To navigate complex terrains, insects use diverse tarsal structures (adhesive pads, claws, spines) to reliably attach to and locomote across substrates. This includes surfaces of variable roughness and inclination, which often require reliable transitions from ambulatory to scansorial locomotion. Using bioinspired physical models as a means for comparative research, our study specifically focused on the diversity of tarsal spines, which facilitate locomotion via frictional engagement and shear force generation. For spine designs, we took inspiration from ground beetles (family: Carabidae), which is a largely terrestrial group known for their quick locomotion. Evaluating four different species, we found that the hind legs host linear rows of rigid spines along the entire tarsus. By taking morphometric measurements of the spines, we highlighted parameters of interest (e.g., spine angle and aspect ratio) in order to test their relationship to shear forces sustained during terrain interactions. We systematically evaluated these parameters using spines cut from stainless steel shim attached to a small acrylic sled loaded with various weights. The sled was placed on 3D-printed models of rough terrain, randomly generated using fractal Brownian motion, while a motorized pulley system applied force to the spines. A force sensor measured the reaction force on the terrain, recording shear force before failure occurred. Initial shear tests highlighted the importance of spine angle, with bioinspired anisotropic designs producing higher shear forces. Using these data, we placed the best (50° angle) and worst (90° angle) performing spines on the legs of our insect-scale ambulatory robot physical model. We then tested the robot on various surfaces at 0°, 10°, and 20° inclines, seeing similar success with the more bioinspired spines.

Teleost fishes that emerge onto land must produce effective terrestrial movements to return to the water. Using the Cyprinodontiformes as a model system, we examined a terrestrial behavior termed the tail-flip jump across a size range of individuals representing three species of aquatic killifishes (Gambusia affinis, Poecilia mexicana, and Jordanella floridae) and two species of amphibious killifishes (Kryptolebias marmoratus and Fundulus heteroclitus) to identify potential effects of size (mass) on jumping performance. The ballistic trajectory equation was used to partition the contributions of velocity (determined by acceleration and contact time) and takeoff angle to jump distance. Despite differences in size (over an order of magnitude) all fishes took off from the ground at ∼45°. However, in terms of total displacement, aquatic and amphibious killifish species scaled differently in their ability to perform the tail-flip jump. Aquatic killifishes decrease in total jump distance as mass increases; however, amphibious killifishes increase in total jump distance as mass increases. Aquatic killifishes cannot produce adequate accelerations at larger sizes, but amphibious killifishes produce similar accelerations despite over an order of magnitude size difference. Because of this, amphibious killifish species are able to maintain fast takeoff velocities at large body sizes. Distinct scaling patterns may be generated by differences in body shape. Aquatic killifishes have a fusiform body shape, with most of their body mass in the anterior of the body, while amphibious killifishes have a more uniform body shape that reduces their overall mass present in the anterior body. We hypothesize that reduced mass in the anterior body facilitates raising the head over the tail to prepare for takeoff. In contrast with amphibious species, the negative scaling relationship seen in body size vs. displacement in aquatic killifishes implies an upper size limit to producing the tail-flip jump for fish species that infrequently encounter the terrestrial environment.

Marine science is widely recognized as one of the least diverse fields within geoscience. Despite substantial investments in diversity initiatives and resources aimed at engaging underserved communities, the representation and recognition of Black individuals in marine science remain limited. This lack of representation highlights a broader issue: a shortage of professionals who are attuned to the pressing issues within Black communities. Black In Marine Science (BIMS) is making waves by tackling systemic and cultural issues that have historically excluded Black talent from marine science, and this article outlines actionable solutions we have developed to drive meaningful change. BIMS has created a blueprint that can help others increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in scientific spaces with the goal of ocean justice for all. Further than what BIMS has done inside the organization, joy-centered partnerships and direct membership feedback have led to the development of this entire journal issue. Dedicated to highlighting the scientific achievements of BIMS scholars, the BIMS Issue is a manifestation of the outcomes achieved once the BIMS Blueprint is successfully implemented.

The potential for non-native species to outcompete native species, change ecosystem dynamics, and decrease biodiversity necessitates an understanding of their ecological role. Non-native seaweed species (NNSS) can be particularly impactful due to their cryptic life cycles, high fecundity, and tolerance to stressors, which could allow rapid spread across coastlines. This literature review summarizes a few well-known NNSS in California with a focus on using global literature on Undaria pinnatifida to inform potential trends of habitat use, dispersal, and phenology in this region. Globally, we found that Undaria is widely documented in bays and harbors, but there are documented cases of it establishing populations in coastal habitats in exposed rocky reef ecosystems, including California. Using data on thermal tolerance for U. pinnatifida in its native range, I found the sea surface temperatures (SST) throughout the west coast of the USA during 2019 are within the thermal tolerance of Undaria with the best SST for gametophytes occurring most frequently in southern California. Using data from the literature, I estimated the potential for Undaria to disperse from known populations in San Diego, CA, USA. These data suggest that Undaria has the potential to disperse into open coastal habitats in this region. This study provides a case for further using pre-existing literature from other regions to guide research conducted in regions of interest that can inform management decisions.

