@article {pmid39675629,
year = {2024},
author = {Roy, T and Beer, K},
title = {Time memory in social insects with a special focus on honey bees.},
journal = {Current opinion in insect science},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {101327},
doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2024.101327},
pmid = {39675629},
issn = {2214-5753},
abstract = {The ability to associate time and location with food sources is an evolutionary advantage for foraging animals. We find highly sophisticated time memory capabilities especially in social insects, which require efficient foraging capabilities for colony provisioning. Honey bees are perfectly suitable to study time memory mechanisms: they possess an elaborated time memory combined with a relatively simple neuronal clock network and a smaller gene set compared with the mouse model organism. This review provides a short overview majorly across insects, which have demonstrated time memory capabilities, with a focus on time-place learning, and describes basic properties as well as state-of-the-art research connecting time memory with the circadian clock at the behavioral, molecular and neuroanatomical level. Despite a long history of research on time memory of honey bees, putative connections between clock and time memory have only recently been identified and imply a rather complex regulation mechanism with multiple signaling pathways.},
}

@article {pmid39674529,
year = {2024},
author = {Schuhmann, A and Scheiner, R},
title = {Mixture of neonicotinoid and fungicide affects foraging activity of honeybees.},
journal = {Environmental toxicology and pharmacology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {104613},
doi = {10.1016/j.etap.2024.104613},
pmid = {39674529},
issn = {1872-7077},
abstract = {The use of plant protection products (PPPs) is a major factor contributing to global insect decline. We here use the honeybee (Apis mellifera) as a model to study combined effects of the last neonicotinoid in the EU (acetamiprid) and different fungicides on live-long foraging flights using radio frequency identification. The mixture of the sterol-biosynthesis-inhibiting fungicide difenoconazole and the insecticide acetamiprid significantly reduced the number of foraging trips per day compared to the control and each PPP alone, while a mixture of the insecticide with the non-sterol-biosynthesis inhibiting fungicide boscalid/dimoxystrobin did not affect behaviour. This potential synergistic effect of the fungicide/insecticide mixture supports the notion that some fungicides can enhance the effect of insecticides, which did not lead to significant changes in behaviour when applied on their own. Our results emphasize the need for more studies on the interaction of different PPP.},
}

@article {pmid39644891,
year = {2024},
author = {Grob, R and Wegmann, JW and Rössler, W and Fleischmann, PN},
title = {Cataglyphis ants have a polarity-sensitive magnetic compass.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.012},
pmid = {39644891},
issn = {1879-0445},
abstract = {Spatial orientation based on the geomagnetic field (GMF) is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom, predominantly observed in long-distance migrating birds,[1] sea turtles,[2] lobsters,[3] and Lepidoptera.[4][,][5] Although magnetoreception has been studied intensively, the mechanism remains elusive. A crucial question for a mechanistic understanding of magnetoreception is whether animals rely on inclination or polarity-based magnetic information. Inclination-based magnetic orientation utilizes the angle between the magnetic field lines and gravity, indicating poleward and equatorward. In contrast, polarity-based magnetic orientation allows animals to detect the polarity of the GMF, the north and south direction of the field vector. Cataglyphis desert ants are excellent experimental models for testing whether magnetic inclination or polarity of the magnetic field is used for navigation. Desert ants are solitary foragers with exceptional navigational skills.[6] When the ants leave their underground nest for the first time to become foragers, they perform learning walks for up to three days to learn the visual panorama and calibrate their compass systems.[7][,][8] The ants repeatedly stop their forward movement during learning walks for performing turns (pirouettes), interrupted by stopping phases. Gaze directions during the longest stopping phases are directed toward the nest entrance.[9] We experimentally manipulated look-back behavior systematically by altering polarity or inclination of the GMF. We demonstrate that Cataglyphis ants, contrary to most other insects studied,[10] possess a polarity-sensitive magnetic compass, making them ideal experimental models for narrowing down the evidence for particle-based mechanisms underlying magnetosensation in this insect.},
}

@article {pmid39637764,
year = {2024},
author = {Prox, L and Heistermann, M and Rakotomala, Z and Fichtel, C and Kappeler, PM},
title = {Seasonal variation in aggression and physiological stress in wild female and male redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons).},
journal = {Hormones and behavior},
volume = {167},
number = {},
pages = {105669},
doi = {10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105669},
pmid = {39637764},
issn = {1095-6867},
abstract = {Intraspecific competition with fellow group members represents an unavoidable cost of group living. However, the causes of competition can vary among group members, and ecological and reproductive challenges faced by individuals throughout the year can trigger physical conflicts and or physiological responses. To date, few studies in mammals have described both physiological and behavioral responses to competition simultaneously across the year in both males and females. However, such an approach may shed light on ultimate drivers of sex-specific competitive strategies. In this six-year study on multiple groups of wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons), a primate species from Madagascar, we intended to identify the relative importance of feeding vs. reproductive competition for both sexes. We combined data on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGCM) levels, a proxy for the physiological stress response, with behavioral observations on agonistic interactions during ecologically and socially challenging phases across the year. We found that while FGCM levels increased in both sexes with decreasing fruit consumption, this increase was not accompanied by concomitant changes in agonistic behavior. Female aggression and FGCM levels instead peaked during the birth season, while for males, aggression remained fairly constant across the year. Our results suggest that redfronted lemurs have mechanisms to avoid direct competition through aggression at times when individuals may need to conserve energy.},
}

@article {pmid39570936,
year = {2024},
author = {Schleifer, MC and Ruedenauer, FA and Ziegler, J and Leonhardt, SD and Spaethe, J},
title = {Perception, regulation, and effects on longevity of pollen fatty acids in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {19},
number = {11},
pages = {e0309789},
pmid = {39570936},
issn = {1932-6203},
mesh = {Bees/physiology ; Animals ; *Pollen/chemistry ; *Fatty Acids/analysis/metabolism ; *Longevity/physiology ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Pollination ; },
abstract = {For successful cross-pollination, most flowering plants rely on insects as pollinators and attract them by offering rewards, predominantly nectar and pollen. Bees-a highly important pollinator group-are especially dependent on pollen as their main source of essential nutrients, including proteins, lipids, and sterols. Fatty acids (FAs) in particular play a pivotal role as fundamental energy source, contributing to membrane structure integrity, cellular homeostasis, and cognitive processes. However, overconsumption of FAs can have detrimental effects on fitness and survival. Thus, bees need to precisely modulate FA intake. To better understand how Apis mellifera, the globally predominant managed pollinator, regulate FA intake, we conducted controlled feeding experiments with newly hatched honey bee workers by providing pollen with different FA concentrations. We additionally investigated the honey bee's capacity to perceive individual FAs by means of chemotactile proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning. We tested both natural concentrations and concentrations exceeding those typically found in pollen. Given the dose-dependent importance of FAs observed in other bee species, we hypothesized that (i) a high FA concentration in pollen would reduce honey bee longevity, and (ii) honey bees are able to perceive individual FAs and differentiate between different FA concentrations via antennal sensation prior to consumption. Our study revealed that elevated FA concentrations in pollen resulted in reduced consumption rates and increased mortality in Apis mellifera. Workers can detect and discriminate between saturated and unsaturated FAs utilizing their antennae. Moreover, they were able to distinguish between individual FAs and also between different concentrations of the same FAs. Our results suggest a high sensitivity of A. mellifera towards both the concentration and composition of individual FAs, which greatly impacts their foraging decisions and fitness. These insights contribute to the growing evidence highlighting the importance of balanced nutrient ratios, in particular of FAs, for bees and other organisms.},
}

Bees/physiology
Animals
*Pollen/chemistry
*Fatty Acids/analysis/metabolism
*Longevity/physiology
Feeding Behavior/physiology
Pollination

@article {pmid39556747,
year = {2024},
author = {Lala, KN and Feldman, MW},
title = {Genes, culture, and scientific racism.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {48},
pages = {e2322874121},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2322874121},
pmid = {39556747},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {61809//John Templeton Foundation (JTF)/ ; },
mesh = {Humans ; *Racism ; Cultural Evolution ; Racial Groups/genetics ; Culture ; Genetic Variation ; },
abstract = {Quantitative studies of cultural evolution and gene-culture coevolution (henceforth "CE" and "GCC") emerged in the 1970s, in the aftermath of the "race and intelligence quotient (IQ)" and "human sociobiology" debates, as a counter to extreme hereditarian positions. These studies incorporated cultural transmission and its interaction with genetics in contributing to patterns of human variation. Neither CE nor GCC results were consistent with racist claims of ubiquitous genetic differences between socially defined races. We summarize how genetic data refute the notion of racial substructure for human populations and address naive interpretations of race across the biological sciences, including those related to ancestry, health, and intelligence, that help to perpetuate racist ideas. A GCC perspective can refute reductionist and determinist claims while providing a more inclusive multidisciplinary framework in which to interpret human variation.},
}

Humans
*Racism
Cultural Evolution
Racial Groups/genetics
Culture
Genetic Variation

@article {pmid39535402,
year = {2024},
author = {Jaske, B and Tschirner, K and Strube-Bloss, MF and Pfeiffer, K},
title = {Velocity coding in the central brain of bumblebees.},
journal = {Journal of neurophysiology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1152/jn.00272.2024},
pmid = {39535402},
issn = {1522-1598},
support = {PF714/5-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; INST93/829-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; },
abstract = {Moving animals experience wide-field optic flow due to the displacement of the retinal image during motion. These cues provide information about self-motion and are important for flight control and stabilization, and for more complex tasks like path integration. While in honeybees and bumblebees the use of wide-field optic flow in behavioral tasks is well investigated, little is known about the underlying neuronal processing of these cues. Furthermore, there is a discrepancy between the temporal frequency tuning observed in most motion-sensitive neurons described so far from the optic lobe of insects and the velocity tuning that has been shown for many behaviors. Here we investigated response properties of motion-sensitive neurons in the central brain of bumblebees. Extracellular recordings allowed us to present a large number of stimuli to probe the spatiotemporal tuning of these neurons. We presented moving gratings that simulated either front-to-back or back-to-front optic flow and found three response types. Direction-selective responses of one of the groups matched those of TN-neurons, which provide optic flow information to the central complex, while the other groups contained neurons with purely excitatory responses that were either selective or non-selective for stimulus direction. Most recorded units showed velocity-coding properties at lower angular velocities, but showed spatial frequency dependent responses at higher velocities. Based on behavioral data, neuronal modelling work has previously predicted the existence of non direction-selective neurons with such properties. Our data now provides physiological evidence for these neurons and shows that neurons with TN-like properties exhibit a similar velocity-dependent coding.},
}

@article {pmid39488843,
year = {2024},
author = {Pethig, L and Behringer, V and Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C and Heistermann, M},
title = {Establishment and Validation of Fecal Secretory Immunoglobulin A Measurement for Intestinal Mucosal Health Assessment in Wild Lemurs.},
journal = {American journal of primatology},
volume = {86},
number = {12},
pages = {e23694},
doi = {10.1002/ajp.23694},
pmid = {39488843},
issn = {1098-2345},
support = {//This study has been supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Ka 1082/48-1 and FI 929/17-1)./ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Feces/chemistry ; *Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/analysis ; Intestinal Mucosa/immunology ; Lemur/immunology ; Specimen Handling/methods ; Immunoenzyme Techniques/methods/veterinary ; },
abstract = {The measurement of biomarkers in blood and excreta can enable immune status assessment and provide prognostic information on individual health outcomes. In this respect, the fecal measurement of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), the primary mammalian antibody for mucosal defense, has recently received increased interest in a few anthropoid primates, but a fecal sIgA assay for use in strepsirrhine primates has not yet been reported. Here, we develop and analytically validate a cost-effective in-house sandwich enzyme immunoassay for the extraction and measurement of sIgA in feces of redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons). We also tested a simple method for sIgA extraction that can be used under remote field conditions and undertook experiments to assess the robustness of sIgA concentrations to variation in processing and storage conditions of fecal extracts. Our analytical validation revealed that the assay recognizes immunoreactive sIgA in redfronted lemur feces, that sIgA can be measured accurately with no potential interference from the fecal matrix, and that assay reagents and performance are highly stable over time. The field-friendly extraction procedure produced sIgA results strongly correlated with those generated by a standard laboratory extraction method. Short-term storage at room temperature resulted in a slight decline in sIgA concentrations, whereas freezing extracts at -20°C kept sIgA levels stable for at least 3 months. Longer-term storage of >5 months, however, led to a significant decline of sIgA concentrations. Multiple freeze-thaw cycles did not affect sIgA levels. This study, therefore, provides the basis for measuring fecal sIgA in lemurs and possibly other strepsirrhines. When samples are processed properly and stored frozen, and when sIgA analysis can be performed within 3 months upon sample collection, fecal sIgA measurements can become a valuable tool for monitoring aspects of immunity and health in both zoo-housed and wild-living lemurs.},
}

Animals
*Feces/chemistry
*Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/analysis
Intestinal Mucosa/immunology
Lemur/immunology
Specimen Handling/methods
Immunoenzyme Techniques/methods/veterinary

@article {pmid39485851,
year = {2024},
author = {Sommer, V and Seiler, J and Sturm, A and Köhnen, S and Wagner, A and Blut, C and Rössler, W and Goodwin, SF and Grünewald, B and Beye, M},
title = {Dedicated developmental programing for group-supporting behaviors in eusocial honeybees.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {10},
number = {44},
pages = {eadp3953},
pmid = {39485851},
issn = {2375-2548},
mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology/genetics ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; *Mushroom Bodies/physiology/metabolism ; Mutation ; Insect Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; },
abstract = {The evolutionary changes from solitary to eusocial living in vertebrates and invertebrates are associated with the diversification of social interactions and the development of queen and worker castes. Despite strong innate patterns, our understanding of the mechanisms manifesting these sophisticated behaviors is still rudimentary. Here, we show that doublesex (dsx) manifests group-supporting behaviors in the honeybee (Apis mellifera) worker caste. Computer-based individual behavioral tracking of worker bees with biallelic stop mutations in colonies revealed that the dsx gene is required for the rate and duration of group-supporting behavior that scales the relationship between bees and their work. General sensorimotor functions remained unaffected. Unexpectedly, unlike in other insects, the dsx gene is required for the neuronal wiring of the mushroom body in which the gene is spatially restricted expressed. Together, our study establishes dedicated programming for group-supporting behaviors and provides insight into the connection between development in the neuronal circuitry and behaviors regulating the formation of a eusocial society.},
}

Animals
Bees/physiology/genetics
*Behavior, Animal/physiology
*Social Behavior
*Mushroom Bodies/physiology/metabolism
Mutation
Insect Proteins/genetics/metabolism

@article {pmid39468449,
year = {2024},
author = {Rodríguez-León, DS and Uzunov, A and Costa, C and Elen, D and Charistos, L and Galea, T and Gabel, M and Scheiner, R and Pinto, MA and Schmitt, T},
title = {Deciphering the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of six European honey bee subspecies.},
journal = {BMC ecology and evolution},
volume = {24},
number = {1},
pages = {131},
pmid = {39468449},
issn = {2730-7182},
mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology/genetics ; *Hydrocarbons/metabolism/analysis ; Europe ; Species Specificity ; Adaptation, Physiological ; },
abstract = {The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies exhibit local adaptive traits that evolved in response to the different environments that characterize their native distribution ranges. An important trait is the cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile, which helps to prevent desiccation and mediate communication. We compared the CHC profiles of six European subspecies (A. m. mellifera, A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica, A. m. macedonica, A. m. iberiensis, and A. m. ruttneri) and investigated potential factors shaping their composition. We did not find evidence of adaptation of the CHC profiles of the subspecies to the climatic conditions in their distribution range. Subspecies-specific differences in CHC composition might be explained by phylogenetic constraints or genetic drift. The CHC profiles of foragers were more subspecies-specific than those of nurse bees, while the latter showed more variation in their CHC profiles, likely due to the lower desiccation stress exerted by the controlled environment inside the hive. The strongest profile differences appeared between nurse bees and foragers among all subspecies, suggesting an adaptation to social task and a role in communication. Foragers also showed an increase in the relative amount of alkanes in their profiles compared to nurses, indicating adaptation to climatic conditions.},
}

Animals
Bees/physiology/genetics
*Hydrocarbons/metabolism/analysis
Europe
Species Specificity
Adaptation, Physiological

@article {pmid39424809,
year = {2024},
author = {Snijder, LL and Gross, J and Stallen, M and De Dreu, CKW},
title = {Prosocial preferences can escalate intergroup conflicts by countering selfish motivations to leave.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {9009},
pmid = {39424809},
issn = {2041-1723},
mesh = {Humans ; *Motivation ; Male ; Female ; *Social Behavior ; *Conflict, Psychological ; Group Processes ; Adult ; Aggression/psychology ; Young Adult ; Games, Experimental ; Interpersonal Relations ; },
abstract = {When defending against hostile enemies, individual group members can benefit from others staying in the group and fighting. However, individuals themselves may be better off by leaving the group and avoiding the personal risks associated with fighting. While fleeing is indeed commonly observed, when and why defenders fight or flee remains poorly understood and is addressed here with three incentivized and preregistered experiments (total n = 602). In stylized attacker-defender contest games in which defenders could stay and fight or leave, we show that the less costly leaving is, the more likely individuals are to abandon their group. In addition, more risk-averse individuals are more likely to leave. Conversely, individuals more likely stay and fight when they have pro-social preferences and when fellow group members cannot leave. However, those who stay not always contribute fully to group defense, to some degree free-riding on the efforts of other group members. Nonetheless, staying increased intergroup conflict and its associated costs.},
}

Humans
*Motivation
Male
Female
*Social Behavior
*Conflict, Psychological
Group Processes
Adult
Aggression/psychology
Young Adult
Games, Experimental
Interpersonal Relations

@article {pmid39378094,
year = {2024},
author = {Degen, J and Storms, M and Lee, CB and Jechow, A and Stöckl, AL and Hölker, F and Jakhar, A and Walter, T and Walter, S and Mitesser, O and Hovestadt, T and Degen, T},
title = {Shedding light with harmonic radar: Unveiling the hidden impacts of streetlights on moth flight behavior.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {42},
pages = {e2401215121},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2401215121},
pmid = {39378094},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {DE 2869/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Flight, Animal/physiology ; *Moths/physiology ; *Radar ; *Light ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Ecosystem ; },
abstract = {One of the most dramatic changes occurring on our planet is the ever-increasing extensive use of artificial light at night, which drastically altered the environment to which nocturnal animals are adapted. Such light pollution has been identified as a driver in the dramatic insect decline of the past years. One nocturnal species group experiencing marked declines are moths, which play a key role in food webs and ecosystem services such as plant pollination. Moths can be easily monitored within the illuminated area of a streetlight, where they typically exhibit disoriented behavior. Yet, little is known about their behavior beyond the illuminated area. Harmonic radar tracking enabled us to close this knowledge gap. We found a significant change in flight behavior beyond the illuminated area of a streetlight. A detailed analysis of the recorded trajectories revealed a barrier effect of streetlights on lappet moths whenever the moon was not available as a natural celestial cue. Furthermore, streetlights increased the tortuosity of flights for both hawk moths and lappet moths. Surprisingly, we had to reject our fundamental hypothesis that most individuals would fly toward a streetlight. Instead, this was true for only 4% of the tested individuals, indicating that the impact of light pollution might be more severe than assumed to date. Our results provide experimental evidence for the fragmentation of landscapes by streetlights and demonstrate that light pollution affects movement patterns of moths beyond what was previously assumed, potentially affecting their reproductive success and hampering a vital ecosystem service.},
}

