Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology: Vol 345, No 3 The Journal of Experimental Zoology – A publishes articles at the intersection of animal development, physiology, ecology, and evolution.

This study reports ophidiomycosis prevalence in dice snakes (Natrix tessellata): in a Lake Como population, ~53% carried Ophidiomyces and ~24% showed disease, with higher risk in smaller individuals #DiseaseEcology #Herpetology
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Baby Got Bite: Kinematics and Ontogenetic Scaling of Bite Performance in the Northern Giant Musk Turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus) Body size strongly influences the life history, behavior, and ecology of vertebrates, yet few studies have quantified biomechanical performance across ontogeny, and turtles are rarely examined in thi....

Biting Back 🐢 Northern giant musk turtles (Staurotypus triporcatus) show increasing bite force with size, while lunge speed stays constant, juveniles strike as fast as adults #Ontogeny
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Prevalence and Mechanisms of Sustained Force Production in the Musculature of the Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) The southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) exhibits prolonged mate-holding behavior. This behavior maybe be underpinned by a phenomenon known as sustained force, observed in the jaw muscle...

Southern alligator lizards (Elgaria multicarinata) grip mates using a unique “sustained force” in jaw muscles, absent in limb muscles #ComparativePhysiology
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Immune‐Neuroendocrine Phenotypic Expression Changes Through Life in Coturnix japonica Quails Immune-neuroendocrine characteristics can be used to classify individuals according to their physiological profiles or phenotypes (INPs). In avian models such as quail and domestic chickens, three su...

Chronic stress reshapes immune profiles in birds: quail (Coturnix japonica) shift from mostly intermediate phenotypes to polarized pro- (Lewis-like) and anti-inflammatory (Fischer-like) states, with lasting, sex-biased patterns #StressBiology
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The Individual and Combined Effects of Warming and Atrazine on Lithobates pipiens Phenotypes: Implications for Frog Declines Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class globally. Climate change, agrochemicals, and/or pathogens and parasites are implicated in contributing to amphibian declines, either singly or in c...

Between contaminants and warming 🐸 This study shows how elevated temperature and atrazine interact in frogs (Lithobates pipiens), accelerating development but compromising immunity #Ecotoxicology #ClimateChange
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DNA Barcoding for Species Identification and Conservation of Caimans (Crocodilia: Alligatoridae) Systematics has become an essential aspect of managing and conserving species from the order Crocodilia. All members of the group are listed in CITES appendices, and to control illegal traffic of ani...

DNA barcoding and crocodilian conservation: new primers successfully identify caiman species using COI sequences, matching known phylogeny and aiding forensic detection of illegal wildlife trade. #ConservationGenetics
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Baseodiscus the Eldest: First Report of a Decades‐Long Lifespan in a Nemertean Species Nemertea is a speciose phylum of marine invertebrate predators ubiquitous in the world's oceans, which includes Lineus longissimus (Gunnerus, 1770)—the world's longest documented extant animal, yet m...

The elder Nemerteans 🪱 A confirmed lifespan of at least 26 years for Baseodiscus punnetti reveals remarkable longevity and how little we know about marine invertebrate life histories. #MarineBiology #Invertebrates
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Tagging Very Small Fish: Two Effective and Low Impact Methods Identifying individuals over time and across contexts is essential in many scientific fields. There are a variety of well-established methods for uniquely marking individuals (e.g., visible implant e...

Find out more about tagging methods for tiny juvenile cichlids (Astatotilapia burtoni): tattoo ink injections and fine fishing line tags. Both are low-cost, safe, and don’t alter behavior! #Ichthyology #ResearchMethods
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Defense Capacities Against Oxidative Stress in Diapause and Post‐Diapause Embryos of Artemia franciscana Embryos of Artemia franciscana survive harsh conditions in diapause and anoxia-induced quiescence for years by undergoing deep metabolic transitions. During reactivation of metabolism, both the relea...

In embryos of Artemia franciscana, antioxidant enzymes are higher post-diapause, reflecting increased metabolic rates. Protection from oxidative stress appears to rely more on limiting ROS production than scavenging #OxidativeStress
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Skin secretions of Hylarana erythraea revealed metabolites and peptides linked to immunity, stress response, and wound healing, some with predicted antioxidant and antidiabetic potential. #EcoPhysiology #OneHealth
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Ontogeny of the Heat‐Induced Hatching Response in the Red‐Eyed Treefrog, Agalychnis callidryas In ectothermic vertebrates, temperature impacts the rate and success of embryonic development, and in some species, embryos show adaptive behavioral responses to thermal conditions. The arboreal embr...

