Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding identified 118 insect, 14 fish, and 6 bird operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in rice paddy water samples. Resampling analyzes indicated that four sampling repl....

A new study reveals that four wild cat species living in the same rainforest habitat in Guatemala reduce competition for food by hunting in different vertical zones, some in trees and others on the gr...

Abstract. Offspring size and number, key fitness components, are expected to evolve under a trade-off between them. In mammals, the evolution of larger off

We thank Volker Herzig [1] for his interesting commentary on our recent paper [2]. We welcome the opportunity to clarify some points. Herzig structures his critique around three main arguments. First, he states that our venom definition requires the mechanical delivery of venom 'by specialised morphological structures', while excluding chemical delivery. Second, he disagrees with us that delivery via an injury should be an integral part of the concept of venom, and he proposes an alternative definition that does not reference mode of delivery.

The Janzen–Connell hypothesis (JC effect) has been proposed as a mechanism for explaining high tropical tree diversity via negative conspecific density dependence imposed by natural enemies. Seed masting describes the uneven investment in reproduction between years, and could be a mechanism for reducing seed predation by means of predator satiation. JC effects select for wider dispersal kernels, allowing species to escape enemies in space, while the predator-satiation model of seed masting assumes escape from predators in time. Although representing contrasting ecological dynamics, both models are predicated on similar assumptions: that tree recruitment is limited by seed mortality via natural enemies. We suggest that the individual fitness advantages of masting and JC dynamics would be better understood by considering both mechanisms together.

体を激しくふるわせて葉っぱの縄張りを守っている 動物が敵に遭遇した場合，一般には戦うか逃げるか，単に固まる。しかし，ある小さなイモムシはまったく別の行動を取る。ふるえるのだ。...