Animals
*Flight, Animal/physiology
*Moths/physiology
*Radar
*Light
Behavior, Animal/physiology
Ecosystem

@article {pmid39333396,
year = {2024},
author = {van Elst, T and Sgarlata, GM and Schüßler, D and Tiley, GP and Poelstra, JW and Scheumann, M and Blanco, MB and Aleixo-Pais, IG and Rina Evasoa, M and Ganzhorn, JU and Goodman, SM and Hasiniaina, AF and Hending, D and Hohenlohe, PA and Ibouroi, MT and Iribar, A and Jan, F and Kappeler, PM and Le Pors, B and Manzi, S and Olivieri, G and Rakotonanahary, AN and Rakotondranary, SJ and Rakotondravony, R and Ralison, JM and Ranaivoarisoa, JF and Randrianambinina, B and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasoloharijaona, S and Rasolondraibe, E and Teixeira, H and Zaonarivelo, JR and Louis, EE and Yoder, AD and Chikhi, L and Radespiel, U and Salmona, J},
title = {Integrative taxonomy clarifies the evolution of a cryptic primate clade.},
journal = {Nature ecology & evolution},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
pmid = {39333396},
issn = {2397-334X},
support = {RSG-10941-1//Rufford Foundation (Rufford Small Grants Foundation)/ ; RSG-15472-1//Rufford Foundation (Rufford Small Grants Foundation)/ ; RSG-12973-1//Rufford Foundation (Rufford Small Grants Foundation)/ ; T237/22985/2012/kg//Bauer-Hollmann Stiftung (Bauer-Hollman Foundation)/ ; NSFDEB-NERC: 2148914//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; BEEG-B IRP//Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research)/ ; LABEX TULIP: ANR-10-LABX-0041//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; LABEX CEBA: ANR-10-LABX-25-01//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; TULIP-Visiting Scientist grant//Agence Nationale de la Recherche (French National Research Agency)/ ; 01LC1617A//Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research)/ ; Ra 502/23-1; Ra 502/7-1; Ra 502/7-3; RA 502/20-1; RA 502/20-3//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; Ga 342/19//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; Ka 1082/8-1; Ka 1082/8-2; Ka 1082/19-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; 91529232//Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)/ ; 91565325//Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)/ ; },
abstract = {Global biodiversity is under accelerating threats, and species are succumbing to extinction before being described. Madagascar's biota represents an extreme example of this scenario, with the added complication that much of its endemic biodiversity is cryptic. Here we illustrate best practices for clarifying cryptic diversification processes by presenting an integrative framework that leverages multiple lines of evidence and taxon-informed cut-offs for species delimitation, while placing special emphasis on identifying patterns of isolation by distance. We systematically apply this framework to an entire taxonomically controversial primate clade, the mouse lemurs (genus Microcebus, family Cheirogaleidae). We demonstrate that species diversity has been overestimated primarily due to the interpretation of geographic variation as speciation, potentially biasing inference of the underlying processes of evolutionary diversification. Following a revised classification, we find that crypsis within the genus is best explained by a model of morphological stasis imposed by stabilizing selection and a neutral process of niche diversification. Finally, by clarifying species limits and defining evolutionarily significant units, we provide new conservation priorities, bridging fundamental and applied objectives in a generalizable framework.},
}

@article {pmid39317328,
year = {2024},
author = {Araújo, P and Belušič, G and Ilić, M and Foster, J and Pfeiffer, K and Baird, E},
title = {Polarized light detection in bumblebees varies with light intensity and is mediated by both the ocelli and compound eyes.},
journal = {Biology letters},
volume = {20},
number = {9},
pages = {20240299},
pmid = {39317328},
issn = {1744-957X},
support = {//Swedish Research Council/ ; //Carl Tryggers Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology ; *Light ; *Compound Eye, Arthropod/physiology ; },
abstract = {Like many insects, bumblebees use polarized light (PL) to orient and navigate. The celestial PL pattern is strongest when the sun is close to the horizon, during the dim light of dawn and dusk. In the dim light, the sensitivity of the compound eyes may not be sufficient for detecting PL or landmarks, and it has previously been hypothesized that bumblebees rely on PL from their more sensitive ocelli to navigate at dawn and dusk. Here, we tested this hypothesis using a combination of electrophysiological and behavioural tests. Specifically, we investigate whether bumblebee ocelli can detect PL and explore how the PL contribution from the ocelli and compound eyes is affected by light intensity. We find that bumblebee ocelli do indeed have PL sensitivity and that PL information can be used to guide behaviour in dim light. In bright light, however, both the compound eyes and ocelli are important for the detection of PL. Our results support the hypothesis that bumblebees use PL information from the ocelli at the low light levels that occur around dawn and dusk, and this may support their ability to forage during these periods.},
}

Animals
Bees/physiology
*Light
*Compound Eye, Arthropod/physiology

@article {pmid39278967,
year = {2024},
author = {Stiegler, J and Gallagher, CA and Hering, R and Müller, T and Tucker, M and Apollonio, M and Arnold, J and Barker, NA and Barthel, L and Bassano, B and Beest, FMV and Belant, JL and Berger, A and Beyer, DE and Bidner, LR and Blake, S and Börner, K and Brivio, F and Brogi, R and Buuveibaatar, B and Cagnacci, F and Dekker, J and Dentinger, J and Duľa, M and Duquette, JF and Eccard, JA and Evans, MN and Ferguson, AW and Fichtel, C and Ford, AT and Fowler, NL and Gehr, B and Getz, WM and Goheen, JR and Goossens, B and Grignolio, S and Haugaard, L and Hauptfleisch, M and Heim, M and Heurich, M and Hewison, MAJ and Isbell, LA and Janssen, R and Jarnemo, A and Jeltsch, F and Miloš, J and Kaczensky, P and Kamiński, T and Kappeler, P and Kasper, K and Kautz, TM and Kimmig, S and Kjellander, P and Kowalczyk, R and Kramer-Schadt, S and Kröschel, M and Krop-Benesch, A and Linderoth, P and Lobas, C and Lokeny, P and Lührs, ML and Matsushima, SS and McDonough, MM and Melzheimer, J and Morellet, N and Ngatia, DK and Obermair, L and Olson, KA and Patanant, KC and Payne, JC and Petroelje, TR and Pina, M and Piqué, J and Premier, J and Pufelski, J and Pyritz, L and Ramanzin, M and Roeleke, M and Rolandsen, CM and Saïd, S and Sandfort, R and Schmidt, K and Schmidt, NM and Scholz, C and Schubert, N and Selva, N and Sergiel, A and Serieys, LEK and Silovský, V and Slotow, R and Sönnichsen, L and Solberg, EJ and Stelvig, M and Street, GM and Sunde, P and Svoboda, NJ and Thaker, M and Tomowski, M and Ullmann, W and Vanak, AT and Wachter, B and Webb, SL and Wilmers, CC and Zieba, F and Zwijacz-Kozica, T and Blaum, N},
title = {Mammals show faster recovery from capture and tagging in human-disturbed landscapes.},
journal = {Nature communications},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {8079},
pmid = {39278967},
issn = {2041-1723},
support = {R01 GM083863/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Mammals/physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Male ; Female ; Locomotion/physiology ; Herbivory/physiology ; Animals, Wild/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Species Specificity ; },
abstract = {Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4-7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals.},
}

Animals
Humans
*Mammals/physiology
*Ecosystem
Male
Female
Locomotion/physiology
Herbivory/physiology
Animals, Wild/physiology
Behavior, Animal/physiology
Species Specificity

@article {pmid39277003,
year = {2024},
author = {Zhou, J and Wu, X and Feng, Y and Huo, T and Zhao, Y and Pan, J and Liu, S},
title = {Bacterial communication intelligently regulates their interactions in anammox consortia under decreasing temperatures.},
journal = {The Science of the total environment},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {176239},
doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176239},
pmid = {39277003},
issn = {1879-1026},
abstract = {Bacterial communication could affect their interactions, but whether this regulation has "intelligence" is still unknown. Here, we operated an anammox reactor under temperature gradient from 35 °C to 15 °C. As results, expression abundance of bacterial communication genes increased by 12 % significantly after temperature declined. Division of labor among distinct signal molecules was evidenced by complementary roles of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) and diffusible signal factor (DSF) in affecting bacterial interactions and niche differentiation respectively. DSF based inter-and intra-communication helped bacteria match their investments and rewards during cross-feedings. When temperature was below 25 °C, transcription regulator Clp governed by DSF inclined to promote folate and molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis, which coincidentally benefited one anammox species more than another. Meanwhile, for the anammox species with lower benefits, Clp also inclined to decrease biosynthesis of costly tryptophan and vitamin B1 rewarding others. Interestingly, bacterial communication inclined to influence the bacteria with many cooperators in the community or with high capacity to export cofactors for cross-feedings when temperature decreased. As results, these bacteria were enriched which could lead to closer interactions in whole community to adapt to low temperatures. The discovered intelligence of bacterial communication opened another window for understanding bacterial sociobiology.},
}

@article {pmid39245290,
year = {2024},
author = {Scheiner, R and Bloch, G},
title = {Editorial Scheiner, Bloch "How do social insects know their tasks?".},
journal = {Current opinion in insect science},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {101257},
doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2024.101257},
pmid = {39245290},
issn = {2214-5753},
}

@article {pmid39137237,
year = {2024},
author = {Bird, SA and Pope, NS and McGrady, CM and Fleischer, SJ and López-Uribe, MM},
title = {Mating frequency estimation and its importance for colony abundance analyses in eusocial pollinators: a case study of Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae).},
journal = {Journal of economic entomology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1093/jee/toae178},
pmid = {39137237},
issn = {1938-291X},
support = {//Pennsylvania State University/ ; //National Science Foundation/ ; //USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Appropriations/ ; //USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and McIntire-Stennis Appropriations/ ; },
abstract = {The genus Bombus (bumble bees) includes approximately 265 species, many of which are in decline in North America and Europe. To estimate colony abundance of bumble bees in natural and agricultural habitats, sibship relationships are often reconstructed from genetic data with the assumption that colonies have 1 monandrous queen. However, some species such as the North American common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson) can display low levels of polyandry, which may bias estimates of colony abundance based on monandrous sibship reconstructions. To accurately quantify rates of polyandry in wild and commercially mated queens of this species, we empirically estimated mating frequencies using a novel statistical model and genotypes from 730 bees. To genotype individuals, we used a highly polymorphic set of microsatellites on colonies established from 20 wild-caught gynes and 10 commercial colonies. We found multiple fathers in 3 of the wild colonies and 3 of the commercial colonies. This resulted in average effective mating frequencies of 1.075 ± 0.18 and 1.154 ± 0.25 for wild and commercial colonies, respectively. These findings agree with previous reports of low rates of polyandry for B. impatiens. Using a large empirical dataset, we demonstrate that assuming monandry for colony abundance estimation in species that violate this assumption results in an overestimation of the number of colonies. Our results emphasize the importance of studying mating frequencies in social species of conservation concern and economic importance for the accuracy of colony abundance estimation and for understanding their ecology and sociobiology.},
}

@article {pmid39097258,
year = {2024},
author = {Manzer, S and Thamm, M and Hilsmann, L and Krischke, B and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R},
title = {The neonicotinoid acetamiprid reduces larval and adult survival in honeybees (Apis mellifera) and interacts with a fungicide mixture.},
journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {124643},
doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124643},
pmid = {39097258},
issn = {1873-6424},
abstract = {Plant protection products (PPPs[1]), which are frequently used in agriculture, can be major stressors for honeybees. They have been found abundantly in the beehive, particularly in pollen. Few studies have analysed effects on honeybee larvae, and little is known about effects of insecticide-fungicide-mixtures, although this is a highly realistic exposure scenario. We asked whether the combination of a frequently used insecticide and fungicides would affect developing bees. Honeybee larvae (Apis mellifera carnica) were reared in vitro on larval diets containing different PPPs at two concentrations, derived from residues found in pollen. We used the neonicotinoid acetamiprid, the combined fungicides boscalid/dimoxystrobin and the mixture of all three substances. Mortality was assessed at larval, pupal, and adult stages, and the size and weight of newly emerged bees was measured. The insecticide treatment in higher concentrations significantly reduced larval and adult survival. Interestingly, survival was not affected by the high concentrated insecticide-fungicides-mixture However, negative synergistic effects on adult survival were caused by the low concentrated insecticide-fungicides-mixture, which had no effect when applied alone. The lower concentrated combined fungicides led to significantly lighter adult bees, although the survival was unaffected. Our results suggest that environmental relevant concentrations can be harmful to honeybees. To fully understand the interaction of different PPPs, more combinations and concentrations should be studied in social and solitary bees with possibly different sensitivities.},
}

@article {pmid39095642,
year = {2024},
author = {Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C},
title = {Author Correction: Independent fitness consequences of group size variation in Verreaux's sifakas.},
journal = {Communications biology},
volume = {7},
number = {1},
pages = {931},
doi = {10.1038/s42003-024-06611-w},
pmid = {39095642},
issn = {2399-3642},
}

@article {pmid39063179,
year = {2024},
author = {Herlo, LF and Salcudean, A and Sirli, R and Iurciuc, S and Herlo, A and Nelson-Twakor, A and Alexandrescu, L and Dumache, R},
title = {Gut Microbiota Signatures in Colorectal Cancer as a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker in the Future: A Systematic Review.},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
volume = {25},
number = {14},
pages = {},
pmid = {39063179},
issn = {1422-0067},
mesh = {*Colorectal Neoplasms/diagnosis/microbiology ; Humans ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; *Biomarkers, Tumor ; *Dysbiosis/microbiology/diagnosis ; },
abstract = {The gut microbiota has acquired significant attention in recent years for its potential as a diagnostic biomarker for colorectal cancer (CRC). In this literature review, we looked at the studies exploring alterations in gut microbiota composition associated with CRC, the potential mechanisms linking gut dysbiosis to CRC development, and the diagnostic approaches utilizing gut microbiota analysis. Our research has led to the conclusion that individuals with CRC often display alterations in their gut microbiota composition compared to healthy individuals. These alterations can include changes in the diversity, abundance, and type of bacteria present in the gut. While the use of gut microbiota as a diagnostic biomarker for CRC holds promise, further research is needed to validate its effectiveness and standardize testing protocols. Additionally, considerations such as variability in the microbiota composition among individuals and potential factors must be addressed before microbiota-based tests can be widely implemented in clinical practice.},
}

*Colorectal Neoplasms/diagnosis/microbiology
Humans
*Gastrointestinal Microbiome
*Biomarkers, Tumor
*Dysbiosis/microbiology/diagnosis

@article {pmid39062412,
year = {2024},
author = {Neda-Stepan, O and Giurgi-Oncu, C and Sălcudean, A and Bernad, E and Bernad, BC and Boeriu, E and Enătescu, VR},
title = {Evaluating the Impact of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Personality Types on Perinatal Depressive Symptoms.},
journal = {Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {14},
number = {7},
pages = {},
doi = {10.3390/bs14070589},
pmid = {39062412},
issn = {2076-328X},
abstract = {Perinatal depression (PPD) presents a significant public health concern, often influenced by psychological and personality factors. This study investigated the impact of personality traits, particularly neuroticism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms on the severity of PPD. The primary aim was to quantify the contributions of these factors to the risk and severity of PPD to enhance early intervention strategies. A total of 47 pregnant women with depressive symptoms per DSM-5 criteria at "Pius Brinzeu" County Emergency Hospital in Timisoara, Romania, were enrolled in this cross-sectional study, as well as 49 women without depressive symptoms as controls. Personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and OCD symptoms were measured using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI). Depression severity was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). This set of questionnaires were administered antepartum and postpartum. The logistic regression analysis highlighted neuroticism as a significant predictor of PPD severity, with an increase in neuroticism associated with a higher risk of PPD (coefficient = 0.24, p < 0.001). Conversely, openness showed a protective effect (coefficient = -0.13, p = 0.009). Higher OCD symptomatology, particularly ordering and hoarding, were linked with increased depression scores. Specifically, the total OCI score significantly predicted the EPDS score (coefficient = 0.03, p = 0.003). Furthermore, significant increases in EPDS anxiety and depression scores were observed in the perinatal period, indicating worsening of symptoms (anxiety coefficient = 0.51; p < 0.001). The findings suggest that personality traits like neuroticism and OCD symptoms significantly contribute to the severity of PPD. Interventions targeting these specific traits could potentially mitigate the risk and severity of perinatal depression, underscoring the need for personalized treatment plans that consider these psychological dimensions.},
}

@article {pmid39050716,
year = {2024},
author = {Delaunay, A and Cossu-Doye, O and Roura-Torres, B and Sauvadet, L and Ngoubangoye, B and Huchard, E and Charpentier, MJE},
title = {An early-life challenge: becoming an older sibling in wild mandrills.},
journal = {Royal Society open science},
volume = {11},
number = {7},
pages = {240597},
pmid = {39050716},
issn = {2054-5703},
abstract = {In monotocous mammals, most individuals experience the birth of a younger sibling. This period may induce losses in maternal care and can be physiologically, energetically and emotionally challenging for the older sibling, yet has rarely been studied in wild primates. We used behavioural data collected from a natural population of mandrills to investigate changes in maternal care and mother-juvenile relationship throughout the transition to siblinghood (TTS), by comparing juveniles who recently experienced the birth of a younger sibling, to juveniles who did not. We found that the TTS was associated with an abrupt cessation of the weaning process for the juvenile, and to a decrease in maternal affiliation. Juveniles' reactions were sex-specific, as males associated less with their mother, while females tended to groom their mother more often after the birth of their sibling. Despite the substantial loss of maternal care, juveniles did not show an increase in conflict or anxiety-related behaviours. This study contributes to explain why short interbirth intervals often pose a risk to juveniles' survival in monotocous primates. Our results contrast existing studies and further highlight the importance of examining the TTS in species and populations with various life histories and ecologies.},
}

