Zoology

Unlocking the secrets of kangaroo locomotor energetics: Postural adaptations underpin increased tendon stress in hopping kangaroos

1. Lauren H. Thornton
2. Taylor J.M. Dick
3. John R. Hutchinson
4. Glen A. Lichtwark
5. Craig P. McGowan
6. Jonas Rubenson
7. Alexis Wiktorowicz-Conroy
8. Christofer J. Clemente

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable biomechanical analysis of kangaroo kinematics and kinetics across a range of hopping speeds and masses is a step towards understanding a long-standing problem in locomotion biomechanics: the mechanism for how, unlike other mammals, kangaroos are able to increase hopping speed without a concomitant increase in metabolic cost. Based on their suggestion that kangaroo posture changes with speed increase tendon stress/strain and hence elastic energy storage/return, the authors imply (but do not show quantitatively or qualitatively) that the greater tendon elastic energy storage/return counteracts the increased cost of generating muscular force at faster speeds and allows for the invariance in metabolic cost. The methods are impressive, but there is currently only limited evidence for increased tendon stress/strain at faster speeds, and the support for any conclusion metabolic energy expenditure is inadequate.

Reviewed by eLife, preLights

Bisphenol A affects the development and the onset of photosymbiosis in the acoel Symsagittifera roscoffensis

1. R. Pennati
2. N. Cartelli
3. C. Castelletti
4. F. Ficetola
5. X. Bailly
6. S. Mercurio

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

How the liver contributes to stomach warming in the endothermic white shark Carcharodon carcharias

1. David C. Bernvi
2. Geremy Cliff

Reviewed by preLights

A comparison of the parasitoid wasp species richness of tropical forest sites in Peru and Uganda – subfamily Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

1. Tapani Hopkins
2. Hanna Tuomisto
3. Isrrael C. Gómez
4. Ilari E. Sääksjärvi

Reviewed by Peer Community In Zoology

Species composition and distribution of the Anopheles gambiae complex circulating in Kinshasa

1. Josue Zanga
2. Emery Metelo
3. Nono Mvuama
4. Victoire Nsabatien
5. Vanessa Mvudi
6. Degani Banzulu
7. Osée Mansiangi
8. Maxwel Bamba
9. Narcisse Basosila
10. Rodrigue Agossa
11. Roger Wumba

• Curated by GigaByte

  Editors Assessment: Understanding the distribution of Anopheles mosquito species is essential for planning and implementing malaria control programmes, a task undertaken in this study that assesses the composition and distribution of the Anopheles in different districts of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mosquitoes were collected using CDC light traps, and then identified by morphological and molecular means. In total 3,839 Anopheles were collected, and data was digitised, validated and shared via the GBIF database under a CC0 waiver. The project monitoring the monthly dynamics of four species of Anopheles, showing a fluctuation in their respective frequencies during the study period. Review improved the metadata by adding more accurate date information, and this data can provide important information for further basic and advanced studies on the ecology and phenology of these vectors in West Africa.

  *This evaluation refers to version 1 of the preprint

Reviewed by GigaByte

Energy conservation by collective movement in schooling fish

1. Yangfan Zhang
2. George V Lauder

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The authors provide an important series of metabolic measurements characterizing group dynamics in fish, rationalizing that schooling behavior presents several benefits. The strength of evidence supporting this conclusion is solid, but the specific methodological and analytical approaches taken should be considered for further interpretation.

Reviewed by eLife

Imidacloprid disrupts larval molting regulation and nutrient energy metabolism, causing developmental delay in honey bee Apis mellifera

1. Zhi Li
2. Yuedi Wang
3. Qiqian Qin
4. Lanchun Chen
5. Xiaoqun Dang
6. Zhengang Ma
7. Zeyang Zhou

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This investigation of the changes in gene expression and some of the physiological consequences of sublethal exposures to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid in honeybee larvae is useful, although numerous experiments were not considered based on technical issues. The methodological design leads to concerns and it is therefore not obvious that all conclusions are justified. The study adds to our understanding of how this insecticide impacts development and growth of honeybees, but the evidence supporting the major claims is incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Data from Entomological Collections of Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae) in a post-epidemic area of Chikungunya, City of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

1. Victoire Nsabatien
2. Josue Zanga
3. Fiacre Agossa
4. Nono Mvuama
5. Maxwell Bamba
6. Osée Mansiangi
7. Leon Mbashi
8. Vanessa Mvudi
9. Glodie Diza
10. Dorcas Kantin
11. Narcisse Basosila
12. Hyacinthe Lukoki
13. Arsene Bokulu
14. Christelle Bosulu
15. Erick Bukaka
16. Jonas Nagahuedi
17. Jean Claude Palata
18. Emery Metelo

• Curated by GigaByte

  Editors Assessment: Aedes mosquito spread Arbovirus epidemics (e.g. Chikungunya, dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and Zika), are a growing threat in Africa but a lack of vector data limits our ability to understand their propagation dynamics. This work describes the geographical distribution of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo between 2020 and 2022. Sharing 6,943 observations under a CC0 waiver as a Darwin Core archive in the University of Kinshasa GBIF database. Review improved the metadata by adding more accurate date information, and this data can provide important information for further basic and advanced studies on the ecology and phenology of these vectors in West Africa.

  This evaluation refers to version 1 of the preprint

Reviewed by GigaByte

Time-course of antipredator behavioral changes induced by the helminth Pomphorhynchus laevis in its intermediate host Gammarus pulex: the switch in manipulation according to parasite developmental stage differs between behaviors

1. Thierry Rigaud
2. Aude Balourdet
3. Alexandre Bauer

Reviewed by Peer Community In Zoology

FSHβ links photoperiodic signaling to seasonal reproduction in Japanese quail

1. Gaurav Majumdar
2. Timothy A Liddle
3. Calum Stewart
4. Christopher J Marshall
5. Maureen Bain
6. Tyler Stevenson

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important article provides insights into the neural centers and hormonal modulations underlying seasonal changes associated with photoperiod-induced life-history states in birds. The physiological and transcriptomic analyses of the mediobasal hypothalamus and pituitary gland offer convincing evidence for a timing mechanism for measuring day length, which is relevant for the field of seasonal biology. The study's experiments and findings have the potential to captivate the attention of molecular and organismal endocrinologists and chronobiologists.

Reviewed by eLife