State-dependent decisions in long-term fasting king penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus, during courtship and incubation
Using an automatic identification and weighing system, we investigated changes in adult body mass in relation to reproductive behaviour during courtship and incubation in free-living king penguins. Despite stressful nutritional conditions and variability of fast length, the majority of pairs incubated successfully by accumulating large body reserves before fasting, which provided flexibility in fasting strategies. […]
Cool temperatures elicit reproduction in a biologically invasive predator, the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10084.abs Two different temperature regimes for eliciting reproduction in male and females of the Guam form of the brown treesnake were investigated. Males and females maintained at 24°C followed by a 60-day cool period at 19°C exhibited substantial reproductive activity, and the females that produced clutches did so during a brief period after return […]
Experience improves courtship in male fruit flies
Much of the research on learning in fruit flies has focused on the genetic and cellular basis of learning. The evolutionary relevance of learning in these tiny, short-lived insects is not well understood. Relying on the knowledge that male fruit flies learn in the context of courtship, I tested whether such learning improves male courtship. […]
The (mis)concept of species recognition
To many, the concept of ‘species recognition’ is integral to the origin and maintenance of species. However, the heuristic value of species recognition is hampered by its reliance on the problematic concept of species. In this paper, we first discuss assumptions associated with prevailing use of the term, including the typological implications of the concept, […]