Escaping from heat starts early 🐸🌡️ Red-eyed treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas) embryos hatch in response to heat earlier than previously reported, and at a stable thermal limit #ThermalBiology #ClimateChange
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Wild‐Derived House Mice (Mus musculus) Are Able to Cope With a Constant Light Environment Exposure to altered nighttime lighting conditions has become common in today's modern world. Light at night disrupts circadian processes that govern feeding patterns, sleep/wake cycles, and metabolic...

Keeping up with light pollution! 🌗 🐭 After 6 weeks of constant light or darkness, wild-derived house mice (Mus musculus) showed no major changes in mitochondrial function, oxidative damage, or body condition. #Chronobiology
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Effects of 17α‐Ethinylestradiol on Development and Gonadal Differentiation in the Estuarine Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus In fish, sex determination and gonadal development are controlled by various genetic and environmental factors. In this study, experiments were conducted on the estuarine mummichog (Fundulus heterocl...

Exposure of mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) to 17α-Ethinylestradiol during early development influences sex determination and feminizes fish. #EndocrineDisruption
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Epinephrine boosts red blood cell stability to hypoosmotic stress in the marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus #ComparativePhysiology
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Effect of Body Configuration on Perturbation Resistance Across Arboreal Lizard Species Animals that inhabit high-risk habitats often exhibit morphological and behavioral adaptations to contend with environmental challenges. In arboreal (tree-based) habitats, such adaptations can includ...

This study evaluated the restabilizing behaviors of arboreal lizards when subjected to a simulated environmental perturbation #Lizards #Biomechanics
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Depleted Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations Impair the Embryonic and Early Larval Development of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) Depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO; hypoxia) and its influence on sensitive fauna and vulnerable life stages is an emerging concern in lotic freshwater ecosystems. A species particularly vulnerable to...

This study shows that Eastern Hellbender embryos exposed to hypoxia have lower viability, reduced hatching success, and smaller hatchlings #Herpetology #ConservationBiology
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Lost in the Light: Effects of Exposure to Artificial Light at Night on Migratory Birds Artificial light at night (LAN) is expanding globally, changing the natural landscape and imposing novel ecological pressures on wildlife. Birds, like most organisms, use natural light information to...

Bright nights, troubled flights 🌙✨🐦 This review synthesizes current knowledge on how artificial light at night affects migratory birds #UrbanEcology #Birds
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This review explores how antioxidant supplements, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, plant extracts, vitamin C, melatonin, and gastrodin, may improve outcomes in Parkinson’s disease. #Parkinsons #Neurodegeneration
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Oxygen Consumption of the River Nerite Theodoxus fluviatilis in Different Salinities The river nerite Theodoxus fluviatilis (Linneaus, 1758) is an euryhaline osmoconformer found in freshwater (FW) and brackish water (BW) habitats across Europe and western Asia. In northern Germany, T....

The river nerite Theodoxus fluviatilis shows distinct freshwater (FW) and brackish water (BW) ecotypes. BW snails keep respiration stable across salinities, while FW snails’ oxygen consumption drops as salinity rises #StressPhysiology
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Exogenous melatonin in the scent glands of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) induced a dichotomous response: gland weight and size decreased in some individuals but increased in others. #ComparativePhysiology #Melatonin
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Lizards and the colors we can’t see! 🦎✨ Juvenile Podarcis muralis undergo ontogenetic color changes that are invisible to humans but perceptible to conspecifics, likely functioning as social signals. #Herpetology
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PP1γ2 is key to sperm maturation and motility in tree shrews. This study shows PKA activates SRC, which then inhibits PP1γ2-mediated Ser/Thr phosphatase activity, boosting caudal sperm motility #CellSignaling
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Fast lizards and aerobic capacity!🦎 In Tropidurus catalanensis, sprint performance was positively correlated with cardiac citrate synthase activity, highlighting the role of heart oxidative capacity. Performance was not affected by androgen levels #Herpetology
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Like mother, like hatchling? 🐢 This sea turtle study shows hatchling innate immunity (hemolytic capacity) is linked to maternal traits, higher with maternal hemolysis and body mass, lower with maternal body length, and unchanged by immune challenge #SeaTurtles
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