scholarly journals Cognition and the evolution of camouflage

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1825) ◽  
pp. 20152890 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Skelhorn ◽  
Candy Rowe

Camouflage is one of the most widespread forms of anti-predator defence and prevents prey individuals from being detected or correctly recognized by would-be predators. Over the past decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in both the evolution of prey camouflage patterns, and in understanding animal cognition in a more ecological context. However, these fields rarely collide, and the role of cognition in the evolution of camouflage is poorly understood. Here, we review what we currently know about the role of both predator and prey cognition in the evolution of prey camouflage, outline why cognition may be an important selective pressure driving the evolution of camouflage and consider how studying the cognitive processes of animals may prove to be a useful tool to study the evolution of camouflage, and vice versa. In doing so, we highlight that we still have a lot to learn about the role of cognition in the evolution of camouflage and identify a number of avenues for future research.

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jeffrey Martin ◽  
Glynis K. Martin ◽  
William A. Roberts ◽  
David F. Sherry

In the past 20 years, research in animal cognition has challenged the belief that complex cognitive processes are uniquely human. At the forefront of these challenges has been research on mental time travel and future planning in jays. We tested whether Canada jays ( Perisoreus canadensis ) demonstrated future planning, using a procedure that has produced evidence of future planning in California scrub-jays. Future planning in this procedure is caching in locations where the bird will predictably experience a lack of food in the future. Canada jays showed no evidence of future planning in this sense and instead cached in the location where food was usually available, opposite to the behaviour described for California scrub-jays. We provide potential explanations for these differing results adding to the recent debates about the role of complex cognition in corvid caching strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6222
Author(s):  
Kacper Szewczyk ◽  
Aleksandra Chojnacka ◽  
Magdalena Górnicka

Tocopherols and tocotrienols are natural compounds of plant origin, available in the nature. They are supplied in various amounts in a diet, mainly from vegetable oils, some oilseeds, and nuts. The main forms in the diet are α- and γ-tocopherol, due to the highest content in food products. Nevertheless, α-tocopherol is the main form of vitamin E with the highest tissue concentration. The α- forms of both tocopherols and tocotrienols are considered as the most metabolically active. Currently, research results indicate also a greater antioxidant potential of tocotrienols than tocopherols. Moreover, the biological role of vitamin E metabolites have received increasing interest. The aim of this review is to update the knowledge of tocopherol and tocotrienol bioactivity, with a particular focus on their bioavailability, distribution, and metabolism determinants in humans. Almost one hundred years after the start of research on α-tocopherol, its biological properties are still under investigation. For several decades, researchers’ interest in the biological importance of other forms of vitamin E has also been growing. Some of the functions, for instance the antioxidant functions of α- and γ-tocopherols, have been confirmed in humans, while others, such as the relationship with metabolic disorders, are still under investigation. Some studies, which analyzed the biological role and mechanisms of tocopherols and tocotrienols over the past few years described new and even unexpected cellular and molecular properties that will be the subject of future research.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1089
Author(s):  
Huimin Ren ◽  
Xiaohong Zhao ◽  
Wenjie Li ◽  
Jamshaid Hussain ◽  
Guoning Qi ◽  
...  

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a process intended for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis by eliminating old, damaged, or unwanted cells. In plants, PCD takes place during developmental processes and in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In contrast to the field of animal studies, PCD is not well understood in plants. Calcium (Ca2+) is a universal cell signaling entity and regulates numerous physiological activities across all the kingdoms of life. The cytosolic increase in Ca2+ is a prerequisite for the induction of PCD in plants. Although over the past years, we have witnessed significant progress in understanding the role of Ca2+ in the regulation of PCD, it is still unclear how the upstream stress perception leads to the Ca2+ elevation and how the signal is further propagated to result in the onset of PCD. In this review article, we discuss recent advancements in the field, and compare the role of Ca2+ signaling in PCD in biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, we discuss the upstream and downstream components of Ca2+ signaling and its crosstalk with other signaling pathways in PCD. The review is expected to provide new insights into the role of Ca2+ signaling in PCD and to identify gaps for future research efforts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hanley ◽  
Samantha L. Rutledge ◽  
Juliana Villa

Hosts of avian brood parasites are under intense selective pressure to prevent or reduce the cost of parasitism. Many have evolved refined egg discrimination abilities, which can select for eggshell mimicry in their parasite. A classic assumption underlying these coevolutionary dynamics is that host egg recognition depends on the perceivable difference between their own eggs and those of their parasite. Over the past two decades, the receptor noise-limited (RNL) model has contributed to our understanding of these coevolutionary interactions by providing researchers a method to predict a host’s ability to discriminate a parasite’s egg from its own. Recent research has shown that some hosts are more likely to reject brown eggs than blue eggs, regardless of the perceived differences to their own. Such responses suggest that host egg recognition may be due to perceptual or cognitive processes not currently predictable by the RNL model. In this perspective, we discuss the potential value of using the RNL model as a null model to explore alternative perceptual processes and higher-order cognitive processes that could explain how and why some hosts make seemingly counter-intuitive decisions. Further, we outline experiments that should be fruitful for determining the perceptual and cognitive processing used by hosts for egg recognition tasks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujie Zhang ◽  
Yanyan Wang ◽  
Liwei Ying ◽  
Sifeng Tao ◽  
Mingmin Shi ◽  
...  

