Selectivity in Buttress Drumming Tree Properties Among Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of the Waibira Community in Budongo Forest, Uganda.

Wild chimpanzees drum on tree buttresses during dominance displays and travel, generating low-frequency sounds that are audible over distances of more than 1 km. Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Nimba Mountains of Guinea selectively choose trees and buttresses when drumming, potentially based on their resonant properties, suggesting that these chimpanzees are optimizing their drumming signals. We investigated whether male eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) from the Waibira community in the Budongo Forest, Uganda, also show preferences in tree and buttress choice, exploring whether selectivity is a species-wide feature.

In Situ Vivianite Formation in Intertidal Sediments: Ferrihydrite-Adsorbed P Triggers Vivianite Formation.

Coastal sediments are a key contributor to oceanic phosphorus (P) removal, impacting P bioavailability and primary productivity. Vivianite, an Fe(II)-phosphate mineral, can be a major P sink in nonsulfidic, reducing coastal sediments. Despite its importance, vivianite formation processes in sediments remain poorly understood.

The motivation to inform others: a field experiment with wild chimpanzees.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that some ape species produce more alarm behaviors to potential dangers when in the presence of uninformed conspecifics. However, since previous studies presented naturalistic stimuli, the influence of prior experience could not be controlled for.

Method: To examine this, we investigated whether apes (wild chimpanzees of the Budongo Forest, Uganda) would communicate differently about a novel danger (an unusually large spider) depending on whether they were with an uniformed conspecific.

Gene acquisition by giant transposons primes eukaryotes for rapid evolution via horizontal gene transfer.

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) disseminates genetic information between species and is a powerful mechanism of adaptation. Yet, we know little about its underlying drivers in eukaryotes. Giant transposons have been implicated as agents of fungal HGT, providing an unprecedented opportunity to reveal the evolutionary parameters behind this process.

Single-character insertion-deletion model preserves long indels in ancestral sequence reconstruction.

Insertions and deletions (indels) play a significant role in genome evolution across species. Realistic modelling of indel evolution is challenging and is still an open research question. Several attempts have been made to explicitly model multi-character (long) indels, such as TKF92, by relaxing the site independence assumption and introducing fragments.

Exposure to Pseudomonas spp. increases Anopheles gambiae insecticide resistance in a host-dependent manner.

The microbiota of mosquitoes influences many aspects of their biology, including developmental processes, mating and sexual reproduction, immune functions, and refractoriness to pathogens. Here, we considered their role in resistance against insecticides. In particular, we assessed how larval infection of a permethrin-resistant and a sensitive colony of Anopheles gambiae by four strains belonging to three different Pseudomonas species affects several life history traits and the impact of the insecticide on adult mortality.

Parenthood and Couples' Division of Paid Labor: The Role of Prebirth Breadwinner Couple Type in European Cross-National Perspective.

Although it is well established that parenthood affects employment decisions within households, less is known about how this effect varies across couple types in different countries. Using difference-in-differences analysis with propensity score matching and multilevel modeling with cross-level interactions, this study explores heterogeneity in the effect of parenthood on couples' division of paid labor by prebirth relative earning power in different European contexts. The results show that the decline in the female share of couples' paid working hours after parenthood is stronger in male main-earner couples than in equal-earner or female main-earner couples.

Humans and great apes visually track event roles in similar ways.

Human language relies on a rich cognitive machinery, partially shared with other animals. One key mechanism, however, decomposing events into causally linked agent-patient roles, has remained elusive with no known animal equivalent. In humans, agent-patient relations in event cognition drive how languages are processed neurally and expressions structured syntactically.

Xenorhabdus bharatensis sp. nov., Xenorhabdus entomophaga sp. nov., Xenorhabdus siamensis sp. nov., and Xenorhabdus thailandensis sp. nov. Isolated from Steinernema Entomopathogenic Nematodes.

Four Gram-stain-negative bacterial strains, CS20, AUT15.5, XENO-11, and CCN3.3, isolated from Steinernema entomopathogenic nematodes, were found to represent novel species within the genus Xenorhabdus (Gammaproteobacteria, Morganellaceae).

A non-human primate combinatorial system for long-distance communication.