@article {pmid39045309,
year = {2024},
author = {Sidler, L and Rode-White, J and Kappeler, PM},
title = {Male-biased dominance in greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus).},
journal = {Primate biology},
volume = {11},
number = {1},
pages = {13-17},
pmid = {39045309},
issn = {2363-4715},
abstract = {Intersexual dominance relationships in virtually all lemur species have been reported to be female-biased. Although a claim of male dominance in greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) which was not supported by data is unusual against this background, it is in line with recent studies on other lemur species that suggest the existence of a continuum of intersexual dominance relationships. We therefore studied the details of agonistic interactions among adults of one captive group of P. simus at Cologne Zoo. This very preliminary study confirmed male-biased dominance because the adult male of the study group won all agonistic interactions with all three adult females, and the male was never dominated by any of the females. This result raises several interesting questions about the mechanisms and evolution of intersexual dominance relationships in group-living lemurs and should encourage similar future studies of additional groups of this species - ideally in the wild.},
}

@article {pmid39042696,
year = {2024},
author = {Metz, DCG and Hechinger, RF},
title = {The physical soldier caste of an invasive, human-infecting flatworm is morphologically extreme and obligately sterile.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {31},
pages = {e2400953121},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2400953121},
pmid = {39042696},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {1R03AI156569-01//HHS | NIH (NIH)/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Snails/parasitology ; Trematoda/physiology ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Reproduction ; Introduced Species ; California ; },
abstract = {We show that the globally invasive, human-infectious flatworm, Haplorchis pumilio, possesses the most physically specialized soldier caste yet documented in trematodes. Soldiers occur in colonies infecting the first intermediate host, the freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata, and are readily distinguishable from immature and mature reproductive worms. Soldiers possess a pharynx five times absolutely larger than those of immature and mature reproductives, lack a germinal mass, and have a different developmental trajectory than reproductives, indicating that H. pumilio soldiers constitute a reproductively sterile physical caste. Neither immature nor mature reproductives showed aggression in in vitro trials, but soldiers readily attacked heterospecific trematodes that coinfect their host. Ecologically, we calculate that H. pumilio caused ~94% of the competitive deaths in the guild of trematodes infecting its host snail in its invasive range in southern California. Despite being a dominant competitor, H. pumilio soldiers did not attack conspecifics from other colonies. All prior reports documenting division of labor and a trematode soldier caste have involved soldiers that may be able to metamorphose to the reproductive stage and have been from nonhuman-infectious marine species; this study provides clear evidence for an obligately sterile trematode soldier, while extending the phenomenon of a trematode soldier caste to freshwater and to an invasive species of global public health concern.},
}

Animals
Humans
*Snails/parasitology
Trematoda/physiology
Host-Parasite Interactions
Reproduction
Introduced Species
California

@article {pmid39014019,
year = {2024},
author = {Cavaliere, M and Yang, G and De Dreu, CKW and Gross, J},
title = {Cooperation and social organization depend on weighing private and public reputations.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {16443},
pmid = {39014019},
issn = {2045-2322},
mesh = {Humans ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Social Networking ; Game Theory ; Interpersonal Relations ; },
abstract = {To avoid exploitation by defectors, people can use past experiences with others when deciding to cooperate or not ('private information'). Alternatively, people can derive others' reputation from 'public' information provided by individuals within the social network. However, public information may be aligned or misaligned with one's own private experiences and different individuals, such as 'friends' and 'enemies', may have different opinions about the reputation of others. Using evolutionary agent-based simulations, we examine how cooperation and social organization is shaped when agents (1) prioritize private or public information about others' reputation, and (2) integrate others' opinions using a friend-focused or a friend-and-enemy focused heuristic (relying on reputation information from only friends or also enemies, respectively). When agents prioritize public information and rely on friend-and-enemy heuristics, we observe polarization cycles marked by high cooperation, invasion by defectors, and subsequent population fragmentation. Prioritizing private information diminishes polarization and defector invasions, but also results in limited cooperation. Only when using friend-focused heuristics and following past experiences or the recommendation of friends create prosperous and stable populations based on cooperation. These results show how combining one's own experiences and the opinions of friends can lead to stable and large-scale cooperation and highlight the important role of following the advice of friends in the evolution of group cooperation.},
}

Humans
*Cooperative Behavior
Social Networking
Game Theory
Interpersonal Relations

@article {pmid38965399,
year = {2024},
author = {Kappeler, PM and Fichtel, C},
title = {Independent fitness consequences of group size variation in Verreaux's sifakas.},
journal = {Communications biology},
volume = {7},
number = {1},
pages = {816},
pmid = {38965399},
issn = {2399-3642},
mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Reproduction ; Male ; Genetic Fitness ; Strepsirhini/physiology ; Population Density ; Sex Ratio ; },
abstract = {The costs and benefits of group living are also reflected in intraspecific variation in group size. Yet, little is known about general patterns of fitness consequences of this variation. We use demographic records collected over 25 years to determine how survival and reproductive success vary with group size in a Malagasy primate. We show that female reproductive rates of Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) are not affected by total group size, but that they are supressed by the number of co-resident females, whereas mortality rates are significantly higher in larger groups. Neither annual rainfall nor the adult sex ratio have significant effects on birth and death rates. Hence, these sifakas enjoy the greatest net fitness benefits at small, and not the predicted intermediate group sizes. Thus, independent fitness proxies can vary independently as a function of group size as well as other factors, leading to deviations from optimal intermediate group sizes.},
}

Animals
Female
*Reproduction
Male
Genetic Fitness
Strepsirhini/physiology
Population Density
Sex Ratio

@article {pmid38924403,
year = {2024},
author = {Romano, A and Gross, J and De Dreu, CKW},
title = {The nasty neighbor effect in humans.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {10},
number = {26},
pages = {eadm7968},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adm7968},
pmid = {38924403},
issn = {2375-2548},
mesh = {Humans ; Kenya ; United Kingdom ; *Cooperative Behavior ; Male ; Female ; Social Behavior ; Trust ; },
abstract = {Like other group-living species, humans often cooperate more with an in-group member than with out-group members and strangers. Greater in-group favoritism should imply that people also compete less with in-group members than with out-group members and strangers. However, in situations where people could invest to take other's resources and invest to protect against exploitation, we observed the opposite. Akin to what in other species is known as the "nasty neighbor effect," people invested more when facing an in-group rather than out-group member or stranger across 51 nations, in different communities in Kenya, and in representative samples from the United Kingdom. This "nasty neighbor" behavior is independent of in-group favoritism in trust and emerges when people perceive within-group resource scarcity. We discuss how to reconcile that humans exhibit nastiness and favoritism toward in-group members with existing theory on in-group favoritism.},
}

Humans
Kenya
United Kingdom
*Cooperative Behavior
Male
Female
Social Behavior
Trust

@article {pmid38913888,
year = {2024},
author = {Gross, J and Méder, ZZ and Romano, A and De Dreu, CKW},
title = {Indirect reciprocity can foster large-scale cooperation.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {27},
pages = {e2409894121},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2409894121},
pmid = {38913888},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {*Cooperative Behavior ; Humans ; },
}

*Cooperative Behavior
Humans

@article {pmid38805646,
year = {2024},
author = {Walsh, EM and Simone-Finstrom, M},
title = {Current honey bee stressor investigations and mitigation methods in the United States and Canada.},
journal = {Journal of insect science (Online)},
volume = {24},
number = {3},
pages = {},
pmid = {38805646},
issn = {1536-2442},
mesh = {Bees/physiology ; Animals ; Canada ; United States ; *Beekeeping ; Stress, Physiological ; Pollination ; },
abstract = {Honey bees are the most important managed insect pollinators in the US and Canadian crop systems. However, the annual mortality of colonies in the past 15 years has been consistently higher than historical records. Because they are eusocial generalist pollinators and amenable to management, honey bees provide a unique opportunity to investigate a wide range of questions at molecular, organismal, and ecological scales. Here, the American Association of Professional Apiculturists (AAPA) and the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists (CAPA) created 2 collections of articles featuring investigations on micro and macro aspects of honey bee health, sociobiology, and management showcasing new applied research from diverse groups studying honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the United States and Canada. Research presented in this special issue includes examinations of abiotic and biotic stressors of honey bees, and evaluations and introductions of various stress mitigation measures that may be valuable to both scientists and the beekeeping community. These investigations from throughout the United States and Canada showcase the wide breadth of current work done and point out areas that need further research.},
}

Bees/physiology
Animals
Canada
United States
*Beekeeping
Stress, Physiological
Pollination

@article {pmid38785737,
year = {2024},
author = {Neda-Stepan, O and Giurgi-Oncu, C and Sălcudean, A and Bernad, E and Bernad, BC and Enătescu, VR},
title = {The Influence of Personality Traits on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review Based on the NEO-FFI Scale.},
journal = {Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {12},
number = {5},
pages = {},
pmid = {38785737},
issn = {2079-9721},
abstract = {Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant global health concern with profound implications for mothers, families, and societies. This systematic review aims to synthesize current research findings to understand better how personality traits, as assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), contribute to the development and progression of PPD. Conducted in January 2024, this review searched major databases like PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus up to December 2023, focusing on the NEO-FFI's role in evaluating PPD. Following PRISMA guidelines, studies were selected based on strict criteria, including the exclusive use of NEO-FFI for personality assessment and a focus on postpartum women. A total of seven studies were included after a rigorous two-step screening process, and their data were qualitatively synthesized. The review covered a total of 4172 participants, with a prevalence of clinically significant postpartum depression symptoms ranging from 10.6% to 51.7%. Notably, Neuroticism emerged as a significant predictor of PPD, with odds ratios ranging from 1.07 (95% CI: 0.96-1.20) in some studies to as high as 1.87 (95% CI: 1.53-2.27) in others. In contrast, traits like Extraversion and Conscientiousness generally showed protective effects, with lower scores associated with reduced PPD risk. For instance, Extraversion scores correlated negatively with PPD risk (Beta = -0.171) in one study. However, the impact of other traits such as Openness and Agreeableness on PPD risk was less clear, with some studies indicating negligible effects. The review highlights Neuroticism as a consistent and significant predictor of PPD risk, with varying impacts from other personality traits. The findings suggest potential pathways for targeted interventions in maternal mental health care, emphasizing the need for comprehensive personality evaluations in prenatal and postnatal settings.},
}

@article {pmid38768209,
year = {2024},
author = {Fichtel, C and Dinter, K and Ratsoavina, F},
title = {Benefits but not the dual functions of submissive signals differ between two Malagasy primates.},
journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences},
volume = {379},
number = {1905},
pages = {20230197},
doi = {10.1098/rstb.2023.0197},
pmid = {38768209},
issn = {1471-2970},
mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Lemur/physiology ; *Social Dominance ; Male ; Female ; Madagascar ; Species Specificity ; Animal Communication ; Dominance-Subordination ; },
abstract = {Many animals use formalized signals to communicate dominance relationships. In some primates, such as macaques, the function of such signals varies with dominance style. Despotic species produce unidirectional submission signals that have a dual function: in conflict contexts, they signal a willingness to withdraw, whereas in peaceful contexts, they indicate the agreement to subordination. More despotic species produce these calls to a lesser extent than less despotic species. Here, we investigated whether the use of unidirectional submission signals is also related to dominance style in two lemur species and whether signalling subordination stabilizes social relationships at the group level. Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) exhibit a more despotic dominance hierarchy than Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi). We observed social interactions in 75 dyads of Verreaux's sifakas and 118 dyads of ring-tailed lemurs. Both species used unidirectional submissive calls that have a dual function, potentially suggesting convergent evolution of the function of these signals in independent primate lineages. However, signalling subordination did not stabilize social relationships at the group level in both species. Additionally, subordination occurred more frequently in dyads of the more despotic ring-tailed lemurs than in Verreaux's sifakas, indicating opposite patterns to macaques in the coevolution of social traits with dominance style. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.},
}

Animals
*Vocalization, Animal
*Lemur/physiology
*Social Dominance
Male
Female
Madagascar
Species Specificity
Animal Communication
Dominance-Subordination

@article {pmid38735942,
year = {2024},
author = {Errbii, M and Ernst, UR and Lajmi, A and Privman, E and Gadau, J and Schrader, L},
title = {Evolutionary genomics of socially polymorphic populations of Pogonomyrmex californicus.},
journal = {BMC biology},
volume = {22},
number = {1},
pages = {109},
pmid = {38735942},
issn = {1741-7007},
support = {316099922//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 396780988//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 316099922//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 396780988//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 403813881 (SCHR 1554/2-1)//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/genetics ; Social Behavior ; Genomics ; Genome, Insect ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; California ; Evolution, Molecular ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Social insects vary considerably in their social organization both between and within species. In the California harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus (Buckley 1867), colonies are commonly founded and headed by a single queen (haplometrosis, primary monogyny). However, in some populations in California (USA), unrelated queens cooperate not only during founding (pleometrosis) but also throughout the life of the colony (primary polygyny). The genetic architecture and evolutionary dynamics of this complex social niche polymorphism (haplometrosis vs pleometrosis) have remained unknown.

RESULTS: We provide a first analysis of its genomic basis and evolutionary history using population genomics comparing individuals from a haplometrotic population to those from a pleometrotic population. We discovered a recently evolved (< 200 k years), 8-Mb non-recombining region segregating with the observed social niche polymorphism. This region shares several characteristics with supergenes underlying social polymorphisms in other socially polymorphic ant species. However, we also find remarkable differences from previously described social supergenes. Particularly, four additional genomic regions not in linkage with the supergene show signatures of a selective sweep in the pleometrotic population. Within these regions, we find for example genes crucial for epigenetic regulation via histone modification (chameau) and DNA methylation (Dnmt1).

CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our results suggest that social morph in this species is a polygenic trait involving a potential young supergene. Further studies targeting haplo- and pleometrotic individuals from a single population are however required to conclusively resolve whether these genetic differences underlie the alternative social phenotypes or have emerged through genetic drift.},
}

Animals
*Ants/genetics
Social Behavior
Genomics
Genome, Insect
Polymorphism, Genetic
Biological Evolution
Female
California
Evolution, Molecular

@article {pmid38725404,
year = {2024},
author = {Peng, T and Kennedy, A and Wu, Y and Foitzik, S and Grüter, C},
title = {Early life exposure to queen mandibular pheromone mediates persistent transcriptional changes in the brain of honey bee foragers.},
journal = {The Journal of experimental biology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
doi = {10.1242/jeb.247516},
pmid = {38725404},
issn = {1477-9145},
support = {GR 4986/3-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 32200388//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; },
abstract = {Behavioural regulation in insect societies remains a fundamental question in sociobiology. In hymenopteran societies, the queen plays a crucial role in regulating group behaviour by affecting individual behaviour and physiology through modulation of worker gene expression. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens signal their presence via queen mandibular pheromone (QMP). While QMP has been shown to influence behaviour and gene expression of young workers, we know little about how these changes translate in older workers. The effects of the queen pheromone could have prolonged molecular impacts on workers that depend on an early sensitive period. We demonstrate that removal of QMP impacts long-term gene expression in the brain and antennae in foragers that were treated early in life (1-day post emergence), but not when treated later in life. Genes important for division of labour, learning, chemosensory perception, and ageing were among those differentially expressed in the antennae and brain tissues, suggesting that QMP influences diverse physiological and behavioural processes in workers. Surprisingly, removal of QMP did not have an impact on foraging behaviour. Overall, our study suggests a sensitive period early in the life of workers, where the presence or absence of a queen has potential livelong effects on transcriptional activity.},
}

@article {pmid38696403,
year = {2024},
author = {Tilley, HB and Murphy, D and Wierucka, K and Wong, TC and Surreault-Châble, A and Mumby, HS},
title = {Physical activity and temperature changes of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) participating in eco-tourism activities and elephant polo.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {19},
number = {5},
pages = {e0300373},
pmid = {38696403},
issn = {1932-6203},
mesh = {Animals ; *Elephants/physiology ; Female ; *Skin Temperature/physiology ; Physical Conditioning, Animal/physiology ; Body Temperature/physiology ; Body Temperature Regulation/physiology ; Thermography/methods ; },
abstract = {Captive and domestic animals are often required to engage in physical activity initiated or organised by humans, which may impact their body temperature, with consequences for their health and welfare. This is a particular concern for animals such as elephants that face thermoregulatory challenges because of their body size and physiology. Using infrared thermography, we measured changes in skin temperature associated with two types of physical activity in ten female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at an eco-tourism lodge in Nepal. Six elephants took part in an activity relatively unfamiliar to the elephants-a polo tournament-and four participated in more familiar ecotourism activities. We recorded skin temperatures for four body regions affected by the activities, as well as an average skin temperature. Temperature change was used as the response variable in the analysis and calculated as the difference in elephant temperature before and after activity. We found no significant differences in temperature change between the elephants in the polo-playing group and those from the non-polo playing group. However, for both groups, when comparing the average skin body temperature and several different body regions, we found significant differences in skin temperature change before and after activity. The ear pinna was the most impacted region and was significantly different to all other body regions. This result highlights the importance of this region in thermoregulation for elephants during physical activity. However, as we found no differences between the average body temperatures of the polo and non-polo playing groups, we suggest that thermoregulatory mechanisms can counteract the effects of both physical activities the elephants engaged in.},
}

Animals
*Elephants/physiology
Female
*Skin Temperature/physiology
Physical Conditioning, Animal/physiology
Body Temperature/physiology
Body Temperature Regulation/physiology
Thermography/methods

@article {pmid38633523,
year = {2024},
author = {Imirzian, N and Püffel, F and Roces, F and Labonte, D},
title = {Large deformation diffeomorphic mapping of 3D shape variation reveals two distinct mandible and head capsule morphs in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter worker ants.},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
volume = {14},
number = {4},
pages = {e11236},
pmid = {38633523},
issn = {2045-7758},
abstract = {Ants are crucial ecosystem engineers, and their ecological success is facilitated by a division of labour among sterile "workers". In some ant lineages, workers have undergone further morphological differentiation, resulting in differences in body size, shape, or both. Distinguishing between changes in size and shape is not trivial. Traditional approaches based on allometry reduce complex 3D shapes into simple linear, areal, or volume metrics; modern approaches using geometric morphometrics typically rely on landmarks, introducing observer bias and a trade-off between effort and accuracy. Here, we use a landmark-free method based on large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping (LDDMM) to assess the co-variation of size and 3D shape in the mandibles and head capsules of Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants, a species exhibiting extreme worker size-variation. Body mass varied by more than two orders of magnitude, but a shape atlas created via LDDMM on μ-CT-derived 3D mesh files revealed only two distinct head capsule and mandibles shapes-one for the minims (body mass < 1 mg) and one for all other workers. We discuss the functional significance of the identified 3D shape variation, and its implications for the evolution of extreme polymorphism in Atta.},
}

