Ecology

Birds migrate longitudinally in response to the resultant Asian monsoons of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift

1. Wenyuan Zhang
2. Zhongru Gu
3. Yangkang Chen
4. Ran Zhang
5. Xiangjiang Zhan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important and creative study finds that the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau-via its resultant monsoon system rather than solely its high elevation-has shifted avian migratory directions from a latitudinal to a longitudinal orientation. However, the main claims are incomplete and only partially supported, as the reliance on eBird data-which lacks the resolution to capture population-specific teleconnections-combined with a limited tracking dataset covering only seven species leaves key aspects of the argument underdetermined, and the critical assumption of niche conservatism is not sufficiently foregrounded in the manuscript. More clearly communicating these limitations would significantly enhance the interpretability of the results, ensuring that the major conclusions are presented in the context of these essential caveats.

Reviewed by eLife

On the quest for novelty in ecology

1. Gianluigi Ottaviani
2. Alejandro Martínez
3. Matteo Petit Bon
4. Stefano Mammola

Reviewed by Peer Community in Ecology

Effects of blood meal source and seasonality on reproductive traits of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

1. Kevin Alen Rucci
2. Gabriel Barco
3. Andrea Onorato
4. Mauricio Beranek
5. Mariana Pueta
6. Adrián Díaz

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study provides the first assessment of potentially interactive effects of seasonality and blood source on mosquito fitness, together in one study. During revision, the manuscript has been substantively improved, providing additional solid data to support the robustness of observations. Overall, this interesting study will advance our current understanding of mosquito biology.

Reviewed by eLife

An experimental test of the influence of microbial manipulation on sugar kelp ( Saccharina latissima ) supports the the core influences host function hypothesis

1. Jungsoo Park
2. Evan Kohn
3. Siobhan Schenk
4. Katherine Davis
5. Jennifer Clark
6. Laura Wegener Parfrey

Reviewed by preLights

Bird population trend analyses for a monitoring scheme with a highly structured sampling design

1. Mirjam R Rieger
2. Christoph Grüneberg
3. Michael Oberhaus
4. Sven Trautmann
5. Madalin Parepa
6. Nils Anthes

Reviewed by Peer Community in Ecology

Habitat structural complexity increases age-class coexistence and population growth rate through relaxed cannibalism in a freshwater fish

1. Eric Edeline
2. Yoann Bennevault
3. David Rozen-Rechels

Reviewed by Peer Community in Ecology

Scales of marine endemism in oceanic islands and the Provincial-Island endemism

1. Hudson T. Pinheiro
2. Luiz A. Rocha
3. Juan P. Quimbayo

Reviewed by Peer Community in Ecology

The neuropeptide sulfakinin is a peripheral regulator of insect behavioral switch between mating and foraging

1. Hong-Fei Li
2. Bao Dong
3. Yuan-Yuan Peng
4. Hao-Yue Luo
5. Xiao-Lan Ou
6. Zheng-Lin Ren
7. Yoonseong Park
8. Jin-Jun Wang
9. Hong-Bo Jiang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work investigates the mechanism that underlies the switch between feeding and mating behaviors in the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis. Using a variety of approaches, the authors show that this switch is mediated by the neuropeptide, sulfakinin, acting peripherally through the sulfakinin receptor 1 to regulate the expression of antennal odorant receptors. The evidence is solid in support of the hypothesis that sulfakinin signaling mediates changes in the periphery, although additional sites of action may also contribute to these changes.

Reviewed by eLife

A circadian clock drives behavioral activity in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and provides a potential mechanism for seasonal timing

1. Lukas Hüppe
2. Dominik Bahlburg
3. Ryan Driscoll
4. Charlotte Helfrich-Förster
5. Bettina Meyer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study substantially advances our understanding of the circadian clock in Antarctic krill, a key species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Through logistically challenging shipboard experiments conducted across seasons, the authors provide compelling evidence for their conclusions. The study will be of broad interest to marine biologists and ecologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Brochosomes as an antireflective camouflage coating for leafhoppers

1. Wei Wu
2. Qianzhuo Mao
3. Zhuang-Xin Ye
4. Zhenfeng Liao
5. Hong-Wei Shan
6. Jun-Min Li
7. Chuan-Xi Zhang
8. Jian-Ping Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The authors provide important insights into a system of insect camouflage where a coating of self-made nano-particles (brochosomes) reduces the reflection of UV-light leading to lower predation by spiders. Compelling evidence is provided by micro-UV-Vis spectroscopy, electron microscopy, transcriptome and proteome analysis, histology, in-vivo predation assays and gene knock-downs. The phylogenetic analyses provide evidence that the genes coding for the brochosome proteins are clade-specific and have diversified by gene duplication.

Reviewed by eLife