Defensive coloration such as bright colors used to advertise secondary defenses (i.e., aposematic coloration) is very common but also shows high intraspecific variation. Similarly, consistent among-individual differences in behavior (i.e., animal personality) are pervasive in the animal kingdom. Therefore, aposematism and personality could be linked to produce an optimal defensive phenotype, however, this has not formally been...

Amphibians exploit a variety of aquatic habitats for breeding, with local environmental factors shaping physiology, behavior, and morphology. Ponds and streams are representatives of contrasting environments. Due to the low ecological stability, reduced oxygen levels, and limited food availability, higher predation pressure and intra- and interspecific competition, ponds represent a less favorable habitat. Consequently, pond-d...

The caterpillars of Gonimbrasia belina , commonly known as mopane worms, are intensively harvested for human consumption in southern Africa. Concerns over the sustainability of the species have been raised for the last two decades due to increasing demand, habitat erosion, and climate change. Despite its cultural, economic, and nutritional significance, genetic data for G. belina was largely unavailable. We used a multi-marker...

Acoustic and visual signals are well known to play important roles in social communication in birds. Growing evidence suggests that many bird species, including species of songbirds, additionally have a well-developed sense of smell. However, we are still at the beginning of understanding the potential importance of chemical communication in the social lives of birds, for example in mate choice. The secretion of the preen glan...

Despite an increasing appreciation of the importance of host–microbe interactions in ecological and evolutionary processes, the factors shaping microbial communities in wild populations remain poorly understood. We therefore exploited a natural experiment provided by two adjacent Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus gazella ) colonies of high and low social density and combined 16S rRNA metabarcoding with microsatellite profilin...

Although classically thought to be rare, female polyandry is widespread and may entail significant fitness benefits. If females store sperm over extended periods of time, the consequences of polyandry will depend on the pattern of sperm storage, and some of the potential benefits of polyandry can only be realized if sperm from different males is mixed. Our study aimed to determine patterns and consequences of polyandry in an a...