@article {pmid38593409,
year = {2023},
author = {Tesar, K and Heymann, EW and Dolotovskaya, S},
title = {A comparison of scan and focal sampling in estimating activity budgets, diet composition, and proximity patterns of a wild pair-living primate.},
journal = {Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology},
volume = {94},
number = {4-6},
pages = {249-263},
doi = {10.1163/14219980-bja10016},
pmid = {38593409},
issn = {1421-9980},
mesh = {Animals ; *Callicebus ; Pilot Projects ; Diet/veterinary ; Feeding Behavior ; Fruit ; *Arthropods ; },
abstract = {The choice of behavioral sampling method can impact the outcome of data collection, however, few direct comparisons between methods have been made. We compared the performance of instantaneous group scan sampling (scan sampling) and focal continuous sampling with variable session durations (focal sampling) in estimating activity patterns, diet composition, and spatial proximity in seven groups of wild coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) in Peruvian Amazonia. We used a series of paired samples Wilcoxon tests to compare daily proportions of time allocated to each type of activity/food/proximity category in each sampling method. In addition, we compared our results with those of other studies conducted on the same population of titi monkeys at other times. Focal sampling provided significantly lower estimates for moving time and significantly higher estimates for resting time compared to scan sampling, likely because scan sampling tends to give higher estimates of more conspicuous behaviors and lower estimates of less conspicuous behaviors. For diet composition, scan sampling gave similar results to other studies, while focal sampling gave significantly lower estimates for feeding on fruits and higher estimates for feeding on arthropods. The most likely reason is that focal sampling with variable session durations tends to overestimate behaviors during which a focal animal is less likely to go out of view, such as feeding on arthropods in the lower strata of the forest. Our results suggest that a pilot study comparing different methods should be conducted prior to collecting data, as not all methods are interchangeable.},
}

Animals
*Callicebus
Pilot Projects
Diet/veterinary
Feeding Behavior
Fruit
*Arthropods

@article {pmid38554503,
year = {2024},
author = {Schuhmann, A and Schulte, J and Feldhaar, H and Scheiner, R},
title = {Bumblebees are resilient to neonicotinoid-fungicide combinations.},
journal = {Environment international},
volume = {186},
number = {},
pages = {108608},
doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2024.108608},
pmid = {38554503},
issn = {1873-6750},
mesh = {Bees/drug effects/physiology ; Animals ; *Neonicotinoids ; *Fungicides, Industrial/toxicity ; Strobilurins ; Insecticides/toxicity ; Pyridines/toxicity ; *Biphenyl Compounds ; Niacinamide/*analogs & derivatives ; },
abstract = {Bumblebees are among the most important wild bees for pollination of crops and securing wildflower diversity. However, their abundance and diversity have been on a steady decrease in the last decades. One of the most important factors leading to their decline is the frequent use of plant protection products (PPPs) in agriculture, which spread into forests and natural reserves. Mixtures of different PPPs pose a particular threat because of possible synergistic effects. While there is a comparatively large body of studies on the effects of PPPs on honeybees, we still lack data on wild bees. We here investigated the influence of the frequent fungicide Cantus® Gold (boscalid/dimoxystrobin), the neonicotinoid insecticide Mospilan® (acetamiprid) and their combination on bumblebees. Cognitive performance and foraging flights of bumblebees were studied. They are essential for the provisioning and survival of the colony. We introduce a novel method for testing four treatments simultaneously on the same colony, minimizing inter-colony differences. For this, we successfully quartered the colony and moved the queen daily between compartments. Bumblebees appeared astonishingly resilient to the PPPs tested or they have developed mechanisms for detoxification. Neither learning capacity nor flight activity were inhibited by treatment with the single PPPs or their combination.},
}

Bees/drug effects/physiology
Animals
*Neonicotinoids
*Fungicides, Industrial/toxicity
Strobilurins
Insecticides/toxicity
Pyridines/toxicity
*Biphenyl Compounds
Niacinamide/*analogs & derivatives

@article {pmid38472409,
year = {2024},
author = {Beer, K and Zupanc, GKH and Helfrich-Förster, C},
title = {Ingeborg Beling and the time memory in honeybees: almost one hundred years of research.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {210},
number = {2},
pages = {189-201},
pmid = {38472409},
issn = {1432-1351},
support = {BE 8339/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 1946910//National Science Foundation/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Feeding Behavior/physiology ; *Food ; History, 20th Century ; },
abstract = {Bees are known for their ability to forage with high efficiency. One of their strategies to avoid unproductive foraging is to be at the food source at the right time of the day. Approximately one hundred years ago, researchers discovered that honeybees have a remarkable time memory, which they use for optimizing foraging. Ingeborg Beling was the first to examine this time memory experimentally. In her doctoral thesis, completed under the mentorship of Karl von Frisch in 1929, she systematically examined the capability of honeybees to remember specific times of the day at which they had been trained to appear at a feeding station. Beling was a pioneer in chronobiology, as she described the basic characteristics of the circadian clock on which the honeybee's time memory is based. Unfortunately, after a few years of extremely productive research, she ended her scientific career, probably due to family reasons or political pressure to reduce the number of women in the workforce. Here, we present a biographical sketch of Ingeborg Beling and review her research on the time memory of honeybees. Furthermore, we discuss the significance of her work, considering what is known about time memory today - nearly 100 years after she conducted her experiments.},
}

Animals
Bees
*Feeding Behavior/physiology
*Food
History, 20th Century

@article {pmid38470528,
year = {2024},
author = {Narah, J and Streinzer, M and Chakravorty, J and Megu, K and Spaethe, J and Brockmann, A and Schmitt, T},
title = {Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles of Himalayan Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Bombus Latreille) are Species-Specific and Show Elevational Variation.},
journal = {Journal of chemical ecology},
volume = {},
number = {},
pages = {},
pmid = {38470528},
issn = {1573-1561},
abstract = {Bumble bees are important pollinators in natural environments and agricultural farmlands, and they are in particular adapted to harsh environments like high mountain habitats. In these environments, animals are exposed to low temperature and face the risk of desiccation. The Eastern Himalayas are one of the recognized biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The area covers subtropical rainforest with warm temperature and high precipitation as well as high mountain ranges with peaks reaching up to 7,000 m, shaping a diverse floral and faunal community at the different elevational zones. To identify possible adaptation strategies, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of four bumble bee species occurring at different elevational ranges in Arunachal Pradesh, the northeastern most state in India. At 17 locations along an elevational gradient, we collected workers of two species from lower elevations (B. albopleuralis and B. breviceps; ~ 100 m - 3,000 m asl) and two species from higher elevations (B. prshewalskyi and B. mirus; ~ 2,800 m - 4,500 m asl). The CHC profiles of all four species showed a significant degree of variation in the composition of hydrocarbons, indicating species specificity. We also found clear correlation with elevation. The weighted mean chain length of the hydrocarbons significantly differed between the low and high elevation species, and the proportion of saturated hydrocarbons in CHC profiles significantly increased with the elevational range of the bumble bee species. Our results indicate that bumble bees living at high elevations reduce the risk of water loss by adapting their CHC composition on their cuticle, a phenomenon that has also been found in other insects like ants and fruit flies.},
}

@article {pmid38469501,
year = {2023},
author = {Pirk, CWW and Scheiner, R},
title = {Editorial: The effects of diet on health in insects.},
journal = {Frontiers in insect science},
volume = {3},
number = {},
pages = {1186027},
pmid = {38469501},
issn = {2673-8600},
}

@article {pmid38346192,
year = {2024},
author = {Grob, R and Müller, VL and Grübel, K and Rössler, W and Fleischmann, PN},
title = {Importance of magnetic information for neuronal plasticity in desert ants.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {8},
pages = {e2320764121},
pmid = {38346192},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {FL1060/1-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; Ro 1177/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; INST 934/829-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; GSO/KT 16//German Scholar Organization/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Brain ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology ; Magnetic Phenomena ; Homing Behavior/physiology ; Cues ; Desert Climate ; },
abstract = {Many animal species rely on the Earth's magnetic field during navigation, but where in the brain magnetic information is processed is still unknown. To unravel this, we manipulated the natural magnetic field at the nest entrance of Cataglyphis desert ants and investigated how this affects relevant brain regions during early compass calibration. We found that manipulating the Earth's magnetic field has profound effects on neuronal plasticity in two sensory integration centers. Magnetic field manipulations interfere with a typical look-back behavior during learning walks of naive ants. Most importantly, structural analyses in the ants' neuronal compass (central complex) and memory centers (mushroom bodies) demonstrate that magnetic information affects neuronal plasticity during early visual learning. This suggests that magnetic information does not only serve as a compass cue for navigation but also as a global reference system crucial for spatial memory formation. We propose a neural circuit for integration of magnetic information into visual guidance networks in the ant brain. Taken together, our results provide an insight into the neural substrate for magnetic navigation in insects.},
}

Animals
*Ants/physiology
Learning/physiology
Brain
Neuronal Plasticity/physiology
Magnetic Phenomena
Homing Behavior/physiology
Cues
Desert Climate

@article {pmid38285936,
year = {2024},
author = {Kannegieser, S and Kraft, N and Haan, A and Stöckl, A},
title = {Visual guidance fine-tunes probing movements of an insect appendage.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {121},
number = {6},
pages = {e2306937121},
pmid = {38285936},
issn = {1091-6490},
support = {95490//Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung)/ ; n.a.//Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities/ ; PostdocPlus//Graduate School of Life Sciences/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Psychomotor Performance/physiology ; *Movement/physiology ; Insecta ; Feedback, Sensory/physiology ; Visual Perception/physiology ; },
abstract = {Visually guided reaching, a regular feature of human life, comprises an intricate neural control task. It includes identifying the target's position in 3D space, passing the representation to the motor system that controls the respective appendages, and adjusting ongoing movements using visual and proprioceptive feedback. Given the complexity of the neural control task, invertebrates, with their numerically constrained central nervous systems, are often considered incapable of this level of visuomotor guidance. Here, we provide mechanistic insights into visual appendage guidance in insects by studying the probing movements of the hummingbird hawkmoth's proboscis as they search for a flower's nectary. We show that visually guided proboscis movements fine-tune the coarse control provided by body movements in flight. By impairing the animals' view of their proboscis, we demonstrate that continuous visual feedback is required and actively sought out to guide this appendage. In doing so, we establish an insect model for the study of neural strategies underlying eye-appendage control in a simple nervous system.},
}

Animals
Humans
*Psychomotor Performance/physiology
*Movement/physiology
Insecta
Feedback, Sensory/physiology
Visual Perception/physiology

@article {pmid38256919,
year = {2024},
author = {Kalinovic, R and Pascariu, A and Vlad, G and Nitusca, D and Sălcudean, A and Sirbu, IO and Marian, C and Enatescu, VR},
title = {Involvement of the Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Schizophrenia.},
journal = {Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {17},
number = {1},
pages = {},
pmid = {38256919},
issn = {1424-8247},
abstract = {The expression of GPCRs has been associated with schizophrenia, and their expression may induce morphological changes in brain regions responsible for schizophrenia and disease-specific behavioral changes. The articles included in this review were selected using keywords and databases of scientific research websites. The expressions of GPRs have different involvements in schizophrenia, some increase the risk while others provide protection, and they may also be potential targets for new treatments. Proper evaluation of these factors is essential to have a better therapeutic response with a lower rate of chronicity and thus improve the long-term prognosis.},
}

@article {pmid38218496,
year = {2024},
author = {Wu, X and Kong, L and Feng, Y and Zheng, R and Zhou, J and Sun, J and Liu, S},
title = {Communication mediated interaction between bacteria and microalgae advances photogranulation.},
journal = {The Science of the total environment},
volume = {914},
number = {},
pages = {169975},
doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169975},
pmid = {38218496},
issn = {1879-1026},
mesh = {*Quorum Sensing ; *Microalgae ; Bacteria ; Acyl-Butyrolactones ; Communication ; },
abstract = {Recently, photogranules composed of bacteria and microalgae for carbon-negative nitrogen removal receive extensive attention worldwide, yet which type of bacteria is helpful for rapid formation of photogranules and whether they depend on signaling communication remain elusive. Varied signaling communication was analyzed using metagenomic method among bacteria and microalgae in via of two types of experimentally verified signaling molecule from bacteria to microalgae, which include indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) during the operation of photo-bioreactors. Signaling communication is helpful for the adaptability of bacteria to survive with algae. Compared with non-signaling bacteria, signaling bacteria more easily adapt to the varied conditions, evidenced by the increased abundance in the operated reactors. Signaling bacteria are easier to enter the phycosphere, and they dominate the interactions between bacteria and algae rather than non-signaling bacteria. The co-abundance groups (CAGs) with signaling bacteria possess higher abundance than that without signaling bacteria (22.27 % and 6.67 %). Importantly, signaling bacteria accessibly interact with microalgae, which possess higher degree centralities and 32.50 % of them are keystone nodes in the network, in contrast to only 18.66 % of non-signaling bacteria. Thauera carrying both IAA and AHLs synthase genes are highly enriched and positively correlated with nitrogen removal rate. Our work not only highlights the essential roles of signaling communication between microalgae and bacteria in the development of photogranules, but also enriches our understanding of microbial sociobiology.},
}

*Quorum Sensing
*Microalgae
Bacteria
Acyl-Butyrolactones
Communication

@article {pmid38133716,
year = {2024},
author = {Roura-Torres, B and Amblard-Rambert, P and Lepou, P and Kappeler, PM and Charpentier, MJE},
title = {Stillbirth of a mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in the wild: perinatal behaviors and delivery sequences.},
journal = {Primates; journal of primatology},
volume = {65},
number = {2},
pages = {75-80},
pmid = {38133716},
issn = {1610-7365},
support = {S202210309//Leakey Foundation/ ; INEE-CNRS//SEEG Lekedi/ ; KA 1082/45-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; },
mesh = {Humans ; Pregnancy ; Animals ; Female ; *Mandrillus ; Stillbirth/epidemiology/veterinary ; Parturition ; Biological Evolution ; },
abstract = {Birth is a fundamental event in the life of animals, including our own species. More reports of wild non-human primate births and stillbirths are thus needed to better understand the evolutionary pressures shaping parturition behaviors in our lineage. In diurnal non-human primates, births generally occur at night, when individuals are resting. Consequently, they are difficult to observe in the wild and most of the current knowledge regarding perinatal behaviors comes from rare daytime births. Information about stillbirths is even rarer and their proximate causes are generally unknown. Here, we present detailed observations of a daytime birth of a stillborn wild mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). During this event, which lasted an entire day, we recorded the behaviors of the parturient female ad libitum, using video recordings and photos. The 5-year-old female was primiparous and of low dominance rank. The length of her pregnancy was shorter than usual and the partum phase was extremely long compared to other birth reports in non-human primates. The female disappeared shortly after this event and was assumed to have died. We discuss the possible causes of this stillbirth including the infant's presentation at birth and maternal inexperience.},
}

Humans
Pregnancy
Animals
Female
*Mandrillus
Stillbirth/epidemiology/veterinary
Parturition
Biological Evolution

@article {pmid38113942,
year = {2023},
author = {Larsen, TJ and Jahan, I and Brock, DA and Strassmann, JE and Queller, DC},
title = {Reduced social function in experimentally evolved Dictyostelium discoideum implies selection for social conflict in nature.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {290},
number = {2013},
pages = {20231722},
pmid = {38113942},
issn = {1471-2954},
mesh = {*Dictyostelium ; *Social Evolution ; },
abstract = {Many microbes interact with one another, but the difficulty of directly observing these interactions in nature makes interpreting their adaptive value complicated. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum forms aggregates wherein some cells are sacrificed for the benefit of others. Within chimaeric aggregates containing multiple unrelated lineages, cheaters can gain an advantage by undercontributing, but the extent to which wild D. discoideum has adapted to cheat is not fully clear. In this study, we experimentally evolved D. discoideum in an environment where there were no selective pressures to cheat or resist cheating in chimaeras. Dictyostelium discoideum lines grown in this environment evolved reduced competitiveness within chimaeric aggregates and reduced ability to migrate during the slug stage. By contrast, we did not observe a reduction in cell number, a trait for which selection was not relaxed. The observed loss of traits that our laboratory conditions had made irrelevant suggests that these traits were adaptations driven and maintained by selective pressures D. discoideum faces in its natural environment. Our results suggest that D. discoideum faces social conflict in nature, and illustrate a general approach that could be applied to searching for social or non-social adaptations in other microbes.},
}

*Dictyostelium
*Social Evolution

@article {pmid38110489,
year = {2023},
author = {Gabel, M and Scheiner, R and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Büchler, R},
title = {Reproduction of Varroa destructor depends on well-timed host cell recapping and seasonal patterns.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {13},
number = {1},
pages = {22484},
pmid = {38110489},
issn = {2045-2322},
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Varroidae ; Seasons ; Reproduction ; Fertility ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; },
abstract = {Resistance traits of honeybees (Apis mellifera) against their major parasite Varroa destructor have fascinated scientists and breeders for long. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying resistance are still largely unknown. The same applies to possible interactions between host behaviours, mite reproduction and seasonal differences. Two resistance traits, reproductive failure of mites and recapping of brood cells, are of particular interest. High rates of recapping at the colony level were found to correspond with low reproductive success of mites. However, the direct effect of recapping on mite reproduction is still controversial and both traits seem to be very variable in their expression. Thus, a deeper knowledge of both, the effect of recapping on mite reproduction and the seasonal differences in the expression of these traits is urgently needed. To shed light on this host-parasite interaction, we investigated recapping and mite reproduction in full-grown colonies naturally infested with V. destructor. Measurements were repeated five times per year over the course of 3 years. The reproductive success of mites as well as the recapping frequency clearly followed seasonal patterns. Thereby, reproductive failure of mites at the cell level was constantly increased in case of recapping. Interestingly, this did not apply to the occurrence of infertile mites. In line with this, recapping activity in fertile cells was most frequent in brood ages in which mite offspring would be expected. Our results suggest that mite offspring is the main target of recapping. This, in turn, leads to a significantly reduced reproductive success of the parasite.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Varroidae
Seasons
Reproduction
Fertility
Host-Parasite Interactions

@article {pmid38096314,
year = {2023},
author = {Engelhardt, SC and Weladji, RB and Holand, Ø and Røed, KH and Nieminen, M},
title = {Evidence suggesting that reindeer mothers allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules.},
journal = {PloS one},
volume = {18},
number = {12},
pages = {e0295497},
pmid = {38096314},
issn = {1932-6203},
mesh = {Female ; Animals ; Humans ; *Social Behavior ; Cooperative Behavior ; *Reindeer ; Mothers ; },
abstract = {Allonursing is the nursing of the offspring of other mothers. Cooperation is an emergent property of evolved decision rules. Cooperation can be explained by at least three evolved decision rules: 1) direct reciprocity, i.e. help someone who previously helped you, 2) kin discrimination, i.e. preferentially direct help to kin than to non-kin, and 3) generalized reciprocity, i.e. help anyone if helped by someone. We assessed if semi-domesticated reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, mothers allonursed according to the decision rules of direct reciprocity, generalized reciprocity and kin discrimination over 2 years. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the direct reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that mothers should give more help to those who previously helped them more often. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule, we predicted that help given should increase as pairwise genetic relatedness increased. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the generalized reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that the overall number of help given by reindeer mothers should increase as the overall number of help received by reindeer mothers increased. The number of help given i) increased as the number of help received from the same partner increased in the 2012 group but not in both 2013 groups, ii) was not influenced by relatedness, and iii) was not influenced by an interaction between the number of help received from the same partner and relatedness. iv) The overall number of help given increased as the overall number of help received increased. The results did not support the prediction that reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule. The results suggest that reindeer mothers may allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules.},
}

