Mammalian hibernation is an adaptive strategy for surviving harsh cold seasons and food scarcity by suppressing the metabolic rate and thermogenesis. The Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) (hereafter termed as hamsters), a small mammalian hibernator, hibernates upon exposure to winter-like, short-photoperiod and cold (SP-Cold) conditions throughout a year in a laboratory, and therefore is a useful […]
Beewolf wasps rely on an ancient defensive symbiosis with Streptomyces bacteria that protect their larvae from fungal infection. Female beewolves apply the bacteria to the brood-cell ceiling, and larvae later transfer the symbionts onto the cocoon surface, where they produce antifungal metabolites. Here, we investigated the mechanism of symbiont transfer from the beewolf brood cell […]
Energy-saving torpor in songbirds is widely believed to be rare, shallow and brief. In contrast, new work establishes that free-ranging white-backed swallows use deeper and longer torpor than thought possible, opening new research opportunities on this highly diverse avian group.
Many forests in Madagascar harbor numerous and diverse species of lemur in sympatry. Whereas more distant relatives can avoid competition by occupying distinct ecological niches, more subtle niche partitioning may explain how congeners coexist in the same place at the same time. Here, we examine the behavioral ecology of sympatric furry-eared (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) and Sibree's […]