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,…
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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…
Continue Reading....Publication – Pintér-Szajber et al., NeoBiota
Distribution and invasion risk of non-native amphibians and aquatic reptiles in the Pannonian Biogeographical Region of Central Europe Global declines in amphibians and reptiles have been well documented for decades, with invasive species being one of the major threats. In the Pannonian Biogeographical Region (PBR) of Central Europe, which includes…
Continue Reading....Publication – Růžičková et al., Global Ecology and Conservation
Humidity and gap history drive predation pressure on large carabids in a managed temperate forest Predation is one of the key ecological processes that shape animal communities and ecosystem functioning. However, its strength and variability across structurally heterogeneous forest habitats remain poorly understood, especially in ground-dwelling insects. Using 3D-printed decoys…
Continue Reading....Publication-Růžičková & Elek, Movement Ecology
Challenges and approaches in tracking and analyzing movement of ground-dwelling insects The movement ecology of ground-dwelling insects is essential for understanding their behavior and population dynamics. These insects, especially flightless beetles and orthopterans, exhibit cryptic lifestyles and fine-scale movements that pose unique challenges to tracking and recording their movement paths…
Continue Reading....Publication – Katzke et al., Nature Methods
High-throughput phenomics of global ant biodiversity The big data era in biology is underway, but the study of organismal form has been slow to capitalize on advances in imaging and computation. Imaging approaches can digitize whole organisms, but low throughput has limited the effort to document morphological diversity. Here, within…
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