Complex vocal systems are thought to evolve if individuals are regularly challenged by complex social decision-making, the social complexity hypothesis. We tested this idea on a West African forest non-human primate, the Olive colobus monkey, a highly cryptic species with very little social behavior and very small group sizes, factors unlikely to favor the evolution of complex communication. The species also has an unusual fission-fusion social system, with group members regularly spending considerable amounts of time with neighboring groups.

Impact of social context on human facial and gestural emotion expressions.

Humans flexibly adapt expressions of emotional messages when interacting with others. However, detailed information on how specific parts of the face and hands move in socio-emotional contexts is missing. We identified individual gesture and facial movements (through automated face tracking) of  = 80 participants in the UK, produced while watching amusing, fearful, or neutral movie scenes either alone or with a social partner.

Diverse and larger tree islands promote native tree diversity in oil palm landscapes.

In monoculture-dominated landscapes, recovering biodiversity is a priority, but effective restoration strategies have yet to be identified. In this study, we experimentally tested passive and active restoration strategies to recover taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of woody plants within 52 tree islands established in an oil palm landscape. Large tree islands and higher initial planted diversity catalyzed diversity recovery, particularly functional diversity at the landscape level.

Synergistic effects of elevated temperature with pesticides on reproduction, development and survival of dung beetles.

In times of global change, high temperatures can increase the negative effects of pesticides and other stressors. The goal of this study was to evaluate, under controlled laboratory conditions, the effect of a moderate increase in temperature in combination with ivermectin (an antiparasitic medication used in cattle that is excreted in dung), an herbicide, and parasitic pressure, on the reproductive success, development time and adult survival of dung beetles Euoniticellus intermedius. Whereas high temperature increased the number and proportion of emerged offspring, it had synergistic negative effects in combination with the ivermectin, herbicide and parasite treatments.

Transforming food systems through agroecology: enhancing farmers' autonomy for a safe and just transition.

Food systems contribute to multiple crises while failing to deliver healthy, nutritious food for all. A substantial amount of research suggests that the root cause of this issue lies in the complete integration of food systems within global capitalism and the consequent subordination of fairness and sustainability to profit accumulation. We draw on critical political economy to explore how the integration of food systems within global capitalism and their subordination to profit occur.

The polyvalent sequestration ability of an economically important beetle.

Many specialized herbivorous insects sequester single classes of toxic secondary metabolites from their host plants as protection against natural enemies. If and how herbivores can use multiple classes of plant toxins across the large chemical diversity of plants for self-protection is unknown. We show that the polyphagous adults of the beetle Diabrotica virgifera are capable of selectively accumulating benzoxazinoids, cucurbitacins, and glucosinolates but not cyanogenic glycosides.

Development and vulnerability across the lifecourse.

What is it that develops in adult life? Development through work and family life have been documented and theorised in detail, but much less is known about what is learned beyond these domains, through people's engagements in hobbies or when out of work (e.g., unemployed, retired).

Taxonomic review of the grasshopper genus Karsch, 1891 (Orthoptera, Acrididea, Catantopinae) with description of three new species and a preliminary phylogeny of the Cameroonian species.

The Afrotropical grasshopper genus Karsch, 1891, is reviewed. Some species present in Cameroon are described, Donskoff, 1981, is recorded for the first time in the country, and three new species are described from Cameroon, Yetchom & Husemann, , Yetchom & Husemann, and Yetchom & Husemann, , increasing the number of species in Cameroon from eight to 12, and overall to 30 species in Central Africa. An updated key of is provided.

Evidence for inbreeding depression in captive Damaraland mole-rats.

Mating between closely related individuals can result in a reduction in offspring fitness, known as inbreeding depression. Here, we investigate whether breeding with close relatives affects the reproductive output of parents and the development of their offspring in Damaraland mole-rats (), a cooperatively breeding species where females avoid mating with familiar individuals. By cross-fostering litters of pups soon after birth, we were able to form breeding pairs from full siblings that were reared apart.

Kin recognition for incest avoidance in Damaraland mole-rats, .

Across taxa, breeding among close relatives is usually avoided because it incurs fitness costs to offspring. Incest is often averted through the dispersal of either sex from the natal area to breed. In some philopatric species, association among relatives extends into adulthood, and an ability to discriminate kin may be required for individuals to reduce inbreeding risk.