Female
Animals
Humans
*Social Behavior
Cooperative Behavior
*Reindeer
Mothers

@article {pmid38042446,
year = {2024},
author = {Orbán-Bakk, K and Witek, M and Dubiec, A and Heinze, J and Markó, B and Csata, E},
title = {Infection with a non-lethal fungal parasite is associated with increased immune investment in the ant Myrmica scabrinodis.},
journal = {Journal of invertebrate pathology},
volume = {202},
number = {},
pages = {108027},
doi = {10.1016/j.jip.2023.108027},
pmid = {38042446},
issn = {1096-0805},
mesh = {Animals ; *Parasites ; *Ants/microbiology ; *Mycoses ; Predatory Behavior ; Stress, Physiological ; },
abstract = {Social insects, such as ants, are preferred host organisms of pathogens and parasites because colonies are densely populated, and the number of potential hosts is high in the same place and time. Within a colony, individuals are exposed differentially to risks according to their function and age. Thus, older individuals forage and are therefore the most exposed to infection, predation, or physical stress, while young workers mostly stay inside the sheltered nest being less exposed. Immune investment is considered to be dependent on an individual's age and pathogen pressure. Long-term exposure to a parasite could affect the immune activity of individuals in an intriguing way that interferes with the age-dependent decline in immunocompetence. However, there are only few cases in which such interferences can be studied. The myrmecopathogenic fungus Rickia wasmannii, which infects entire colonies without killing the workers, is a suitable candidate for such studies. We investigated the general immunocompetence of Myrmica scabrinodis ant workers associated with non-lethal fungal infection by measuring the levels of active phenoloxidase (PO) and total PO (PPO) (reflecting the amount of both active and inactive forms of the enzyme) in two age classes. The level of PO proved to be higher in infected workers than in uninfected ones, while the level of PPO increased with age but was not affected by infection. Overall, these results indicate that a long-term infection could go hand in hand with increased immune activity of ant workers, conferring them higher level of protection.},
}

Animals
*Parasites
*Ants/microbiology
*Mycoses
Predatory Behavior
Stress, Physiological

@article {pmid38004791,
year = {2023},
author = {Thamm, M and Reiß, F and Sohl, L and Gabel, M and Noll, M and Scheiner, R},
title = {Solitary Bees Host More Bacteria and Fungi on Their Cuticle than Social Bees.},
journal = {Microorganisms},
volume = {11},
number = {11},
pages = {},
pmid = {38004791},
issn = {2076-2607},
support = {ID73253//Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz/ ; },
abstract = {Bees come into contact with bacteria and fungi from flowering plants during their foraging trips. The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) shows a pronounced hygienic behavior with social interactions, while the solitary red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) lacks a social immune system. Since both visit the same floral resources, it is intriguing to speculate that the body surface of a solitary bee should harbor a more complex microbiome than that of the social honeybee. We compared the cuticular microbiomes of A. mellifera (including three European subspecies) and O. bicornis for the first time by bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS gene-based high-throughput amplicon sequencing. The cuticular microbiome of the solitary O. bicornis was significantly more complex than that of the social A. mellifera. The microbiome composition of A. mellifera subspecies was very similar. However, we counted significantly different numbers of fungi and a higher diversity in the honeybee subspecies adapted to warmer climates. Our results suggest that the cuticular microbiome of bees is strongly affected by visited plants, lifestyle and adaptation to temperature, which have important implications for the maintenance of the health of bees under conditions of global change.},
}

@article {pmid37985604,
year = {2024},
author = {Schultheiss, P},
title = {Unbalanced visual cues do not affect search precision at the nest in desert ants (Cataglyphis nodus).},
journal = {Learning & behavior},
volume = {52},
number = {1},
pages = {85-91},
pmid = {37985604},
issn = {1543-4508},
mesh = {Animals ; *Cues ; *Ants ; Homing Behavior ; Appetitive Behavior ; },
abstract = {Desert ant foragers are well known for their visual navigation abilities, relying on visual cues in the environment to find their way along routes back to the nest. If the inconspicuous nest entrance is missed, ants engage in a highly structured systematic search until it is discovered. Searching ants continue to be guided by visual cues surrounding the nest, from which they derive a location estimate. The precision level of this estimate depends on the information content of the nest panorama. This study examines whether search precision is also affected by the directional distribution of visual information. The systematic searching behavior of ants is examined under laboratory settings. Two different visual scenarios are compared - a balanced one where visual information is evenly distributed, and an unbalanced one where all visual information is located on one side of an experimental arena. The identity and number of visual objects is similar over both conditions. The ants search with comparable precision in both conditions. Even in the visually unbalanced condition, searches are characterized by balanced precision on both sides of the arena. This finding lends support to the idea that ants memorize the visual scenery at the nest as panoramic views from different locations. A searching ant is thus able to estimate its location with equal precision in all directions, leading to symmetrical search paths.},
}

Animals
*Cues
*Ants
Homing Behavior
Appetitive Behavior

@article {pmid37980566,
year = {2023},
author = {Lee, IPA and Eldakar, OT and Gogarten, JP and Andam, CP},
title = {Protocol for an agent-based model of recombination in bacteria playing a public goods game.},
journal = {STAR protocols},
volume = {4},
number = {4},
pages = {102733},
pmid = {37980566},
issn = {2666-1667},
mesh = {*Game Theory ; *Bacteria ; },
abstract = {Agent-based models are composed of individual agents coded for traits, such as cooperation and cheating, that interact in a virtual world based on defined rules. Here, we describe the use of an agent-based model of homologous recombination in bacteria playing a public goods game. We describe steps for software installation, setting model parameters, running and testing models, and visualization and statistical analysis. This protocol is useful in analyses of horizontal gene transfer, bacterial sociobiology, and game theory. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al.[1].},
}

*Game Theory
*Bacteria

@article {pmid37975503,
year = {2023},
author = {Irby, I and Brown, SP},
title = {The social lives of viruses and other mobile genetic elements: a commentary on Leeks et al. 2023.},
journal = {Journal of evolutionary biology},
volume = {36},
number = {11},
pages = {1582-1586},
pmid = {37975503},
issn = {1420-9101},
support = {R21 AI156817/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; 5R21AI156817-02/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; },
mesh = {*Onions/genetics ; Gene Transfer, Horizontal ; Plasmids ; *Viruses/genetics ; Interspersed Repetitive Sequences ; },
abstract = {Illustration of life-histories of phages and plasmids through horizontal and vertical transmission (see Figure 1 for more information).},
}

*Onions/genetics
Gene Transfer, Horizontal
Plasmids
*Viruses/genetics
Interspersed Repetitive Sequences

@article {pmid37965543,
year = {2023},
author = {Reiß, F and Schuhmann, A and Sohl, L and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R and Noll, M},
title = {Fungicides and insecticides can alter the microbial community on the cuticle of honey bees.},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
volume = {14},
number = {},
pages = {1271498},
pmid = {37965543},
issn = {1664-302X},
abstract = {Honey bees are crucial for our ecosystems as pollinators, but the intensive use of plant protection products (PPPs) in agriculture poses a risk for them. PPPs do not only affect target organisms but also affect non-targets, such as the honey bee Apis mellifera and their microbiome. This study is the first of its kind, aiming to characterize the effect of PPPs on the microbiome of the cuticle of honey bees. We chose PPPs, which have frequently been detected in bee bread, and studied their effects on the cuticular microbial community and function of the bees. The effects of the fungicide Difcor[®] (difenoconazole), the insecticide Steward[®] (indoxacarb), the combination of both (mix A) and the fungicide Cantus[®] Gold (boscalid and dimoxystrobin), the insecticide Mospilan[®] (acetamiprid), and the combination of both (mix B) were tested. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal transcribed spacer region gene-based amplicon sequencing and quantification of gene copy numbers were carried out after nucleic acid extraction from the cuticle of honey bees. The treatment with Steward[®] significantly affected fungal community composition and function. The fungal gene copy numbers were lower on the cuticle of bees treated with Difcor[®], Steward[®], and PPP mix A in comparison with the controls. However, bacterial and fungal gene copy numbers were increased in bees treated with Cantus[®] Gold, Mospilan[®], or PPP mix B compared to the controls. The bacterial cuticular community composition of bees treated with Cantus[®] Gold, Mospilan[®], and PPP mix B differed significantly from the control. In addition, Mospilan[®] on its own significantly changed the bacterial functional community composition. Cantus[®] Gold significantly affected fungal gene copy numbers, community, and functional composition. Our results demonstrate that PPPs show adverse effects on the cuticular microbiome of honey bees and suggest that PPP mixtures can cause stronger effects on the cuticular community than a PPP alone. The cuticular community composition was more diverse after the PPP mix treatments. This may have far-reaching consequences for the health of honey bees.},
}

@article {pmid37929207,
year = {2023},
author = {Strube-Bloss, M and Günzel, P and Nebauer, CA and Spaethe, J},
title = {Visual accelerated and olfactory decelerated responses during multimodal learning in honeybees.},
journal = {Frontiers in physiology},
volume = {14},
number = {},
pages = {1257465},
pmid = {37929207},
issn = {1664-042X},
abstract = {To obtain accurate information about the outside world and to make appropriate decisions, animals often combine information from different sensory pathways to form a comprehensive representation of their environment. This process of multimodal integration is poorly understood, but it is common view that the single elements of a multimodal stimulus influence each other's perception by enhancing or suppressing their neural representation. The neuronal level of interference might be manifold, for instance, an enhancement might increase, whereas suppression might decrease behavioural response times. In order to investigate this in an insect behavioural model, the Western honeybee, we trained individual bees to associate a sugar reward with an odour, a light, or a combined olfactory-visual stimulus, using the proboscis extension response (PER). We precisely monitored the PER latency (the time between stimulus onset and the first response of the proboscis) by recording the muscle M17, which innervates the proboscis. We found that odours evoked a fast response, whereas visual stimuli elicited a delayed PER. Interestingly, the combined stimulus showed a response time in between the unimodal stimuli, suggesting that olfactory-visual integration accelerates visual responses but decelerates the olfactory response time.},
}

@article {pmid37885980,
year = {2023},
author = {Enghelhardt, SC and Paulsson, NI and Taborsky, M},
title = {Assessment of help value affects reciprocation in Norway rats.},
journal = {Royal Society open science},
volume = {10},
number = {10},
pages = {231253},
pmid = {37885980},
issn = {2054-5703},
abstract = {Wild-type Norway rats reciprocate help received in a well-replicated experimental food-giving task, but the criteria to appraise the received help's value are unclear. We tested whether quality or quantity of received help is more important when deciding to return help, and whether partner familiarity and own current need affect this evaluation. We experimentally varied recipients of help's hunger state, and familiar or unfamiliar partners provided either higher caloric food (enhanced quantity; carrots) or food higher in protein and fat (enhanced quality; cheese). Reciprocation of received help was our criterion for the rats' value assessment. Familiarity, food type and hunger state interacted and affected help returned by rats. Rats returned less help to familiar partners than to unfamiliar partners. With unfamiliar partners, rats returned more help to partners that had donated preferred food (cheese) than to partners that had donated less preferred food (carrots), and they returned help earlier if they were satiated and had received cheese. With familiar partners, food-deprived rats that had received cheese returned more help than satiated rats that had received carrots. Our results suggest that Norway rats assess the received help's value based on its quality, their current need and partner familiarity before reciprocating received help.},
}

@article {pmid37876190,
year = {2023},
author = {Kelly, MBJ and Khan, MK and Wierucka, K and Jones, BR and Shofner, R and Derkarabetian, S and Wolff, JO},
title = {Dynamic evolution of locomotor performance independent of changes in extended phenotype use in spiders.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {290},
number = {2009},
pages = {20232035},
pmid = {37876190},
issn = {1471-2954},
mesh = {Animals ; *Spiders/physiology ; Predatory Behavior/physiology ; Silk ; *Running ; },
abstract = {Many animals use self-built structures (extended phenotypes) to enhance body functions, such as thermoregulation, prey capture or defence. Yet, it is unclear whether the evolution of animal constructions supplements or substitutes body functions-with disparate feedbacks on trait evolution. Here, using brown spiders (Araneae: marronoid clade), we explored if the evolutionary loss and gain of silken webs as extended prey capture devices correlates with alterations in traits known to play an important role in predatory strikes-locomotor performance (sprint speed) and leg spination (expression of capture spines on front legs). We found that in this group high locomotor performance, with running speeds of over 100 body lengths per second, evolved repeatedly-both in web-building and cursorial spiders. There was no correlation with running speed, and leg spination only poorly correlated, relative to the use of extended phenotypes, indicating that web use does not reduce selective pressures on body functions involved in prey capture and defence per se. Consequently, extended prey capture devices serve as supplements rather than substitutions to body traits and may only be beneficial in conjunction with certain life-history traits, possibly explaining the rare evolution and repeated loss of trapping strategies in predatory animals.},
}

Animals
*Spiders/physiology
Predatory Behavior/physiology
Silk
*Running

@article {pmid37848054,
year = {2023},
author = {Phaniraj, N and Wierucka, K and Zürcher, Y and Burkart, JM},
title = {Who is calling? Optimizing source identification from marmoset vocalizations with hierarchical machine learning classifiers.},
journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface},
volume = {20},
number = {207},
pages = {20230399},
pmid = {37848054},
issn = {1742-5662},
mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Callithrix ; Vocalization, Animal ; Language ; *Deep Learning ; Machine Learning ; },
abstract = {With their highly social nature and complex vocal communication system, marmosets are important models for comparative studies of vocal communication and, eventually, language evolution. However, our knowledge about marmoset vocalizations predominantly originates from playback studies or vocal interactions between dyads, and there is a need to move towards studying group-level communication dynamics. Efficient source identification from marmoset vocalizations is essential for this challenge, and machine learning algorithms (MLAs) can aid it. Here we built a pipeline capable of plentiful feature extraction, meaningful feature selection, and supervised classification of vocalizations of up to 18 marmosets. We optimized the classifier by building a hierarchical MLA that first learned to determine the sex of the source, narrowed down the possible source individuals based on their sex and then determined the source identity. We were able to correctly identify the source individual with high precisions (87.21%-94.42%, depending on call type, and up to 97.79% after the removal of twins from the dataset). We also examine the robustness of identification across varying sample sizes. Our pipeline is a promising tool not only for source identification from marmoset vocalizations but also for analysing vocalizations of other species.},
}

Humans
Animals
*Callithrix
Vocalization, Animal
Language
*Deep Learning
Machine Learning

@article {pmid37657449,
year = {2023},
author = {Arican, C and Schmitt, FJ and Rössler, W and Strube-Bloss, MF and Nawrot, MP},
title = {The mushroom body output encodes behavioral decision during sensory-motor transformation.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {33},
number = {19},
pages = {4217-4224.e4},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.016},
pmid = {37657449},
issn = {1879-0445},
mesh = {Animals ; *Mushroom Bodies/physiology ; *Neurons/physiology ; Drosophila ; Odorants ; Brain ; Insecta ; Drosophila melanogaster/physiology ; },
abstract = {Animals form a behavioral decision by evaluating sensory evidence on the background of past experiences and the momentary motivational state. In insects, we still lack understanding of how and at which stage of the recurrent sensory-motor pathway behavioral decisions are formed. The mushroom body (MB), a central brain structure in insects[1] and crustaceans,[2][,][3] integrates sensory input of different modalities[4][,][5][,][6] with the internal state, the behavioral state, and external sensory context[7][,][8][,][9][,][10] through a large number of recurrent, mostly neuromodulatory inputs,[11][,][12] implicating a functional role for MBs in state-dependent sensory-motor transformation.[13][,][14] A number of classical conditioning studies in honeybees[15][,][16] and fruit flies[17][,][18][,][19] have provided accumulated evidence that at its output, the MB encodes the valence of a sensory stimulus with respect to its behavioral relevance. Recent work has extended this notion of valence encoding to the context of innate behaviors.[8][,][20][,][21][,][22] Here, we co-analyzed a defined feeding behavior and simultaneous extracellular single-unit recordings from MB output neurons (MBONs) in the cockroach in response to timed sensory stimulation with odors. We show that clear neuronal responses occurred almost exclusively during behaviorally responded trials. Early MBON responses to the sensory stimulus preceded the feeding behavior and predicted its occurrence or non-occurrence from the single-trial population activity. Our results therefore suggest that at its output, the MB does not merely encode sensory stimulus valence. We hypothesize instead that the MB output represents an integrated signal of internal state, momentary environmental conditions, and experience-dependent memory to encode a behavioral decision.},
}

Animals
*Mushroom Bodies/physiology
*Neurons/physiology
Drosophila
Odorants
Brain
Insecta
Drosophila melanogaster/physiology

@article {pmid37643643,
year = {2023},
author = {Sless, T and Rehan, S},
title = {Phylogeny of the carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopinae) highlights repeated evolution of sociality.},
journal = {Biology letters},
volume = {19},
number = {8},
pages = {20230252},
pmid = {37643643},
issn = {1744-957X},
mesh = {Bees/genetics ; Animals ; Phylogeny ; *Social Behavior ; *Trees ; },
abstract = {Many groups of animals have evolved social behaviours in different forms, from intimate familial associations to the complex eusocial colonies of some insects. The subfamily Xylocopinae, including carpenter bees and their relatives, is a diverse clade exhibiting a wide range of social behaviours, from solitary to obligate eusociality with distinct morphological castes, making them ideal focal taxa in studying the evolution of sociality. We used ultraconserved element data to generate a broadly sampled phylogeny of the Xylocopinae, including several newly sequenced species. We then conducted ancestral state reconstructions on the evolutionary history of sociality in this group under multiple coding models. Our results indicate solitary origins for the Xylocopinae with multiple transitions to sociality across the tree and subsequent reversals to solitary life, demonstrating the lability and dynamic nature of social evolution in carpenter bees. Ultimately, this work clarifies the evolutionary history of the Xylocopinae, and expands our understanding of independent origins and gains and losses of social complexity.},
}

Bees/genetics
Animals
Phylogeny
*Social Behavior
*Trees

@article {pmid37607483,
year = {2023},
author = {van der Kooi, CJ and Spaethe, J},
title = {Visual ecology: How glossy colours shine and confuse.},
journal = {Current biology : CB},
volume = {33},
number = {16},
pages = {R865-R867},
doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.011},
pmid = {37607483},
issn = {1879-0445},
mesh = {Color ; *Ecology ; },
abstract = {Most colours in nature are matte, but across the tree of life glossiness has evolved numerous times, suggesting that glossiness can be beneficial. Recent research finds that glossiness may confuse observers and protect against predators.},
}

Color
*Ecology

@article {pmid37607125,
year = {2024},
author = {Schüßler, D and Blanco, MB and Guthrie, NK and Sgarlata, GM and Dammhahn, M and Ernest, R and Evasoa, MR and Hasiniaina, A and Hending, D and Jan, F and le Pors, B and Miller, A and Olivieri, G and Rakotonanahary, AN and Rakotondranary, SJ and Rakotondravony, R and Ralantoharijaona, T and Ramananjato, V and Randrianambinina, B and Raoelinjanakolona, NN and Rasoazanabary, E and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasolofoson, DW and Rasoloharijaona, S and Rasolondraibe, E and Roberts, SH and Teixeira, H and van Elst, T and Johnson, SE and Ganzhorn, JU and Chikhi, L and Kappeler, PM and Louis, EE and Salmona, J and Radespiel, U},
title = {Morphological variability or inter-observer bias? A methodological toolkit to improve data quality of multi-researcher datasets for the analysis of morphological variation.},
journal = {American journal of biological anthropology},
volume = {183},
number = {1},
pages = {60-78},
doi = {10.1002/ajpa.24836},
pmid = {37607125},
issn = {2692-7691},
mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Body Size ; *Cheirogaleidae ; Observer Variation ; Data Accuracy ; Reproducibility of Results ; },
abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The investigation of morphological variation in animals is widely used in taxonomy, ecology, and evolution. Using large datasets for meta-analyses has dramatically increased, raising concerns about dataset compatibilities and biases introduced by contributions of multiple researchers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compiled morphological data on 13 variables for 3073 individual mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae, Microcebus spp.) from 25 taxa and 153 different sampling locations, measured by 48 different researchers. We introduced and applied a filtering pipeline and quantified improvements in data quality (Shapiro-Francia statistic, skewness, and excess kurtosis). The filtered dataset was then used to test for genus-wide sexual size dimorphism and the applicability of Rensch's, Allen's, and Bergmann's rules.

