Zoology

Adulis and the transshipment of baboons during classical antiquity

1. Franziska Grathwol
2. Christian Roos
3. Dietmar Zinner
4. Benjamin Hume
5. Stéphanie M Porcier
6. Didier Berthet
7. Jacques Cuisin
8. Stefan Merker
9. Claudio Ottoni
10. Wim Van Neer
11. Nathaniel J Dominy
12. Gisela H Kopp

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This Research Advance provides compelling evidence connecting the ancient Egyptian trade of baboons with the ancient port city of Adulis. Combining ancient DNA methods from a single mummified baboon with historical accounts, this work fundamentally advances our understanding of the ancient baboon trade in the Red Sea. Some additional reporting of DNA contamination will make the evidence provided even stronger.

Reviewed by eLife

A seven-year record of fluctuating core body temperatures of nesting leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles

1. Malcolm W. Kennedy

Reviewed by PREreview

If it’s there, could it be a bear?

1. Floe Foxon

Reviewed by PeerRef

If it’s real, could it be an eel?

1. Floe Foxon

Reviewed by PeerRef

Sensory conflict disrupts circadian rhythms in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

1. Cory A Berger
2. Ann M Tarrant

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Understanding the integration and contribution of different combinations of environmental cues to the synchronization of the daily oscillator is important, because it provides insight into how organisms might be able to distinguish (and weight) between irregular (or in the tidal zone highly complex) versus regular individual daily changes of light and temperature. The study, which is thoroughly conducted and provides an impressive amount of experimental and analytical work, dissects the effects of sensory conflict on behavior and gene expression rhythms.

Reviewed by eLife

Non-canonical function of an Hif-1α splice variant contributes to the sustained flight of locusts

1. Ding Ding
2. Jie Zhang
3. Baozhen Du
4. Xuanzhao Wang
5. Li Hou
6. Siyuan Guo
7. Bing Chen
8. Le Kang

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The hypoxia inducible factor (Hif) pathway was defined based on its role in cellular adaptation to hypoxia. In this paper, the authors examine the function of the pathway under 'physiological' normoxia in highly aerobic locust flight muscle. They find that a muscle-specific variant, Hif-1alpha2, is induced extensively by flying. By integrating bioinformatic analyses, measurements of gene expression and regulation, metabolites as well as redox regulation and flight assays, it is shown that Hif-1alpha2 plays an important role in sustaining prolonged flight by promoting glucose oxidation and upregulating a reactive oxygen species quencher (DJ-1). This study demonstrates the physiological requirement for two Hif-1a variants in a highly aerobic tissue in migratory locusts, a species that is both physiologically fascinating and a major agricultural pest. The work will be of interest to colleagues studying the physiology of muscles and flight.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer 3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Roosting ecology and the evolution of bat landing maneuvers

1. David B. Boerma
2. Sharon M. Swartz

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Bat landings are remarkable because they are typically inverted and can involve two, three or four limbs securing the substrate, ranging from cave ceilings to leaves. How different bat species accomplish landing in such a remarkable dynamic fashion and how this ability may have evolved is a mystery. Boersma and Swartz resolved this question by studying how a wide range of bat species land in a unique biomechanics field study conducted across the world, which they complemented with a phylogenetic analysis that provides new insights into how bat landing behavior may have evolved in relation to substrate mechanics. The new evolutionary insight into how bat landing style relates to peak substrate contact force will be of interest to comparative biomechanists, movement ecologists and evolutionary biologists alike. Finally, the markedly different landing strategies for complex natural surfaces may inspire roboticists to design more effective landing and grasping solutions for complex surfaces.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at One of Three Captive Cervid Facilities in Texas

1. Christopher M. Roundy
2. Chase M. Nunez
3. Logan F. Thomas
4. Lisa D. Auckland
5. Wendy Tang
6. Jack J. Richison
7. Breanna R. Green
8. Clayton D. Hilton
9. Michael J. Cherry
10. Alex Pauvolid-Corrêa
11. Gabriel L. Hamer
12. Walter E. Cook
13. Sarah A. Hamer

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Total virome characterizations of game animals in China reveals a spectrum of emerging viral pathogens

1. Wan-Ting He
2. Xin Hou
3. Jin Zhao
4. Jiumeng Sun
5. Haijian He
6. Wei Si
7. Jing Wang
8. Zhiwen Jiang
9. Ziqing Yan
10. Gang Xing
11. Meng Lu
12. Marc A. Suchard
13. Xiang Ji
14. Wenjie Gong
15. Biao He
16. Jun Li
17. Philippe Lemey
18. Deyin Guo
19. Changchun Tu
20. Edward C. Holmes
21. Mang Shi
22. Shuo Su

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses

1. Amy Morris-Drake
2. Julie M Kern
3. Andrew N Radford

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This article will be of interest to behavioural ecologists studying aggression, within-group conflict, communication, and the use of social information. The study elegantly combines well-designed experiments with field observations to investigate the effects of within-group conflict on social behaviour. Specifically, it expands our understanding of social dynamics in group-living species by providing evidence that bystanders of within-group conflict may play a role in maintaining group cohesion. The findings provide a valuable contribution, and contrast, to existing work in this field.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife