Latest Videos
Running lizards provide climate clues
Uploaded July 2012
Although climate change is heating polar and temperate areas faster than the tropics, evidence is mounting that tropical ectotherms (animals that don't produce their own heat) will be negatively affected by the relatively mild warming they do experience. Duke researchers tested this idea at a fine scale with the Puerto Rican crested anole, Anolis cristatellus, by combining data on the lizard's current habitat temperature and physiology with predictions of future air temperatures to estimate how the lizards will be affected. They found that warming will likely be detrimental to lizards inhabiting the dry scrub forests, as future temperatures will often exceed their upper physiological temperature threshold. However, lizards found in moist shaded forests may be little affected by warming.
Find out more, you can read the lay summary or full article: Alex R. Gunderson and Manuel Leal, Geographic variation in vulnerability to climate warming in a tropical Caribbean lizard
Hide and seek in the rainforest: how do bats tell food from foliage?
Uploaded July 2012
Many bats use echolocation to find insects and other arthropods for food. They emit ultrasonic calls and listen for the returning echoes to detect and localize their snack. In cooperation with Prof. Tigga Kingston from Texas Tech University and Prof. Rosli Hashim from The University of Malaya, Dr. Björn Siemers and Daniela Schmieder from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology plunged deep into the Malaysian rainforest to investigate how bats tell food from foliage. This is an especially demanding task as in the dense vegetation of the jungle bats are bombarded by echoes from leaves, trees and vines. Embedded in this acoustic confusion there just might be a weak echo from an insect or spider.
Find out more, you can read the lay summary or full article: Daniela A. Schmieder, Tigga Kingston, Rosli Hashim, Björn M. Siemers Sensory constraints on prey detection performance in an ensemble of vespertilionid understorey rain forest bats
Behaviour & stress physiology in fish
Uploaded 10 May 2012
Gabrielle Archard and colleagues describe their study with freshwater fish, the Panamanian bishop (Brachyrhaphis episcopi), in which they predicted that individuals from populations with predators would release less stress hormone and be behaviourally more robust than those with no predators.
To access the paper click here: Archard, G. A., Earley, R. L., Hanninen, A. F. and Braithwaite, V. A. (2012), Correlated behaviour and stress physiology in fish exposed to different levels of predation pressure.
Does ecotourism influence shark behavior?
Uploaded 7 March 2012
Hammerschlag and colleagues conducted the first satellite telemetry study to examine the long range movement patterns of tiger sharks (the largest apex predator in tropical waters) in response to dive tourism. In this video Neil Hammersclag describes their study in more detail.
To access the paper click here: Hammerschlag, N., Gallagher, A. J., Wester, J., Luo, J. and Ault, J. S. (2012), Don’t bite the hand that feeds: assessing ecological impacts of provisioning ecotourism on an apex marine predator.
Setting the trap
Uploaded 30 November 2011
Thornham et al describe in this video highlight how ants' cleaning behaviour maintains the effectiveness of a pitcher plant's prey capture mechanism in a novel form of myrmecotrophic mutualism.
To access the paper click here: Thornham, D. G., Smith, J. M., Ulmar Grafe, T. and Federle, W. (2011), Setting the trap: cleaning behaviour of Camponotus schmitzi ants increases long-term capture efficiency of their pitcher plant host, Nepenthes bicalcarata.
The foraging tight-rope
Uploaded 10 November 2011
The foraging tight-rope is a matter of concentration for free-ranging bushbabies choosing the right plants to eat whilst avoiding their enemies. In this video McArthur and colleagues explain strategies used by bushbabies to keep safe.
To access the paper click here: McArthur,C., Orlando,P., Banks, P.B. and Brown, J.S. (2011) The foraging tightrope between predation risk and plant toxins: a matter of concentration
Life in the really slow lane
Uploaded 11 October 2011
In this video Scott et al talk about how they researched the age of maturity for loggerhead sea turtles by tracking the journey of young juveniles across the North Atlantic and measuring their growth rate.
To access the paper click here:
Scott, R., Marsh, R. and Hays, G. C. (2011), Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles.
Do nectar guides influence foraging?