RESULTS: Our pipeline reduced inter-observer bias (i.e., increased normality of data distributions). Inter-observer reliability of measurements was notably variable, highlighting the need to reduce data collection biases. Although subtle, we found a consistent pattern of sexual size dimorphism across Microcebus, with females being the larger (but not heavier) sex. Sexual size dimorphism was isometric, providing no support for Rensch's rule. Variations in tail length but not in ear size were consistent with the predictions of Allen's rule. Body mass and length followed a pattern contrary to predictions of Bergmann's rule.

DISCUSSION: We highlighted the usefulness of large multi-researcher datasets for testing ecological hypotheses after correcting for inter-observer biases. Using genus-wide tests, we outlined generalizable patterns of morphological variability across all mouse lemurs. This new methodological toolkit aims to facilitate future large-scale morphological comparisons for a wide range of taxa and applications.},
}

Animals
Female
Humans
Body Size
*Cheirogaleidae
Observer Variation
Data Accuracy
Reproducibility of Results

@article {pmid37597482,
year = {2023},
author = {Burini, D},
title = {Multiscale and multi-physical problems: Comment on "What is life? Active particles tools towards behavioral dynamics in social-biology and economics" by N. Bellomo, M. Esfahanian, V. Secchini, and P. Terna.},
journal = {Physics of life reviews},
volume = {46},
number = {},
pages = {275-276},
doi = {10.1016/j.plrev.2023.08.005},
pmid = {37597482},
issn = {1873-1457},
mesh = {*Behavior ; *Sociobiology ; },
}

*Behavior
*Sociobiology

@article {pmid37436999,
year = {2023},
author = {Fichtel, C and Henke-von der Malsburg, J and Kappeler, PM},
title = {Cognitive performance is linked to fitness in a wild primate.},
journal = {Science advances},
volume = {9},
number = {28},
pages = {eadf9365},
pmid = {37436999},
issn = {2375-2548},
mesh = {Animals ; *Primates ; *Cognition ; Happiness ; Phenotype ; Mammals ; },
abstract = {Cognitive performance varies widely across animal species, but the processes underlying cognitive evolution remain poorly known. For cognitive abilities to evolve, performance must be linked to individual fitness benefits, but these links have been rarely studied in primates even though they exceed most other mammals in these traits. We subjected 198 wild gray mouse lemurs to four cognitive and two personality tests and subsequently monitored their survival in a mark-recapture study. Our study revealed that survival was predicted by individual variation in cognitive performance as well as body mass and exploration. Because cognitive performance covaried negatively with exploration, individuals gathering more accurate information enjoyed better cognitive performance and lived longer, but so did heavier and more explorative individuals. These effects may reflect a speed-accuracy trade-off, with alternative strategies yielding similar overall fitness. The observed intraspecific variation in selective benefits of cognitive performance, if heritable, can provide the basis for the evolution of cognitive abilities in members of our lineage.},
}

Animals
*Primates
*Cognition
Happiness
Phenotype
Mammals

@article {pmid37433949,
year = {2023},
author = {Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K},
title = {Correction to: Unraveling the neural basis of spatial orientation in arthropods.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {209},
number = {4},
pages = {465},
doi = {10.1007/s00359-023-01655-5},
pmid = {37433949},
issn = {1432-1351},
}

@article {pmid37426347,
year = {2023},
author = {van der Kooi, CJ and Reuvers, L and Spaethe, J},
title = {Honesty, reliability, and information content of floral signals.},
journal = {iScience},
volume = {26},
number = {7},
pages = {107093},
pmid = {37426347},
issn = {2589-0042},
abstract = {Plants advertise their presence by displaying attractive flowers, which pollinators use to locate a floral reward. Understanding how floral traits scale with reward status lies at the heart of pollination biology, because it connects the different interests of plants and pollinators. Studies on plant phenotype-reward associations often use different terms and concepts, which limits developing a broader synthesis. Here, we present a framework with definitions of the key aspects of plant phenotype-reward associations and provide measures to quantify them across different species and studies. We first distinguish between cues and signals, which are often used interchangeably, but have different meanings and are subject to different selective pressures. We then define honesty, reliability, and information content of floral cues/signals and provide ways to quantify them. Finally, we discuss the ecological and evolutionary factors that determine flower phenotype-reward associations, how context-dependent and temporally variable they are, and highlight promising research directions.},
}

@article {pmid37421435,
year = {2023},
author = {Kraft, N and Muenz, TS and Reinhard, S and Werner, C and Sauer, M and Groh, C and Rössler, W},
title = {Expansion microscopy in honeybee brains for high-resolution neuroanatomical analyses in social insects.},
journal = {Cell and tissue research},
volume = {393},
number = {3},
pages = {489-506},
pmid = {37421435},
issn = {1432-0878},
support = {405620408//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 430253184//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 415914819//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 272768235//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 835102//H2020 European Research Council/ ; },
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Microscopy ; *Insecta ; Brain/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Mushroom Bodies/physiology ; },
abstract = {The diffraction limit of light microscopy poses a problem that is frequently faced in structural analyses of social insect brains. With the introduction of expansion microscopy (ExM), a tool became available to overcome this limitation by isotropic physical expansion of preserved specimens. Our analyses focus on synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli, MG) in the mushroom body (MB) of social insects, high-order brain centers for sensory integration, learning, and memory. MG undergo significant structural reorganizations with age, sensory experience, and during long-term memory formation. However, the changes in subcellular architecture involved in this plasticity have only partially been accessed yet. Using the western honeybee Apis mellifera as an experimental model, we established ExM for the first time in a social insect species and applied it to investigate plasticity in synaptic microcircuits within MG of the MB calyces. Using combinations of antibody staining and neuronal tracing, we demonstrate that this technique enables quantitative and qualitative analyses of structural neuronal plasticity at high resolution in a social insect brain.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Microscopy
*Insecta
Brain/physiology
Neurons/physiology
Learning/physiology
Mushroom Bodies/physiology

@article {pmid37410341,
year = {2023},
author = {Pahl, A and König von Borstel, U and Brucks, D},
title = {Llamas use social information from conspecifics and humans to solve a spatial detour task.},
journal = {Animal cognition},
volume = {26},
number = {5},
pages = {1623-1633},
pmid = {37410341},
issn = {1435-9456},
mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Camelids, New World ; Learning ; *Social Learning ; Social Behavior ; Cues ; },
abstract = {Learning by observing others (i.e. social learning) is an important mechanism to reduce the costs of individual learning. Social learning can occur between conspecifics but also heterospecifics. Domestication processes might have changed the animals' sensitivity to human social cues and recent research indicates that domesticated species are particularly good in learning socially from humans. Llamas (Lama glama) are an interesting model species for that purpose. Llamas were bred as pack animals, which requires close contact and cooperative behaviour towards humans. We investigated whether llamas learn socially from trained conspecifics and humans in a spatial detour task. Subjects were required to detour metal hurdles arranged in a V-shape to reach a food reward. Llamas were more successful in solving the task after both a human and a conspecific demonstrated the task compared to a control condition with no demonstrator. Individual differences in behaviour (i.e. food motivation and distraction) further affected the success rate. Animals did not necessarily use the same route as the demonstrators, thus, indicating that they adopted a more general detour behaviour. These results suggest that llamas can extract information from conspecific and heterospecific demonstrations; hence, broadening our knowledge of domesticated species that are sensitive to human social behaviour.},
}

Humans
Animals
*Camelids, New World
Learning
*Social Learning
Social Behavior
Cues

@article {pmid37408627,
year = {2023},
author = {van Elst, T and Schüßler, D and Rakotondravony, R and Rovanirina, VST and Veillet, A and Hohenlohe, PA and Ratsimbazafy, JH and Rasoloarison, RM and Rasoloharijaona, S and Randrianambinina, B and Ramilison, ML and Yoder, AD and Louis, EE and Radespiel, U},
title = {Diversification processes in Gerp's mouse lemur demonstrate the importance of rivers and altitude as biogeographic barriers in Madagascar's humid rainforests.},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
volume = {13},
number = {7},
pages = {e10254},
pmid = {37408627},
issn = {2045-7758},
abstract = {Madagascar exhibits exceptionally high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Models to explain the diversification and distribution of species in Madagascar stress the importance of historical variability in climate conditions which may have led to the formation of geographic barriers by changing water and habitat availability. The relative importance of these models for the diversification of the various forest-adapted taxa of Madagascar has yet to be understood. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeographic history of Gerp's mouse lemur (Microcebus gerpi) to identify relevant mechanisms and drivers of diversification in Madagascar's humid rainforests. We used restriction site associated DNA (RAD) markers and applied population genomic and coalescent-based techniques to estimate genetic diversity, population structure, gene flow and divergence times among M. gerpi populations and its two sister species M. jollyae and M. marohita. Genomic results were complemented with ecological niche models to better understand the relative barrier function of rivers and altitude. We show that M. gerpi diversified during the late Pleistocene. The inferred ecological niche, patterns of gene flow and genetic differentiation in M. gerpi suggest that the potential for rivers to act as biogeographic barriers depended on both size and elevation of headwaters. Populations on opposite sides of the largest river in the area with headwaters that extend far into the highlands show particularly high genetic differentiation, whereas rivers with lower elevation headwaters have weaker barrier functions, indicated by higher migration rates and admixture. We conclude that M. gerpi likely diversified through repeated cycles of dispersal punctuated by isolation to refugia as a result of paleoclimatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. We argue that this diversification scenario serves as a model of diversification for other rainforest taxa that are similarly limited by geographic factors. In addition, we highlight conservation implications for this critically endangered species, which faces extreme habitat loss and fragmentation.},
}

@article {pmid37397182,
year = {2023},
author = {Cristancho, S and Thompson, G},
title = {Building Resilient Healthcare Teams: Insights from Analogy to the Social Biology of Ants, Honey Bees and Other Social Insects.},
journal = {Perspectives on medical education},
volume = {12},
number = {1},
pages = {253-260},
pmid = {37397182},
issn = {2212-277X},
mesh = {Humans ; Bees ; Animals ; *Ants ; Patient Care Team ; Biology ; },
abstract = {The resilience of a healthcare system hinges on the adaptability of its teams. Thus far, healthcare teams have relied on well-defined scopes of practice to fulfill their safety mandate. While this feature has proven effective when dealing with stable situations, when it comes to disruptive events, healthcare teams find themselves navigating a fine balance between safety and resilience. Therefore, a better understanding of how the safety vs resilience trade-off varies under different circumstances is necessary if we are to promote and better train for resilience in modern healthcare teams. In this paper, we aim to bring awareness to the sociobiology analogy that healthcare teams might find useful during moments when safety and adaptability have the potential to conflict. Three principles underpin the sociobiology analogy: communication, decentralization, and plasticity. Of particular interest in this paper is plasticity whereby swapping roles or tasks becomes an adaptive, rather than a maladaptive, response teams could embrace when facing disruptive situations. While plasticity has naturally evolved in social insects, infusing plasticity in healthcare teams requires intentional training. Inspired by the sociobiology analogy, such training must value the ability: a) to read each other's cues and miscues, b) to step aside when others had the necessary skills, even if outside their scope, c) to deviate from protocols, and d) to foster cross-training. If the goal is to increase a team's behavioural flexibility and boost their resilience, this training mindset should become second nature.},
}

Humans
Bees
Animals
*Ants
Patient Care Team
Biology

@article {pmid37391163,
year = {2023},
author = {Schilcher, F and Scheiner, R},
title = {New insight into molecular mechanisms underlying division of labor in honeybees.},
journal = {Current opinion in insect science},
volume = {59},
number = {},
pages = {101080},
doi = {10.1016/j.cois.2023.101080},
pmid = {37391163},
issn = {2214-5753},
abstract = {Honeybees are highly organized eusocial insects displaying a distinct division of labor. Juvenile hormone (JH) has long been hypothesized to be the major driver of behavioral transitions. However, more and more experiments in recent years have suggested that the role of this hormone is not as fundamental as hypothesized. Vitellogenin, a common egg yolk precursor protein, seems to be the major regulator of division of labor in honeybees, in connection with nutrition and the neurohormone and transmitter octopamine. Here, we review the role of vitellogenin in controlling honeybee division of labor and its modulation by JH, nutrition, and the catecholamine octopamine.},
}

@article {pmid37382807,
year = {2023},
author = {Stuhrmann, C},
title = {Sociobiology on Screen. The Controversy Through the Lens of Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally.},
journal = {Journal of the history of biology},
volume = {56},
number = {2},
pages = {365-397},
pmid = {37382807},
issn = {1573-0387},
support = {316166947//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; },
abstract = {When the sociobiology debate erupted in 1975, there were almost too many contributions to the heated exchanges between sociobiologists and their critics to count. In the fall of 1976, a Canadian educational film entitled Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally sparked further controversy due to its graphic visuals and outrageous narration. While critics claimed the film was a promotional tool to further the sociobiological agenda in educational settings, sociobiologists quickly distanced themselves from the film and, in turn, accused the critics of consciously misrepresenting sociobiology by organizing showings of the film. Using audio, video, archival, and published sources, this paper explores the complicated history of Sociobiology: Doing What Comes Naturally and demonstrates how the public debate about the film reflects the positions, polemics, and polarization of the sociobiology debate as a whole.},
}

@article {pmid37348454,
year = {2023},
author = {Römer, D and Exl, R and Roces, F},
title = {Two feedback mechanisms involved in the control of leaf fragment size in leaf-cutting ants.},
journal = {The Journal of experimental biology},
volume = {226},
number = {12},
pages = {},
pmid = {37348454},
issn = {1477-9145},
support = {//University of Würzburg/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; *Ants ; Feedback ; Feeding Behavior ; Head Movements ; },
abstract = {Polymorphic leaf-cutting ants harvest leaf fragments that correlate in size with the workers' body size. When cutting, workers anchor their hind legs on the leaf edge and rotate, removing approximately semicircular fragments. Workers show behavioural plasticity and modify their leg extension while holding onto the leaf edge depending on, for instance, leaf toughness, cutting smaller fragments out of tough leaves. What sensory information workers use to control the cutting trajectory remains unknown. We investigated whether sensory information from both the leg contact with the leaf edge and from head movements underlies fragment size determination. In the laboratory, we recorded Atta sexdens workers cutting standardised ®Parafilm pseudoleaves of different thickness, and quantified cutting behaviour and body reach, i.e. the distance between the mandible and the anchored hind leg tarsus. Experimentally preventing contact with the leaf edge resulted in smaller fragments, evincing that workers control the cutting trajectory using information from the contact of the hind legs with the leaf edge. However, ants were able to cut fragments even when contact of all six legs with the edge was prevented, indicating the use of additional sensory information. Ablation of mechanosensory hairs at the neck joint alone did not influence fragment size determination, yet simultaneously preventing sensory feedback from both mechanosensory hairs and edge contact led to a loss of control over the cutting trajectory. Leaf-cutting ants, therefore, control their cutting trajectory using sensory information from both the leg contact with the leaf edge and the lateral bending of the head.},
}

Animals
*Ants
Feedback
Feeding Behavior
Head Movements

@article {pmid37328389,
year = {2023},
author = {Ruedenauer, FA and Parreño, MA and Grunwald Kadow, IC and Spaethe, J and Leonhardt, SD},
title = {The ecology of nutrient sensation and perception in insects.},
journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution},
volume = {38},
number = {10},
pages = {994-1004},
doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.006},
pmid = {37328389},
issn = {1872-8383},
mesh = {Animals ; *Insecta/physiology ; *Sensation ; Nutrients ; Perception ; },
abstract = {Insects are equipped with neurological, physiological, and behavioral tools to locate potential food sources and assess their nutritional quality based on volatile and chemotactile cues. We summarize current knowledge on insect taste perception and the different modalities of reception and perception. We suggest that the neurophysiological mechanisms of reception and perception are closely linked to the species-specific ecology of different insects. Understanding these links consequently requires a multidisciplinary approach. We also highlight existing knowledge gaps, especially in terms of the exact ligands of receptors, and provide evidence for a perceptional hierarchy suggesting that insects have adapted their reception and perception to preferentially perceive nutrient stimuli that are important for their fitness.},
}

Animals
*Insecta/physiology
*Sensation
Nutrients
Perception

@article {pmid37312549,
year = {2023},
author = {Püffel, F and Meyer, L and Imirzian, N and Roces, F and Johnston, R and Labonte, D},
title = {Developmental biomechanics and age polyethism in leaf-cutter ants.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {290},
number = {2000},
pages = {20230355},
pmid = {37312549},
issn = {1471-2954},
mesh = {Animals ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; *Ants ; Muscles ; Bite Force ; *Gastropoda ; },
abstract = {Many social insects display age polyethism: young workers stay inside the nest, and only older workers forage. This behavioural transition is accompanied by genetic and physiological changes, but the mechanistic origin of it remains unclear. To investigate if the mechanical demands on the musculoskeletal system effectively prevent young workers from foraging, we studied the biomechanical development of the bite apparatus in Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants. Fully matured foragers generated peak in vivo bite forces of around 100 mN, more than one order of magnitude in excess of those measured for freshly eclosed callows of the same size. This change in bite force was accompanied by a sixfold increase in the volume of the mandible closer muscle, and by a substantial increase of the flexural rigidity of the head capsule, driven by a significant increase in both average thickness and indentation modulus of the head capsule cuticle. Consequently, callows lack the muscle force capacity required for leaf-cutting, and their head capsule is so compliant that large muscle forces would be likely to cause damaging deformations. On the basis of these results, we speculate that continued biomechanical development post eclosion may be a key factor underlying age polyethism, wherever foraging is associated with substantial mechanical demands.},
}

