We studied activity patterns and movement characteristics of 19 satellite radio-collared Asiatic lions. We hypothesised that (1) movement and activity should be variable in relation to demographic parameters, and (2) land tenure characteristics (home-range, daily distance moved) may be variable within and outside Gir PA. Adult lions' mean day-time activity was 20.37 ± 11.15, while the daily distance moved was 5.1 ± 4.0 km. There was a significant difference in the mean daily distance between males and females but none between adult and sub-adult males. Adult males were significantly more active than sub-adult males. Compared to within PA, the mean daily movement for adult males and females ranging outside PA was not different but more significant for sub-adult males. The home ranges are larger outside PA compared to within PA. The difference in space use outside PA was an artefact of long-distance forays by adult and sub-adult males and females on certain days.

In an 1854 lecture, TH Huxley suggested that physiology should be measured by its contribution to science, its practical worth, and the extent to which it should be made a branch of education. Since macrophysiology, or the investigation of variation in physiological traits over large geographical and temporal scales and the ecological implications of this variation, is well-established and approaching its third decade, these questions are posed for it here.

Sloths are among the most specialized suspensory species. While sloths generally show a reduction in skeletal muscle mass, the digital flexor musculature (i.e., the muscles associated with grip strength) remains relatively large. In this study, we demonstrate the brown-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) have remarkably high grip forces exceeding 100% bodyweight.

The prevalence of ophidiomycosis, as assessed by qPCR on skin swabs and clinical signs, varies seasonally in a free-living rattlesnake population. Seasonal ophidiomycosis is associated with increased thermoregulatory behavior and ecdysis. Although the prevalence of the causative agent was not significantly different in pregnant compared to non-reproductive individuals, pregnant female snakes exhibited a lower prevalence of clinical signs compared to males. Photo credit: Andrew Durso

We investigated how a community of rodents inhabiting the Ethiopian Highlands responded to the dual environmental pressure of low ambient temperatures and hypobaric hypoxic conditions at high altitude. We measured internal organ masses and fur properties in six rodent species. Our findings suggest different mechanisms of maintaining thermal and exercise performance under inseparable hypoxic-thermal conditions of the high-altitude environment among the studied rodents.

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has been an invasive species in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago since its intentional introduction and release in 1946. In this study we demonstrate that invasive beavers exhibited demographic plasticity in relation to time since invasion (increasing survivorship, generation time, life expectancy, and cohort life expectancy consistent with populations close to carrying capacity in areas with low or null management). They also exhibited plasticity in response to management histories (advanced breeding onset and reduced survivorship and life expectancy in managed areas—similar to managed populations in their native range).

We studied the responses of yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata) to different water levels (constant high, decreasing water level, and constant low water level) in the laboratory using individuals collected from natural ponds. We found that B. variegata cannot accelerate their developmental rate in response to pond drying. The metamorphs from decreasing and constant low water levels had similar size, mass, growth rate and body condition indices at metamorphosis, and all these traits were lower than in the constant high water level treatment. These changes in life-history traits at metamorphosis did not affect tail shape although they had carry-over effects on life-history and morphological traits after metamorphosis. Post-metamorphic individuals reared in desiccation treatments had similar but smaller lengths of femur and tibiofibula, but these changes did not have negative consequences on jumping performances.

Greater honeyguide birds are known to lead people to bees' nests, and it has been repeatedly stated that honeyguides similarly guide honey badgers. Here, we review the evidence that honey badgers and honeyguides cooperate to access bees' nests, drawing from the published literature, from our own observations whilst studying both species, and by conducting 394 interviews with honey-hunters in 11 communities across nine African countries. The results of this complementary approach suggest that, although substantial uncertainty remains, the most likely scenario is that the interaction does occur but is highly localized or extremely difficult to observe, or both.

In this study we tested the relationship between environmental and biogeographical variables and richness of amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, and all tetrapods, globally, and across biogeographical realms, using the most up-to-date richness dataset. We found taxonomic and spatial variations, but about a common theme. Precipitation is largely the most influential predictor with the exception of the Nearctic (and the Palearctic to some extent) and reptiles. Elevational range is usually less important than climate, but it is highly influential in the Indomalaya realm.

This Thomas Henry Huxley Review by P. Monaghan and E. R. Ivimey-Cook provides a new perspective on the evolution of a post reproductive life stage in females. We posit that the curtailment of female fertility is a cost of the high level of quality control of oocyte mitochondria required in endothermic species with exceptionally energy expensive brains.