Uploaded 6 July 2011
This video by Anne Leonard and Daniel Papaj describes their recent research on whether nectar traps guide the foraging preferences of bumblebees,
To access the paper click here: Leonard, A. S. and Papaj, D. R. (2011), ‘X’ marks the spot: The possible benefits of nectar guides to bees and plants.
Does the immune system change with age?
Uploaded 1 June 2011
An audio slideshow from a recent paper by Ujvari and Madsen published in Functional Ecology. This paper shows how the common assumption of a decline in the immune system with age does not hold true in Australian Pythons. Rather, some components of the immune system improve with age, whereas other aspects decline, suggesting a complex interplay between age and the physiological strategies that these snakes use to maintain health.
To access the paper click here:
Ujvari, B. and Madsen, T. (2011), Do natural antibodies compensate for humoral immunosenescence in tropical pythons?
A micro-view of thermal stress in snails
Uploaded 10 May 2011
Recent research by Chapperon and Seuront shows how snails experience significant and variable thermal stress in shoreline habitats. Their audio slide show and lay summary explain their findings.
To access the paper click here:
Chapperon, C. and Seuront, L. (2011) Space–time variability in environmental thermal properties and snail thermoregulatory behaviour
Ageing in lizards
In this study published in Functional Ecology, Massot et al use a wild population of common lizards to show ageing variation in females. Integrative studies are a challenge in free-living populations and here 14 years of study are used to report on multiple aspects of female maturation.
To access the paper click here: Massot, M., Clobert, J., Montes-Poloni, L., Haussy, C., Cubo, J. and Meylan, S. (2011) An integrative study of ageing in a wild population of common lizards..
Bats Heads and Jaws in 3-D
A CT-SCAN movie showing morphological variation among bat species in their jaw, head and teeth dimensions. This is based on a recent paper by Santana, Strait and Dumont recently published online in Functional Ecology. This paper shows that teeth complexity, measured using sophisticated mapping techniques, varied according to diet in bats, suggesting that evolution has proceeded to more complex morphology in some species as a function of dietary choices.
To access the paper click here: Santana, S. E., Strait, S. and Dumont, E. R. (2011), The better to eat you with: functional correlates of tooth structure in bats.
Reproduction and death in beetles
Video highlights for a recent article in Functional Ecology by Cotter et al. examining relationships between reproduction and death in beetles. A great read!
To access the paper click here:
Cotter, S. C., Ward, R. J. S. and Kilner, R. M. (2010) , Age-specific reproductive investment in female burying beetles: independent effects of state and risk of death.
Whale Sharks do the math to avoid sinking
Video highlights from a recent paper by Gleiss et al published in Functional Ecology. This important new work shows how the majestic whale shark uses basic geometry to minimize energy expenditure during swimming
To access the paper click here:
Gleiss, A. C., Norman, B. and Wilson, R. P. (2010), Moved by that sinking feeling: variable diving geometry underlies movement strategies in whale sharks
Fish shrink in winter
Video highlights of a recent study by Huusko et al published in Functional Ecology
To access the paper click here:
Huusko, A., Maki-Petays, A., Stickler, M. and Mykr , H. (2010), Fish can shrink under harsh living conditions
Grasshopper escape performance
Uploaded 28 September 2010
A visual summary of research on grasshopper jumping and development.
To access the paper click here:
Hawlena, D., Kress, H., Dufresne, E. R. and Schmitz, O. J. (2010) Grasshoppers alter jumping biomechanics to enhance escape performance under chronic risk of spider predation
Modelling bat feeding
Uploaded 28 September 2010
A CT-SCAN movie showing morphological variation among bat species in their jaw, head and teeth dimensions. This is based on a recent paper by Santana, Strait and Dumont recently published online in Functional Ecology. This paper shows that teeth complexity, measured using sophisticated mapping techniques, varied according to diet in bats, suggesting that evolution has proceeded to more complex morphology in some species as a function of dietary choices.
To access the paper click here:
Santana, S. E., Dumont, E. R. and Davis, J. L. (2010), Mechanics of bite force production and its relationship to diet in bats
Journal Menu
For Authors
For Readers
- Special Features
- Perspective Papers
- News
- Virtual Issues
- Lay Summaries
- Top Papers
- Read the Journal
- Early View Articles
- Current Issue
- Sample Issue
