The effect of heat waves on pill bug Armadillidium vulgare risk-taking strategies Global climate change is expected to increase both across- and within-day temperature fluctuations, likely affecting animal behaviour, particularly in small-bodied ectotherms. However, their impact on individual behavioural strategies remains understudied. Here, we investigated how heat waves influence risk-taking…
Continue Reading....Publication – Bókony et al., Science Advances
Complex effects of sex reversal on reproductive success in wild frogs Sex reversal, when the environment overrides genotypic sex determination, may hasten or delay climate-driven extinction in ectothermic animals, depending on sex-reversed individuals’ reproductive ability and offspring viability. Empirically, next to nothing is known about these traits in natural populations.…
Continue Reading....Publication – Růžičková et al., Ecology and Evolution
Context-Dependent Movement Responses of Large Carabids to Forest Gap Cuttings Continuous cover forestry aims to mimic natural disturbance dynamics and thus preserve the structure of uneven-aged, semi-natural forests. A common practice within this silvicultural system is the selective logging of single trees or small groups of trees, creating small-scale canopy…
Continue Reading....Publication – Halpern et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Negligible behavioural variation in Hungarian meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis) captive-reared intensively and the effects of simple environmental enrichment Captive breeding and reintroduction are typically seen as a last resort to save a certain taxon or population from going extinct. However, it is hard to decide between intensive (maximum growth,…
Continue Reading....Publication – Herczeg D et al., BMC Biology
Experimental evidence for behavioural cooling as a response to virus infection in an ectothermic vertebrate BackgroundBehavioural plasticity may contribute to the ability of wild animals to survive disease outbreaks. In absence of endogen heat control, ectothermic animals adjust their body temperature behaviourally. While many studies reported behavioural fever, its opposite,…
Continue Reading....Publication – Biro et al., Biodiversity and Conservation
Exploring stakeholders’ apprehensions and perceptions of subterranean biodiversity monitoring in Europe In an era of biodiversity crisis, monitoring habitats and species is essential to track their changes, understand conservation priorities, and guide management decisions. In the European Union, the Habitats Directive mandates the monitoring of different habitat types. However, the…
Continue Reading....Publication – Csősz et al., Myrmecological News
Reconstructed phylogeny and morphometry suggest the European rock ant Temnothorax sordidulus (Müller, 1923) forms a ring species around the Dinaric Alps (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) The spatial variation observed within a species often leads to clines or ring-species formation, presenting a challenging puzzle in taxonomy. In this gray zone of classifcation, interconnected…
Continue Reading....Publication – Laczi et al., Ornithology
Information content of persistent plumage color traits in Ficedula albicollis nestlings In animals, colors play a key role in communication. Coloration studies typically focus on the expression of color traits of sexually mature individuals. However, the same color-producing mechanisms are at work in immature individuals, so it cannot be excluded…
Continue Reading....Pulication – Kőműves et al., Ecology and Evolution
Variation in the Oxidative State of Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) Nestlings and Its Association With Their Plumage Coloration Plumage coloration is widely recognized as an important component in intraspecific communication across different life stages. Although coloration received a lot of attention within the field of visual communication, we have little…
Continue Reading....Publication – Csősz et al., Insects
A Taxonomic Revision of the East Mediterranean Species of the Crematogaster scutellaris Complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) The taxonomy of the East Mediterranean species of the Crematogaster scutellaris complex, Crematogaster schmidti (Mayr, 1853) and C. ionia Forel, 1911 sensu lato, has not yet been investigated via modern approaches like morphometric analyses. We collected morphometric data of 201 workers from 68…
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