Uncategorized – Page 3 – Open Access Biology Summaries

Seeing red: why do all these beetles look like each other?

From: “Persistence of multiple patterns and intraspecific polymorphism in multi-species Müllerian communities of net-winged beetles”, M. Bocek, D. Kusy, M. Motyka and L. Bocak (2019). Frontiers in Zoology 16:38 https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12983-019-0335-8 We’ve all seen warning colouration – the stripes on bees and wasps, the bright hues of snakes and the colourful spots of tropical frogs all …

Continue reading “Seeing red: why do all these beetles look like each other?”

The eyes have it: the weird and wonderful evolution of eyes in a mollusc

From: “Remnants of ancestral larval eyes in an eyeless mollusk? Molecular characterization of photoreceptors in the scaphopod Antalis entails”, T. Wollesen, C. McDougall and D. Arendt (2019), EvoDevo 10:25 https://evodevojournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13227-019-0140-7 The evolution of eyes in molluscs is a particularly complex and interesting puzzle in evolutionary biology. No other group has the sheer variety of different …

Continue reading “The eyes have it: the weird and wonderful evolution of eyes in a mollusc”

All the small things: how good teamwork can make a big difference

From: “The division of labour between community medicine distributors influences the reach of mass drug administration: A cross-sectional study in rural Uganda”, G.F. Chami, N.B. Kabatereine, E.M. Tukahebwa (2019), PLos Neglected Tropical Diseases 13:9 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007685 One under-celebrated area in medical studies is working out how best to get drugs and vaccines to at-risk communities. You …

Continue reading “All the small things: how good teamwork can make a big difference”

Plant oils: the future of food preservation?

From: “Insecticidal Activity of Four Plant Essential Oils against Two Stored Product Beetles”, K. Saeidi and H. Pezhman (2018), Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology 7:3 https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0983.1000213 Storage pests are a real problem in feeding the planet, and can result in huge losses of stored crops that have taken many months to grow. Insects, especially beetles such …

Continue reading “Plant oils: the future of food preservation?”

Evolving from harmless filter-feeder to venomous predator: the strange history of the Viper Copepods

From: “Evolutionary transformation of mouthparts from particle-feeding to piercing carnivory in Viper copepods: Review and 3D analyses of a key innovation using advanced imaging techniques”, T. Kaji, C. Song, K. Murata, S. Nonaka, K. Ogawa, Y. Kondo, S. Ohtsuka and A.R. Palmer (2019), Frontiers in Zoology 16:35 https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12983-019-0308-y Evolution is generally thought to be a …

Continue reading “Evolving from harmless filter-feeder to venomous predator: the strange history of the Viper Copepods”

When does a bird decide to fly? Adventures in Flight Initiation Distance

From “Anti-predator behavior along elevational and latitudinal gradients in dark-eyed juncos”, M. Andrade, D.T. Blumstein (2019), Current Zoology zoz046 https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoz046 The vast majority of wild animals will, if a person walks towards them, run or fly away. For something so commonsense and easily taken for granted, this is actually quite poorly understood as a phenomenon. …

Continue reading “When does a bird decide to fly? Adventures in Flight Initiation Distance”

How useful are bednets in preventing leishmaniasis?

From: “Effect of insecticide-treated bed nets on visceral leishmaniasis incidence in Bangladesh. A retrospective cohort analysis”, R. Chowdhury, V. Chowdhury, S. Faria, S. Akter, A.P. Dash, S.K. Bhattacharya, N.P. Maheswary, C. Bern, S. Akhter, J. Alvar, A. Kroeger, M. Boelaert, and Q. Banu (2019), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 13:9 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007724 The founding principle of public …

Continue reading “How useful are bednets in preventing leishmaniasis?”

Boating flies: how mosquitoes travel through the Amazon

From: “The genetic structure of Aedes aegypti populations is driven by boat traffic in the Peruvian Amazon”, S.A.J. Guagliardo, Y. Lee, A.A. Pierce, J. Wong, Y.Y. Chu, A.C. Morrison, H. Astete, B. Brosi, G. Vazquez-Prokopec, T.W. Scott, U. Kitron, S.T. Stoddard (2019), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13:9 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007552 The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major …

Continue reading “Boating flies: how mosquitoes travel through the Amazon”

Is there a downside to flight? Looking for trade-offs in bush-crickets

From: “Contrasting patterns of macroptery in Roesel’s bush cricket Metrioptera roeselii (Orthoptera, Ensifera)”, S. Szanyi, A. Nagy, I.A. Rácz, Z. Varga (2014), Estonian Journal of Ecology 63:4 doi: 10.3176/eco.2014.4.07 Click to access ecol-2014-4-299-311.pdf Roesel’s bush-crickets (Metrioptera roeselii) have been presenting an interesting problem to scientists in recent years. Why? Because they have been expanding across …

Continue reading “Is there a downside to flight? Looking for trade-offs in bush-crickets”

Sex and Violence: The Surprising Consequences of Selective Breeding in Siamese Fighting Fish

From: ‘Artificial selection for male winners in the Siamese fighting fish Betta splendens correlates with high female aggression’, A. Ramos and D. Gonçalves (2019), Frontiers in Zoology 16:34 https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12983-019-0333-x#Sec6 Differences between males and females (sexual dimorphisms) in animals are odd. Males and females have significant differences in their reproductive organs and hormone profiles, and in …

Continue reading “Sex and Violence: The Surprising Consequences of Selective Breeding in Siamese Fighting Fish”