and predicting how organisms respond to human-caused environmental changes has become a major concern in conservation biology. Here, we linked gene expression and phenotypic data to identify cand...

Offspring thermal demands and parental brooding efficiency differ for precocial birds living in contrasting climates

Chicks of precocial birds hatch well-developed and can search actively for food but their homeothermy develops gradually during growth. This makes them dependent on heat provided by parents (“brooding”), which...

Correction: A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats

The original article was published in Frontiers in Zoology 2020 17 :13

Scorpionfish rapidly change colour in response to their background

To facilitate background matching in heterogenous environments, some animals rapidly change body colouration. Marine predatory fishes might use this ability to hide from predators and prey. Here, we focus on s...

Concerted phenotypic flexibility of avian erythrocyte size and number in response to dietary anthocyanin supplementation

Endurance flight impose substantial oxidative costs on the avian oxygen delivery system. In particular, the accumulation of irreversible damage in red blood cells can reduce the capacity of blood to transport ...

Enteric neuroanatomy and smooth muscle activity in the western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

Gastrointestinal (GI) functions are controlled by the enteric nervous system (ENS) in vertebrates, but data on snakes are scarce, as most studies were done in mammals. However, the feeding of many snakes, incl...

Unraveling the importance of functionally extreme tadpole types to functional diversity: a case study in temperate montane streams

Functional diversity is important to maintain ecosystem functioning. Species with different ecomorphological traits may display distinct functional roles in ecosystems. Accordingly, functionally extreme specie...

What coloration brings: Implications of background adaptation to oxidative stress in anurans

Urban development results in habitat destruction, affecting populations of amphibians, the most fragile group of vertebrates. With changes in the environment, these animals become more exposed to light and pre...

Monogeneans in intergeneric hybrids of leuciscid fish: Is parasite infection driven by hybrid heterosis, genetic incompatibilities, or host-parasite coevolutionary interactions?

Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain parasite infection in parental species and their hybrids. Hybrid heterosis is generally applied to explain the advantage for F1 generations of hybrids exhibitin...

A pilot study to estimate the population size of endangered Galápagos marine iguanas using drones

Large-scale species monitoring remains a significant conservation challenge. Given the ongoing biodiversity crisis, the need for reliable and efficient methods has never been greater. Drone-based techniques ha...

Land-use preferences of the European green toad ( Bufotes viridis ) in the city of Vienna (Austria): the importance of open land in urban environments

Urban areas are increasing worldwide, which poses threats to animal wildlife. However, in certain cases cities can provide refuges for endangered animals. The European green toad ( Bufotes viridis ) is one of such ...

Cloning and functional analysis of the molting gene CYP302A1 of Daphnia sinensis

Molting is an important physiological process in the growth and development of arthropoda, which is mainly regulated by juvenile hormone and ecdysone. CYP302A1 is a key enzyme which plays a critical role in th...

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Frontiers in Zoology

ISSN: 1742-9994

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