Allometry of the pectoralis and supracoracoideus flight muscles with body mass was explored in birds. Pectoralis muscle exhibited isometry but the supracoracoideus exhibited significant negative allometry. Both muscles were significantly affected by order. Flight style in birds reflects differing proportions of the flight muscles.

White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) and Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India. Credit: Andrew Knapp.

This study uses spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) modelling of camera trap data from the Ruaha-Rungwa landscape to present the first spatially explicit population density estimates for spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) from Tanzania. Spotted hyaena population densities varied from 3.55 ± 0.72 to 10.80 ± 1.08 adults and sub-adults per 100 km² and were generally positively correlated with densities of lion and leopard. Our study provides some of the first insights into an under-studied species in an under-researched part of its range and suggests that spotted hyaena may be less resilient to human pressures than widely thought. Photo credit: Charlotte Searle.

In this study, we use the urodele Salamandra salamandra as a study model to apply an analytical approach for extracting and quantifying colour proportions and patterns variation, using the recently developed R packages patternize and recolorize, to accurately describe and compare colour distribution at both taxonomic and habitat levels. Our results demonstrated that this methodological workflow effectively detects differences in colour patterns at both levels, confirming its utility from systematics to eco-evolutionary studies. Our results also revealed an increased prevalence of melanistic colouration and a less homogeneous colour pattern within urban settings, contributing to the limited number of studies about amphibian colouration in anthropic habitats.

Being ecosystem engineers, beavers have attracted great attention in the restoration of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nonetheless, the effects of the species on aquatic invertebrates known to date are not univocal and mostly refer to central European riverine systems. Here, we evaluated the effects of beaver presence on aquatic macroinvertebrates for the first time in a Mediterranean riverine ecosystem, by applying a sound control-impact sampling design and controlling for seasonal variation in macroinvertebrate assemblage composition. Our results indicate that beavers and their engineering activity may induce highly variable species-specific responses in macroinvertebrates, thus possibly representing a driver of environmental heterogeneity along Mediterranean rivers.

Understanding positional behaviors (i.e., locomotor and postural behaviors), as well as daily activity patterns, is relevant for elucidating the fundamental ecology and eco-evolutionary dynamics of animals, particularly arboreal species. In this paper, we utilized camera trap data to underscore the diverse range of primate- and cat-like positional behaviors, coupled with the general daily activity patterns exhibited during the nocturnal periods of the Neotropical kinkajou.

Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), being ectothermic organisms, could be especially susceptible to climate change effects. This study investigated the reproductive phenology and outputs of loggerhead turtles and their relationships with climatic variables over a 5-year period (2019–2023) at Patara Beach, Türkiye. The findings from this study indicate that atmospheric temperature significantly affected incubation period, hatching success rate, the number of dead embryos and the number of empty eggshells. Additionally, relative humidity had a significant impact on the incubation period and the number of empty eggshells. In this context, rising temperatures led to drier nest conditions, decreased incubation periods and increased nest temperatures, resulting in higher proportions of female offspring. More studies are needed at both the Mediterranean and global scales to better understand these effects.

We evaluated the effects of environmental factors and anthropogenic activity on habitat use of black bears (Ursus americanus) within a wildlife management area open to public recreation in Georgia, USA. The spatial distribution of food resources likely contributed to the observed black bear occupancy pattern related to elevation and distance to water, while human disturbance in the study area also influenced black bear occupancy. Our results suggest that in a landscape open to public recreation, black bear occupancy was driven by a combination of environmental and anthropogenic factors.

Understanding how so many kinds of species coexist in a limited world has puzzled ecologists for more than a century. Our study examined this by looking at squamate sister species. We examined whether co-occurring sisters have dissimilar niches to reduce competition or similar niches due to habitat constraints. Our findings reveal a complex picture, with no consistent support for either theory, prompting us to revisit the concepts of niche-based species coexistence.

The ideal free distribution (IFD) model is a core ecological theory that predicts animal distribution, but is challenging to test in nature. Here, we utilize as habitat patches the orb webs of golden orb weaver spider species and the obligate spider kleptoparasites that are associated with their webs. We examine how the IFD model predicts the abundance of kleptoparasites under different patterns of patch size and distribution.

Here, we used camera traps to monitor vertebrate scavengers at 120 kangaroo carcasses positioned across different seasons and habitats in a desert, subalpine and temperate bioregion in Australia. Our survey identified twenty-seven scavenging vertebrate species and revealed new insights into the important role environmental variables, especially seasonality, play in shaping scavenging patterns across different bioregions.