Animals
Biomechanical Phenomena
*Ants
Muscles
Bite Force
*Gastropoda

@article {pmid37293932,
year = {2023},
author = {Püffel, F and Roces, F and Labonte, D},
title = {Strong positive allometry of bite force in leaf-cutter ants increases the range of cuttable plant tissues.},
journal = {The Journal of experimental biology},
volume = {226},
number = {13},
pages = {},
pmid = {37293932},
issn = {1477-9145},
mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Bite Force ; Mandible/anatomy & histology ; Herbivory ; Plant Leaves/physiology ; },
abstract = {Atta leaf-cutter ants are the prime herbivore in the Neotropics: differently sized foragers harvest plant material to grow a fungus as a crop. Efficient foraging involves complex interactions between worker size, task preferences and plant-fungus suitability; it is, however, ultimately constrained by the ability of differently sized workers to generate forces large enough to cut vegetation. In order to quantify this ability, we measured bite forces of Atta vollenweideri leaf-cutter ants spanning more than one order of magnitude in body mass. Maximum bite force scaled almost in direct proportion to mass; the largest workers generated peak bite forces 2.5 times higher than expected from isometry. This remarkable positive allometry can be explained via a biomechanical model that links bite forces with substantial size-specific changes in the morphology of the musculoskeletal bite apparatus. In addition to these morphological changes, we show that bite forces of smaller ants peak at larger mandibular opening angles, suggesting a size-dependent physiological adaptation, probably reflecting the need to cut leaves with a thickness that corresponds to a larger fraction of the maximum possible gape. Via direct comparison of maximum bite forces with leaf mechanical properties, we demonstrate (i) that bite forces in leaf-cutter ants need to be exceptionally large compared with body mass to enable them to cut leaves; and (ii), that the positive allometry enables colonies to forage on a wider range of plant species without the need for extreme investment in even larger workers. Our results thus provide strong quantitative arguments for the adaptive value of a positively allometric bite force.},
}

Animals
*Ants/physiology
Bite Force
Mandible/anatomy & histology
Herbivory
Plant Leaves/physiology

@article {pmid37264979,
year = {2023},
author = {Urbani, B and Robinson-González, G},
title = {Amazonian Monkeys and Kafka's Ape at the German Primate Center.},
journal = {Evolutionary anthropology},
volume = {32},
number = {3},
pages = {131-134},
doi = {10.1002/evan.21985},
pmid = {37264979},
issn = {1520-6505},
support = {//Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung/ ; },
mesh = {Animals ; Haplorhini ; *Primates ; *Hominidae ; },
}

Animals
Haplorhini
*Primates
*Hominidae

@article {pmid37238445,
year = {2023},
author = {Subasri, M and Cressman, C and Arje, D and Schreyer, L and Cooper, E and Patel, K and Ungar, WJ and Barwick, M and Denburg, A and Hayeems, RZ},
title = {Translating Precision Health for Pediatrics: A Scoping Review.},
journal = {Children (Basel, Switzerland)},
volume = {10},
number = {5},
pages = {},
pmid = {37238445},
issn = {2227-9067},
support = {Precision Child Health Catalyst Grant//Hospital for Sick Children/ ; },
abstract = {Precision health aims to personalize treatment and prevention strategies based on individual genetic differences. While it has significantly improved healthcare for specific patient groups, broader translation faces challenges with evidence development, evidence appraisal, and implementation. These challenges are compounded in child health as existing methods fail to incorporate the physiology and socio-biology unique to childhood. This scoping review synthesizes the existing literature on evidence development, appraisal, prioritization, and implementation of precision child health. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were searched. The included articles were related to pediatrics, precision health, and the translational pathway. Articles were excluded if they were too narrow in scope. In total, 74 articles identified challenges and solutions for putting pediatric precision health interventions into practice. The literature reinforced the unique attributes of children and their implications for study design and identified major themes for the value assessment of precision health interventions for children, including clinical benefit, cost-effectiveness, stakeholder values and preferences, and ethics and equity. Tackling these identified challenges will require developing international data networks and guidelines, re-thinking methods for value assessment, and broadening stakeholder support for the effective implementation of precision health within healthcare organizations. This research was funded by the SickKids Precision Child Health Catalyst Grant.},
}

@article {pmid37225773,
year = {2023},
author = {Bachert, A and Scheiner, R},
title = {The ant's weapon improves honey bee learning performance.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {13},
number = {1},
pages = {8399},
pmid = {37225773},
issn = {2045-2322},
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Ants ; Cognition ; *Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases ; Sucrose ; *Varroidae ; Mammals ; },
abstract = {Formic acid is the main component of the ant's major weapon against enemies. Being mainly used as a chemical defense, the acid is also exploited for recruitment and trail marking. The repelling effect of the organic acid is used by some mammals and birds which rub themselves in the acid to eliminate ectoparasites. Beekeepers across the world rely on this effect to control the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. Varroa mites are considered the most destructive pest of honey bees worldwide and can lead to the loss of entire colonies. Formic acid is highly effective against Varroa mites but can also kill the honeybee queen and worker brood. Whether formic acid can also affect the behavior of honey bees is unknown. We here study the effect of formic acid on sucrose responsiveness and cognition of honey bees treated at different live stages in field-relevant doses. Both behaviors are essential for survival of the honey bee colony. Rather unexpectedly, formic acid clearly improved the learning performance of the bees in appetitive olfactory conditioning, while not affecting sucrose responsiveness. This exciting side effect of formic acid certainly deserves further detailed investigations.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Ants
Cognition
*Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
Mitochondrial ADP, ATP Translocases
Sucrose
*Varroidae
Mammals

@article {pmid37198448,
year = {2023},
author = {Homberg, U and Pfeiffer, K},
title = {Unraveling the neural basis of spatial orientation in arthropods.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {209},
number = {4},
pages = {459-464},
pmid = {37198448},
issn = {1432-1351},
mesh = {Animals ; *Arthropods/physiology ; Orientation, Spatial ; Space Perception ; Insecta/physiology ; *Spiders ; },
abstract = {The neural basis underlying spatial orientation in arthropods, in particular insects, has received considerable interest in recent years. This special issue of the Journal of Comparative Physiology A seeks to take account of these developments by presenting a collection of eight review articles and eight original research articles highlighting hotspots of research on spatial orientation in arthropods ranging from flies to spiders and the underlying neural circuits. The contributions impressively illustrate the wide range of tools available to arthropods extending from specific sensory channels to highly sophisticated neural computations for mastering complex navigational challenges.},
}

Animals
*Arthropods/physiology
Orientation, Spatial
Space Perception
Insecta/physiology
*Spiders

@article {pmid37192665,
year = {2023},
author = {Rother, L and Müller, R and Kirschenmann, E and Foster, JJ and Kaya-Zeeb, S and Thamm, M and Pfeiffer, K},
title = {Walking bumblebees see faster.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {290},
number = {1999},
pages = {20230460},
pmid = {37192665},
issn = {1471-2954},
mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Visual Perception ; *Light ; Locomotion ; Walking ; Reaction Time ; },
abstract = {The behavioural state of animals has profound effects on neuronal information processing. Locomotion changes the response properties of visual interneurons in the insect brain, but it is still unknown if it also alters the response properties of photoreceptors. Photoreceptor responses become faster at higher temperatures. It has therefore been suggested that thermoregulation in insects could improve temporal resolution in vision, but direct evidence for this idea has so far been missing. Here, we compared electroretinograms from the compound eyes of tethered bumblebees that were either sitting or walking on an air-supported ball. We found that the visual processing speed strongly increased when the bumblebees were walking. By monitoring the eye temperature during recording, we saw that the increase in response speed was in synchrony with a rise in eye temperature. By artificially heating the head, we show that the walking-induced temperature increase of the visual system is sufficient to explain the rise in processing speed. We also show that walking accelerates the visual system to the equivalent of a 14-fold increase in light intensity. We conclude that the walking-induced rise in temperature accelerates the processing of visual information-an ideal strategy to process the increased information flow during locomotion.},
}

Animals
Bees
*Visual Perception
*Light
Locomotion
Walking
Reaction Time

@article {pmid37071779,
year = {2023},
author = {Nebauer, CA and Schleifer, MC and Ruedenauer, FA and Leonhardt, SD and Spaethe, J},
title = {Perception, regulation, and fitness effects of pollen phytosterols in the bumble bee, Bombus terrestris.},
journal = {American journal of botany},
volume = {110},
number = {6},
pages = {e16165},
doi = {10.1002/ajb2.16165},
pmid = {37071779},
issn = {1537-2197},
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Phytosterols ; Reproduction ; Sterols ; Pollen ; Perception ; },
abstract = {PREMISE: Many flowering plants depend on insects for pollination and thus attract pollinators by offering rewards, mostly nectar and pollen. Bee pollinators rely on pollen as their main nutrient source. Pollen provides all essential micro- and macronutrients including substances that cannot be synthesized by bees themselves, such as sterols, which bees need for processes such as hormone production. Variations in sterol concentrations may consequently affect bee health and reproductive fitness. We therefore hypothesized that (1) these variations in pollen sterols affect longevity and reproduction in bumble bees and (2) can thus be perceived via the bees' antennae before consumption.

METHODS: We studied the effect of sterols on longevity and reproduction of Bombus terrestris workers in feeding experiments and investigated sterol perception using chemotactile proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning.

RESULTS: Workers could perceive several sterols (cholesterol, cholestenone, desmosterol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol) via their antennae but not differentiate between them. However, when sterols were presented in pollen, and not as a single compound, the bees were unable to differentiate between pollen differing in sterol content. Additionally, different sterol concentrations in pollen neither affected pollen consumption nor brood development or worker longevity.

CONCLUSIONS: Since we used both natural concentrations and concentrations higher than those found in pollen, our results indicate that bumble bees may not need to pay specific attention to pollen sterol content beyond a specific threshold. Naturally encountered concentrations might fully support their sterol requirements and higher concentrations do not seem to have negative effects.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Phytosterols
Reproduction
Sterols
Pollen
Perception

@article {pmid37070301,
year = {2023},
author = {Habenstein, J and Grübel, K and Pfeiffer, K and Rössler, W},
title = {3D atlas of cerebral neuropils with previously unknown demarcations in the honey bee brain.},
journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology},
volume = {531},
number = {11},
pages = {1163-1183},
doi = {10.1002/cne.25486},
pmid = {37070301},
issn = {1096-9861},
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Drosophila melanogaster ; *Brain/physiology ; Neuropil/physiology ; Neurons ; Mushroom Bodies ; },
abstract = {Honey bees (Apis mellifera) express remarkable social interactions and cognitive capabilities that have been studied extensively. In many cases, behavioral studies were accompanied by neurophysiological and neuroanatomical investigations. While most studies have focused on primary sensory neuropils, such as the optic lobes or antennal lobes, and major integration centers, such as the mushroom bodies or the central complex, many regions of the cerebrum (the central brain without the optic lobes) of the honey bee are only poorly explored so far, both anatomically and physiologically. To promote studies of these brain regions, we used anti-synapsin immunolabeling and neuronal tract tracings followed by confocal imaging and 3D reconstructions to demarcate all neuropils in the honey bee cerebrum and close this gap at the anatomical level. We demarcated 35 neuropils and 25 fiber tracts in the honey bee cerebrum, most of which have counterparts in the fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and other insect species that have been investigated so far at this level of detail. We discuss the role of cerebral neuropils in multisensory integration in the insect brain, emphasize the importance of this brain atlas for comparative studies, and highlight specific architectural features of the honey bee cerebrum.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Drosophila melanogaster
*Brain/physiology
Neuropil/physiology
Neurons
Mushroom Bodies

@article {pmid37019813,
year = {2023},
author = {Rössler, W},
title = {Multisensory navigation and neuronal plasticity in desert ants.},
journal = {Trends in neurosciences},
volume = {46},
number = {6},
pages = {415-417},
doi = {10.1016/j.tins.2023.03.008},
pmid = {37019813},
issn = {1878-108X},
mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology ; Cues ; },
abstract = {Cataglyphis desert ants are skilled visual navigators. Here, I present a brief overview of multisensory learning and neuronal plasticity in ants, with a particular focus on the transition from the dark nest interior to performing first foraging trips. This highlights desert ants as experimental models for studying neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral development into successful navigators.},
}

Humans
Animals
*Ants/physiology
Learning/physiology
Neurons/physiology
Neuronal Plasticity/physiology
Cues

@article {pmid37018858,
year = {2023},
author = {Schuhmann, A and Scheiner, R},
title = {A combination of the frequent fungicides boscalid and dimoxystrobin with the neonicotinoid acetamiprid in field-realistic concentrations does not affect sucrose responsiveness and learning behavior of honeybees.},
journal = {Ecotoxicology and environmental safety},
volume = {256},
number = {},
pages = {114850},
doi = {10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114850},
pmid = {37018858},
issn = {1090-2414},
mesh = {Bees ; Animals ; *Fungicides, Industrial ; Sucrose ; Neonicotinoids ; *Insecticides/pharmacology ; },
abstract = {The increasing loss of pollinators over the last decades has become more and more evident. Intensive use of plant protection products is one key factor contributing to this decline. Especially the mixture of different plant protection products can pose an increased risk for pollinators as synergistic effects may occur. In this study we investigated the effect of the fungicide Cantus® Gold (boscalid/dimoxystrobin), the neonicotinoid insecticide Mospilan® (acetamiprid) and their mixture on honeybees. Since both plant protection products are frequently applied sequentially to the same plants (e.g. oilseed rape), their combination is a realistic scenario for honeybees. We investigated the mortality, the sucrose responsiveness and the differential olfactory learning performance of honeybees under controlled conditions in the laboratory to reduce environmental noise. Intact sucrose responsiveness and learning performance are of pivotal importance for the survival of individual honeybees as well as for the functioning of the entire colony. Treatment with two sublethal and field relevant concentrations of each plant protection product did not lead to any significant effects on these behaviors but affected the mortality rate. However, our study cannot exclude possible negative sublethal effects of these substances in higher concentrations. In addition, the honeybee seems to be quite robust when it comes to effects of plant protection products, while wild bees might be more sensitive.},
}

Bees
Animals
*Fungicides, Industrial
Sucrose
Neonicotinoids
*Insecticides/pharmacology

@article {pmid36972440,
year = {2023},
author = {Ozgul, A and Fichtel, C and Paniw, M and Kappeler, PM},
title = {Destabilizing effect of climate change on the persistence of a short-lived primate.},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
volume = {120},
number = {14},
pages = {e2214244120},
pmid = {36972440},
issn = {1091-6490},
mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Climate Change ; Population Dynamics ; Animals, Wild ; Temperature ; Mammals ; Seasons ; *Cheirogaleidae/physiology ; },
abstract = {Seasonal tropical environments are among those regions that are the most affected by shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes under climate change, with potentially severe consequences for wildlife population persistence. This persistence is ultimately determined by complex demographic responses to multiple climatic drivers, yet these complexities have been little explored in tropical mammals. We use long-term, individual-based demographic data (1994 to 2020) from a short-lived primate in western Madagascar, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), to investigate the demographic drivers of population persistence under observed shifts in seasonal temperature and rainfall. While rainfall during the wet season has been declining over the years, dry season temperatures have been increasing, with these trends projected to continue. These environmental changes resulted in lower survival and higher recruitment rates over time for gray mouse lemurs. Although the contrasting changes have prevented the study population from collapsing, the resulting increase in life-history speed has destabilized an otherwise stable population. Population projections under more recent rainfall and temperature levels predict an increase in population fluctuations and a corresponding increase in the extinction risk over the next five decades. Our analyses show that a relatively short-lived mammal with high reproductive output, representing a life history that is expected to closely track changes in its environment, can nonetheless be threatened by climate change.},
}

Animals
Humans
*Climate Change
Population Dynamics
Animals, Wild
Temperature
Mammals
Seasons
*Cheirogaleidae/physiology

@article {pmid36839307,
year = {2023},
author = {Liudvytska, O and Ponczek, MB and Ciesielski, O and Krzyżanowska-Kowalczyk, J and Kowalczyk, M and Balcerczyk, A and Kolodziejczyk-Czepas, J},
title = {Rheum rhaponticum and Rheum rhabarbarum Extracts as Modulators of Endothelial Cell Inflammatory Response.},
journal = {Nutrients},
volume = {15},
number = {4},
pages = {},
pmid = {36839307},
issn = {2072-6643},
support = {P41 GM103311/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 GM129325/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; },
mesh = {Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; *Endothelial Cells/drug effects ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology ; *Rheum/chemistry ; Humans ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; },
abstract = {BACKGROUND: Inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and alterations in blood physiology are key factors contributing to atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular disorders. Hence, modulation of endothelial function and reducing its pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic activity is considered one of the most important cardioprotective strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of rhubarb extracts isolated from petioles and underground organs of Rheum rhabarbarum L. (garden rhubarb) and R. rhaponticum L. (rhapontic rhubarb) as well as two stilbenoids, typically found in these plants, i.e., rhapontigenin (RHPG) and its glycoside, rhaponticin (RHPT).

METHODS: Analysis of the anti-inflammatory effects of the indicated rhubarb-derived substances involved different aspects of the endothelial cells' (HUVECs) response: release of the inflammatory mediators; cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) expression as well as the recruitment of leukocytes to the activated HUVECs. The ability of the rhubarb-derived extracts to inhibit COX-2 and 5-LOX activities was examined as well. The study was supplemented with the in silico analysis of major components of the analyzed extracts' interactions with COX-2 and 5-LOX.