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy, typically occurring in childhood or adolescence. Unfortunately, the clinical outcomes of patients with osteosarcoma are usually poor because of the aggressive nature of this disease and few treatment advances in the past four decades. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most extensive forms of RNA modification in eukaryotes found both in coding and non-coding RNAs. Accumulating evidence suggests that m6A-related factors are dysregulated in multiple osteosarcoma processes. In this review, we highlight m6A modification implicated in osteosarcoma, describing its pathophysiological role and molecular mechanism, as well as future research trends and potential clinical application in osteosarcoma.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1203-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin DiPietro

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the foodservice and restaurant literature that has been published over the past 10 years in the top hospitality and tourism journals. This information will be used to identify the key trends and topics studied over the past decade, and help to identify the gaps that appear in the research to identify opportunities for advancing future research in the area of foodservice and restaurant management. Design/methodology/approach This paper takes the form of a critical review of the extant literature that has been done in the foodservice and restaurant industries. Literature from the past 10 years will be qualitatively assessed to determine trends and gaps in the research to help guide the direction for future research. Findings The findings show that the past 10 years have seen an increase in the number of and the quality of foodservice and restaurant management research articles. The topics have been diverse and the findings have explored the changing and evolving segments of the foodservice industry, restaurant operations, service quality in foodservice, restaurant finance, foodservice marketing, food safety and healthfulness and the increased role of technology in the industry. Research limitations/implications Given the number of research papers done over the past 10 years in the area of foodservice, it is possible that some research has been missed and that some specific topics within the breadth and depth of the foodservice industry could have lacked sufficient coverage in this one paper. The implications from this paper are that it can be used to inform academics and practitioners where there is room for more research, it could provide ideas for more in-depth discussion of a specific topic and it is a detailed start into assessing the research done of late. Originality/value This paper helps foodservice researchers in determining where past research has gone and gives future direction for meaningful research to be done in the foodservice area moving forward to inform academicians and practitioners in the industry.


Author(s):  
Peter Lambert ◽  
Björn Weiler

This chapter summarises key findings of the volume: the variety of media employed in the production of the past; the usefulness of historical culture as a concept that enables comparisons across cultures and periods; and the insights it offers into wider intellectual, cultural and political debates within a community or culture. The chapter further suggests three potential avenues for future research: the role of women as producers and agents of historical culture; the nature and operation of cultural transfer in the production of historical culture; and the question whether recurrent patterns in the fashioning of the past can be detected across geographical, cultural and chronological boundaries.


2020 ◽  
pp. 251512742093175
Author(s):  
Lynn E. Metcalf ◽  
Thomas M. Katona ◽  
Jonathan L. York

Over the past decade, universities have invested heavily in startup accelerator programs; however, their role in the university entrepreneurial ecosystem is ambiguous. Are university startup accelerators intended to educate or are they created to facilitate business starts and to contribute to regional economic development? In contrast, most private-sector startup accelerators serve a consistent and differentiated role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem—they provide programming and resources to startups to increase the probability of a return on investment. Understanding the role of university startup accelerators is an important precursor to evaluating their impact and whether or not the return is worth the considerable investment. In this study, we poll university accelerator directors to gain their perspective on the role(s) that university startup accelerators play and to identify how they are structured and operated. Our research reveals a fairly uniform structure and mode of operation. While facilitating business starts is a key role for some, it confirms education as the primary role for university startup accelerators. We outline appropriate means of assessing the learning that takes place in accelerator programs, offer insight into how these findings can help accelerator directors deliver on outcomes and demonstrate impact, and propose avenues for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon L. Storch ◽  
Anna V. Ortiz Juarez-Paz

Use of media devices has evolved over the past 10–15 years and the resulting effects on family communication are of interest for this study. Through 26 semi-structured interviews, the authors sought to understand the role mobile devices play in family communication. Qualitative grounded theory analysis was used to find themes and interpret results (Creswell, 2013). One overarching paradoxical theme emerged from these data, family connect–family disconnect. In family connect, categories of across distance, reassurances, and boundaries are shared. Within family disconnect, distractions, misunderstandings, and negative emotional responses are conveyed. Future research avenues recommended are decision making related to mobile devices based on values and morals, in-depth social media and app usage, emoji emotional responses, individuals under 18 and between 18 and 30 years old, and a network analysis of one extended family.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-338
Author(s):  
Liina Häyrinen ◽  
Sari Pynnönen

Abstract Purpose of Review The review examines recent scientific discussion on the concepts and measurements of human connection to nature (CTN) and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). In addition to that, we explore the environmental contexts in which study populations are exposed to nature or nature experiences, particularly the contexts in which forests emerge from these studies, and lastly outline gaps in research. Recent Findings Outlining the association between CTN and PEB has been widely researched over the past 5 years. The concepts and measurements referring to these terms vary, but a few commonly used concepts were identified. The review classifies the approaches used for exploring the relationship between CTN and PEB into four categories. The review indicates that the interconnection between CTN and PEB is mostly studied as a part of the wider concept. Approximately half of the reviewed articles explored the actual exposure to some natural environment or nature activity either directly or indirectly. Forests only played a small role as a natural environment in the reviewed articles. Summary Forests appear to be of very little weight or under-represented in CTN and PEB literature as an explicitly identified natural environment. Results also indicate that the human-forest relationship has not been defined precisely in empirically based scientific literature. The paper discusses implications for the future research focusing on emphasizing the role of forests as natural environments in the research of CTN and PEB.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document