RESULTS: The obtained results indicated that the examined plant extracts and stilbenes possess anti-inflammatory properties and influence the inflammatory response of endothelial cells. Biochemical and in silico tests revealed significant inhibition of COX-2, with special importance of rhaponticin, as a compound abundant in both plant species. In addition to the reduction in COX-2 gene expression and enzyme activity, a decrease in the cytokine level and leukocyte influx was observed. Biochemical tests and computational analyses indicate that some components of rhubarb extracts may act as COX-2 inhibitors, with marginal inhibitory effect on 5-LOX.},
}

Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Cyclooxygenase 2
*Endothelial Cells/drug effects
*Plant Extracts/pharmacology
*Rheum/chemistry
Humans
Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

@article {pmid36819896,
year = {2023},
author = {Tieo, S and Restrepo-Ortiz, CX and Roura-Torres, B and Sauvadet, L and Harté, M and Charpentier, MJE and Renoult, JP},
title = {The Mandrillus Face Database: A portrait image database for individual and sex recognition, and age prediction in a non-human primate.},
journal = {Data in brief},
volume = {47},
number = {},
pages = {108939},
pmid = {36819896},
issn = {2352-3409},
abstract = {The Mandrillus Project is a long-term field research project in ecology and evolutionary biology, monitoring, since 2012, a natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx; primate) located in Southern Gabon. The Mandrillus Face Database was launched at the beginning of the project and now contains 29,495 photographic portraits collected on 397 individuals from this population, from birth to death for some of them. Portrait images have been obtained by manually processing images taken in the field with DSLR cameras: faces have been cropped to remove the ears and rotated to align the eyes horizontally. The database provides portrait images resized to 224 × 224 pixels associated with several manually annotated labels: individual identity, sex, age, face view, and image quality. Labels are stored within the image metadata and in a table accompanying the image database. This database will allow training and comparing methods on individual and sex recognition, and age prediction in a non-human animal.},
}

@article {pmid36750188,
year = {2023},
author = {Poirotte, C and Charpentier, MJE},
title = {Mother-to-daughter transmission of hygienic anti-parasite behaviour in mandrills.},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
volume = {290},
number = {1992},
pages = {20222349},
pmid = {36750188},
issn = {1471-2954},
mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Humans ; *Parasites ; *Mandrillus ; Nuclear Family ; Mothers ; Social Dominance ; },
abstract = {Social animals are particularly exposed to infectious diseases. Pathogen-driven selection pressures have thus favoured the evolution of behavioural adaptations to decrease transmission risk such as the avoidance of contagious individuals. Yet, such strategies deprive individuals of valuable social interactions, generating a cost-benefit trade-off between pathogen avoidance and social opportunities. Recent studies revealed that hosts differ in these behavioural defences, but the determinants driving such inter-individual variation remain understudied. Using 6 years of behavioural and parasite data on a large natural population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), we showed that, when parasite prevalence was high in the population, females avoided grooming their conspecifics' peri-anal region (PAR), where contagious gastro-intestinal parasites accumulate. Females varied, however, in their propensity to avoid this risky body region: across years, some females consistently avoided grooming it, while others did not. Interestingly, hygienic females (i.e. those avoiding the PAR) were less parasitized than non-hygienic females. Finally, age, dominance rank and grooming frequency did not influence a female's hygiene, but both mother-daughter and maternal half-sisters exhibited similar hygienic levels, whereas paternal half-sisters and non-kin dyads did not, suggesting a social transmission of this behaviour. Our study emphasizes that the social inheritance of hygiene may structure behavioural resistance to pathogens in host populations with potential consequences on the dynamics of infectious diseases.},
}

Animals
Female
Humans
*Parasites
*Mandrillus
Nuclear Family
Mothers
Social Dominance

@article {pmid36737661,
year = {2023},
author = {Moris, VC and Podsiadlowski, L and Martin, S and Oeyen, JP and Donath, A and Petersen, M and Wilbrandt, J and Misof, B and Liedtke, D and Thamm, M and Scheiner, R and Schmitt, T and Niehuis, O},
title = {Intrasexual cuticular hydrocarbon dimorphism in a wasp sheds light on hydrocarbon biosynthesis genes in Hymenoptera.},
journal = {Communications biology},
volume = {6},
number = {1},
pages = {147},
pmid = {36737661},
issn = {2399-3642},
mesh = {Bees/genetics ; Animals ; *Wasps/genetics ; Sex Characteristics ; Biological Evolution ; Pheromones ; Hydrocarbons ; },
abstract = {Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) cover the cuticle of insects and serve as desiccation barrier and as semiochemicals. While the main enzymatic steps of CHC biosynthesis are well understood, few of the underlying genes have been identified. Here we show how exploitation of intrasexual CHC dimorphism in a mason wasp, Odynerus spinipes, in combination with whole-genome sequencing and comparative transcriptomics facilitated identification of such genes. RNAi-mediated knockdown of twelve candidate gene orthologs in the honey bee, Apis mellifera, confirmed nine genes impacting CHC profile composition. Most of them have predicted functions consistent with current knowledge of CHC metabolism. However, we found first-time evidence for a fatty acid amide hydrolase also influencing CHC profile composition. In situ hybridization experiments furthermore suggest trophocytes participating in CHC biosynthesis. Our results set the base for experimental CHC profile manipulation in Hymenoptera and imply that the evolutionary origin of CHC biosynthesis predates the arthropods' colonization of land.},
}

Bees/genetics
Animals
*Wasps/genetics
Sex Characteristics
Biological Evolution
Pheromones
Hydrocarbons

@article {pmid38469509,
year = {2023},
author = {Schilcher, F and Hilsmann, L and Ankenbrand, MJ and Krischke, M and Mueller, MJ and Steffan-Dewenter, I and Scheiner, R},
title = {Corrigendum: Honeybees are buffered against undernourishment during larval stages.},
journal = {Frontiers in insect science},
volume = {3},
number = {},
pages = {1146464},
doi = {10.3389/finsc.2023.1146464},
pmid = {38469509},
issn = {2673-8600},
abstract = {[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.951317.].},
}

@article {pmid36714315,
year = {2022},
author = {Değirmenci, L and Rogé Ferreira, FL and Vukosavljevic, A and Heindl, C and Keller, A and Geiger, D and Scheiner, R},
title = {Sugar perception in honeybees.},
journal = {Frontiers in physiology},
volume = {13},
number = {},
pages = {1089669},
pmid = {36714315},
issn = {1664-042X},
abstract = {Honeybees (Apis mellifera) need their fine sense of taste to evaluate nectar and pollen sources. Gustatory receptors (Grs) translate taste signals into electrical responses. In vivo experiments have demonstrated collective responses of the whole Gr-set. We here disentangle the contributions of all three honeybee sugar receptors (AmGr1-3), combining CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genetic knock-out, electrophysiology and behaviour. We show an expanded sugar spectrum of the AmGr1 receptor. Mutants lacking AmGr1 have a reduced response to sucrose and glucose but not to fructose. AmGr2 solely acts as co-receptor of AmGr1 but not of AmGr3, as we show by electrophysiology and using bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Our results show for the first time that AmGr2 is indeed a functional receptor on its own. Intriguingly, AmGr2 mutants still display a wildtype-like sugar taste. AmGr3 is a specific fructose receptor and is not modulated by a co-receptor. Eliminating AmGr3 while preserving AmGr1 and AmGr2 abolishes the perception of fructose but not of sucrose. Our comprehensive study on the functions of AmGr1, AmGr2 and AmGr3 in honeybees is the first to combine investigations on sugar perception at the receptor level and simultaneously in vivo. We show that honeybees rely on two gustatory receptors to sense all relevant sugars.},
}

@article {pmid36687801,
year = {2023},
author = {Breininger, DR and Stolen, ED and Carter, GM and Legare, SA and Payne, WV and Breininger, DJ and Lyon, JE and Schumann, CD and Hunt, DK},
title = {Territory and population attributes affect Florida scrub-jay fecundity in fire-adapted ecosystems.},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
volume = {13},
number = {1},
pages = {e9704},
pmid = {36687801},
issn = {2045-7758},
abstract = {Fecundity, the number of young produced by a breeding pair during a breeding season, is a primary component in evolutionary and ecological theory and applications. Fecundity can be influenced by many environmental factors and requires long-term study due to the range of variation in ecosystem dynamics. Fecundity data often include a large proportion of zeros when many pairs fail to produce any young during a breeding season due to nest failure or when all young die independently after fledging. We conducted color banding and monthly censuses of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) across 31 years, 15 populations, and 761 territories along central Florida's Atlantic coast. We quantified how fecundity (juveniles/pair-year) was influenced by habitat quality, presence/absence of nonbreeders, population density, breeder experience, and rainfall, with a zero-inflated Bayesian hierarchical model including both a Bernoulli (e.g., brood success) and a Poisson (counts of young) submodel, and random effects for year, population, and territory. The results identified the importance of increasing "strong" quality habitat, which was a mid-successional state related to fire frequency and extent, because strong territories, and the proportion of strong territories in the overall population, influenced fecundity of breeding pairs. Populations subject to supplementary feeding also had greater fecundity. Territory size, population density, breeder experience, and rainfall surprisingly had no or small effects. Different mechanisms appeared to cause annual variation in fecundity, as estimates of random effects were not correlated between the success and count submodels. The increased fecundity for pairs with nonbreeders, compared to pairs without, identified empirical research needed to understand how the proportion of low-quality habitats influences population recovery and sustainability, because dispersal into low-quality habitats can drain nonbreeders from strong territories and decrease overall fecundity. We also describe how long-term study resulted in reversals in our understanding because of complications involving habitat quality, sociobiology, and population density.},
}

@article {pmid36645020,
year = {2023},
author = {Urbani, B and Youlatos, D},
title = {Simia langobardorum: Were African apes traded in late medieval Lombardy?.},
journal = {American journal of primatology},
volume = {85},
number = {2},
pages = {e23462},
doi = {10.1002/ajp.23462},
pmid = {36645020},
issn = {1098-2345},
support = {//Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research/ ; //Alexander von Humboldt Foundation/ ; //Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/ ; },
mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Hominidae ; Pan troglodytes ; *Presbytini ; },
abstract = {Depictions of and references to apes (tailless hominoids) are very limited in early historical written accounts. The first known published representations of ape-like primates appear in Medieval European books during the first century following the invention of printing. Considering the current knowledge of ape iconography, this article examines an unusual image of a couple of ape-like creatures rendered in a European manuscript and explores the possible links of this challenging illustration with historical accounts and contexts during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. The studied manuscript is known as "BL Sloane MS 4016" and is a medieval herbal manuscript (Tratactus de Herbis) of Lombardian origin dated c. 1440. The illustration in question, which also appears in similar manuscripts, represents two primates. However, these representations differ significantly from those in the other manuscripts. The individuals have physical features that suggest attribution to chimpanzees. The location and the date of the manuscript in relation to the extended merchant and travel network between Europe and Africa during the late Medieval times and earlier Renaissance most likely indicate that free-living or traded chimpanzees or their images may have been the visual source for the illustration. The examination of early depictions and descriptions of apes helps us to understand how we, humans, have represented our own closest zoological relatives. In doing so, this study also provides a review of early ape iconography and historical accounts about African primates during the so-called Age of Discoveries.},
}

Humans
Animals
*Hominidae
Pan troglodytes
*Presbytini

@article {pmid36598579,
year = {2023},
author = {Zupanc, GKH and Rössler, W and Warrant, EJ and Homberg, U and Arikawa, K and Helfrich-Förster, C and Narins, PM and Simmons, AM},
title = {Contact chemoreception, magnetic maps, thermoregulation by a superorganism, and, thanks to Einstein, an all-time record: the Editors' and Readers' Choice Awards 2023.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {209},
number = {3},
pages = {337-340},
pmid = {36598579},
issn = {1432-1351},
mesh = {Animals ; Bees ; *Awards and Prizes ; Body Temperature Regulation ; Magnetic Phenomena ; },
abstract = {During the 99 years of its history, the Journal of Comparative Physiology A has published many of the most influential papers in comparative physiology and related disciplines. To celebrate this achievement of the journal's authors, annual Editors' Choice Awards and Readers' Choice Awards are presented. The winners of the 2023 Editors' Choice Awards are 'Contact chemoreception in multi‑modal sensing of prey by Octopus' by Buresch et al. (J Comp Physiol A 208:435-442, 2022) in the Original Paper category; and 'Magnetic maps in animal navigation' by Lohmann et al. (J Comp Physiol A 208:41-67, 2022) in the Review/Review-History Article category. The winners of the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards are 'Coping with the cold and fighting the heat: thermal homeostasis of a superorganism, the honeybee colony' by Stabentheiner et al. (J Comp Physiol A 207:337-351; 2021) in the Original Paper category; and 'Einstein, von Frisch and the honeybee: a historical letter comes to light' by Dyer et al. (J Comp Physiol A 207:449-456, 2021) in the Review/Review-History category.},
}

Animals
Bees
*Awards and Prizes
Body Temperature Regulation
Magnetic Phenomena

@article {pmid36550368,
year = {2023},
author = {Homberg, U and Hensgen, R and Jahn, S and Pegel, U and Takahashi, N and Zittrell, F and Pfeiffer, K},
title = {The sky compass network in the brain of the desert locust.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {209},
number = {4},
pages = {641-662},
pmid = {36550368},
issn = {1432-1351},
mesh = {Animals ; *Grasshoppers/physiology ; Brain/physiology ; Insecta/physiology ; Orientation, Spatial ; Sunlight ; },
abstract = {Many arthropods and vertebrates use celestial signals such as the position of the sun during the day or stars at night as compass cues for spatial orientation. The neural network underlying sky compass coding in the brain has been studied in great detail in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. These insects perform long-range migrations in Northern Africa and the Middle East following seasonal changes in rainfall. Highly specialized photoreceptors in a dorsal rim area of their compound eyes are sensitive to the polarization of the sky, generated by scattered sunlight. These signals are combined with direct information on the sun position in the optic lobe and anterior optic tubercle and converge from both eyes in a midline crossing brain structure, the central complex. Here, head direction coding is achieved by a compass-like arrangement of columns signaling solar azimuth through a 360° range of space by combining direct brightness cues from the sun with polarization cues matching the polarization pattern of the sky. Other directional cues derived from wind direction and internal self-rotation input are likely integrated. Signals are transmitted as coherent steering commands to descending neurons for directional control of locomotion and flight.},
}

Animals
*Grasshoppers/physiology
Brain/physiology
Insecta/physiology
Orientation, Spatial
Sunlight

@article {pmid36543364,
year = {2023},
author = {Goymann, W and Brumm, H and Kappeler, PM},
title = {Biological sex is binary, even though there is a rainbow of sex roles: Denying biological sex is anthropocentric and promotes species chauvinism: Denying biological sex is anthropocentric and promotes species chauvinism.},
journal = {BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology},
volume = {45},
number = {2},
pages = {e2200173},
doi = {10.1002/bies.202200173},
pmid = {36543364},
issn = {1521-1878},
mesh = {Male ; Female ; Animals ; Humans ; *Gender Role ; *Gender Identity ; Phenotype ; Plants ; },
abstract = {Biomedical and social scientists are increasingly calling the biological sex into question, arguing that sex is a graded spectrum rather than a binary trait. Leading science journals have been adopting this relativist view, thereby opposing fundamental biological facts. While we fully endorse efforts to create a more inclusive environment for gender-diverse people, this does not require denying biological sex. On the contrary, the rejection of biological sex seems to be based on a lack of knowledge about evolution and it champions species chauvinism, inasmuch as it imposes human identity notions on millions of other species. We argue that the biological definition of the sexes remains central to recognising the diversity of life. Humans with their unique combination of biological sex and gender are different from non-human animals and plants in this respect. Denying the concept of biological sex, for whatever cause, ultimately erodes scientific progress and may open the flood gates to "alternative truths."},
}

Male
Female
Animals
Humans
*Gender Role
*Gender Identity
Phenotype
Plants

@article {pmid36509795,
year = {2022},
author = {Murillo, T and Schneider, D and Heistermann, M and Daniel, R and Fichtel, C},
title = {Assessing the drivers of gut microbiome composition in wild redfronted lemurs via longitudinal metacommunity analysis.},
journal = {Scientific reports},
volume = {12},
number = {1},
pages = {21462},
pmid = {36509795},
issn = {2045-2322},
mesh = {Animals ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics/analysis ; *Lemur/genetics ; Longitudinal Studies ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; *Strepsirhini/genetics ; Bacteria/genetics ; Water ; },
abstract = {The gut microbiome influences host's immunity, development, and metabolism and participates in the gut-brain axis, thus impacting the health of the host. It is a dynamic community varying between individuals and within individuals at different time points. Hence, determining the factors causing this variability may elucidate their impact on host's health. However, understanding the drivers of variation has proven difficult particularly as multiple interactions occur simultaneously in the gut microbiome. We investigated the factors shaping the gut microbiome by applying the metacommunity concept where the gut microbiome is considered as a microbial community shaped by the interactions within the community, with the host and microbial communities outside the host, this through a longitudinal study in a wild primate. Focal behavioral data were collected for 1 year in four groups of redfronted lemurs to determine individual social and feeding behaviors. In addition, regular fecal samples were collected to assess bacteria, protozoa, and helminths through marker gene analysis and to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations to investigate the impact of physiological stress on the gut microbiome. Higher consumption of leaves and elevated fGCM concentrations correlated with higher alpha diversity, which also differed among groups. The major drivers of variation in beta diversity were group membership, precipitation and fGCM concentrations. We found positive and negative associations between bacterial genera and almost all studied factors. Correlations between bacterial indicator networks and social networks indicate transmission of bacteria between interacting individuals. We detected that processes occurring inside the gut environment are shaping the gut microbiome. Host associated factors such as, HPA axis, dietary changes, and fluctuations in water availability had a greater impact than interactions within the microbial community. The interplay with microbial communities outside the host also shape the gut microbiome through the exchange of bacteria through social relationships between individuals and the acquisition of microorganisms from environmental water sources.},
}

Animals
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics/analysis
*Lemur/genetics
Longitudinal Studies
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
Pituitary-Adrenal System
*Strepsirhini/genetics
Bacteria/genetics
Water

@article {pmid36494572,
year = {2023},
author = {Rössler, W and Grob, R and Fleischmann, PN},
title = {The role of learning-walk related multisensory experience in rewiring visual circuits in the desert ant brain.},
journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology},
volume = {209},
number = {4},
pages = {605-623},
pmid = {36494572},
issn = {1432-1351},
mesh = {Animals ; *Ants/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Brain ; Cues ; Walking ; Homing Behavior/physiology ; Desert Climate ; },
abstract = {Efficient spatial orientation in the natural environment is crucial for the survival of most animal species. Cataglyphis desert ants possess excellent navigational skills. After far-ranging foraging excursions, the ants return to their inconspicuous nest entrance using celestial and panoramic cues. This review focuses on the question about how naïve ants acquire the necessary spatial information and adjust their visual compass systems. Naïve ants perform structured learning walks during their transition from the dark nest interior to foraging under bright sunlight. During initial learning walks, the ants perform rotational movements with nest-directed views using the earth's magnetic field as an earthbound compass reference. Experimental manipulations demonstrate that specific sky compass cues trigger structural neuronal plasticity in visual circuits to integration centers in the central complex and mushroom bodies. During learning walks, rotation of the sky-polarization pattern is required for an increase in volume and synaptic complexes in both integration centers. In contrast, passive light exposure triggers light-spectrum (especially UV light) dependent changes in synaptic complexes upstream of the central complex. We discuss a multisensory circuit model in the ant brain for pathways mediating structural neuroplasticity at different levels following passive light exposure and multisensory experience during the performance of learning walks.},
}

Animals
*Ants/physiology
Learning/physiology
Brain
Cues
Walking
Homing Behavior/physiology
Desert Climate