Coral reefs are at risk due to various global and local anthropogenic stressors that impact the health of reef ecosystems worldwide. The most recent climate models predict that climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of tropical storms. This increased storm occurrence and strength will likely compromise coral reef structures and habitats for reef-dwelling organisms, including across the Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT), the most extensive tropical reef system along the US coast. While several recent studies reveal the chronic impacts of tropical storms on corals, relatively little is known about the effects of major storm events on coral growth and how these effects vary over spatiotemporal scales. Here, I characterize the skeletal growth of two common Caribbean reef-building coral species, Siderastrea siderea and Pseudodiploria strigosa, before and after Hurricane Irma to investigate the storm's impact on coral skeletal growth on inner and outer reefs of the FKRT. Coral cores were extracted from both species at four inner and four outer reef sites in May 2015, before Hurricane Irma struck the Florida Keys in September 2017. Subsequently, 33 micro-cores were collected in May 2019, two years after the storm traversed our previously cored coral colonies. A three-way ANOVA model with storm, species, and reef location as the three factors was used to assess the impact of the storm on each of three growth parameters: skeletal density, linear extension, and calcification rates. Results reveal no difference in the coral annual skeletal growth parameters pre- and post-Hurricane Irma, although previously quantified differences in these growth parameters across species and location were observed. However, analysis of the "yearly" change in annual skeletal growth parameters showed significant differences in skeletal density across groups before and after Hurricane Irma, but not for linear extension and calcification rates. Our findings improve an understanding of the impacts of tropical storms on coral skeletal growth and offer new insights into how we can employ corals' innate growth capacities to help conserve coral reefs under climate change.

At Black in Marine Science (BIMS), the integration of joy-centered leadership principles has emerged as a transformative blueprint for empowering leaders and fostering inclusive environments. This article explores the integration of the Formula for Joy (F4J) model within BIMS, providing a comprehensive overview of its principles and practices. It presents the model as an adaptable leadership approach suitable for a diverse range of leaders and organizational contexts. The F4J model, uniquely designed for the challenges and opportunities within BIMS, specializes in leaders' personal joy and wellness. It encourages leaders to embark on a journey of self-discovery, embracing their true identities and finding fulfillment within their roles. By fostering an authentic exploration of self and nurturing continuous growth, leaders can cultivate meaningful connections within their teams, promoting collaboration and unity. Moreover, the F4J model highlights the significance of psychological safety and balanced well-being in creating environments where individuals feel valued and culturally supported. By championing an ethos of iterative joyfulness, leaders engage in ongoing self-reflection and improvement, enhancing their well-being while fostering resilience in navigating organizational challenges. This article underscores the practical benefits of joy-centered leadership within BIMS, offering a roadmap for leaders to infuse joy into their practices and drive positive change. By embracing the principles of F4J, leaders within and around BIMS can foster environments of empowerment where diversity is celebrated, and individuals thrive.

As the site of almost all terrestrial carbon fixation, the mesophyll tissue is critical to leaf function. However, mesophyll tissue is not restricted only to leaves but also occurs in the laminar, heterotrophic organs of the floral perianth, providing a powerful test of how metabolic differences are linked to differences in tissue structure. Here, we compared mesophyll tissues of leaves and flower perianths of six species using high-resolution X-ray computed microtomography (microCT) imaging. Consistent with previous studies, stomata were nearly absent from flowers, and flowers had a significantly lower vein density compared to leaves. However, mesophyll porosity was significantly higher in flowers than in leaves, and higher mesophyll porosity was associated with more aspherical mesophyll cells. Despite these differences in cell and tissue structure between leaf and flower mesophyll, modeled intercellular airspace conductance did not differ significantly between organs, regardless of differences in stomatal density between organs. These results suggest that in addition to differences between leaves and flowers in vein and stomatal densities, the mesophyll cells and tissues inside these organs also exhibit marked differences that may allow for flowers to be relatively cheaper in terms of biomass investment per unit of flower surface area.

Microplastic pollution is an emerging stressor of concern to coral reef ecosystems, which are already threatened by additional global and local level anthropogenic stressors. The effects of ingesting microplastics alone on corals have been well studied, but the effects of the chemical composition of these particles have been understudied. Many microplastic-associated chemicals are endocrine disrupters potentially posing a threat to organismal reproduction. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine if differences exist between the effects of microplastics themselves and microplastic leachate on Montipora capitata fertilization due to changes in fatty acid quantity and composition. Assays were conducted two years in a row which exposed M. capitata gamete bundles to either one of four types of recently manufactured, virgin microspheres (nylon, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, or low-density polyethylene) at three concentrations (50, 100, or 200 particles/L) or microplastic leachates, presumably including plastic additives from these microspheres. Gamete fertilization was not impacted by microplastic particles themselves, but some of the microplastic leachate treatments with the same polymer type significantly reduced fertilization rates for M. capitata. Additionally, a total of 17 fatty acids were seen in both years, but neither fatty acid quantity nor composition correlated with observed declines in fertilization. Instead, fertilization and fatty acid data independently varied by concentration and polymer type, likely due to the presence of different chemicals. This study is the first to directly test the toxicity of microplastic leachate to coral reproduction. These findings show that microplastic-associated chemicals are an important stressor affecting successful coral fertilization and fatty acid quantity and composition and provide evidence for the negative effects of microplastic leachate to coral reproduction. Thus, plastic additives could pose an additional threat to coral replenishment and persistence in coral reef ecosystems.

The field of phylogenetics employs a variety of methods and techniques to study the evolution of life across the planet. Understanding evolutionary relationships is crucial to enriching our understanding of how genes and organisms have evolved throughout time and how they could possibly evolve in the future. Eucopia sculpticauda Faxon, 1893 is a deep-water peracarid in the order Lophogastrida Boas, 1883, which can often be found in high abundances in pelagic trawls. The species can be found along the Mariana Trench, in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, west Atlantic and east Pacific Oceans, and in the Gulf of Mexico and as deep as 7526 m. Recent collections of E. sculpticauda in the Gulf of Mexico have revealed putative cryptic diversity within the species based on both molecular and morphological evidence. Previous studies have documented two different morphotypes of the telson: the terminal part of the pleon (abdomen) and part of the tail fan. In adults, the morphotypes can be distinguished by lateral constrictions in the telson. This evidence, combined with a previous barcoding study, led to the speculation that telson morphology may be a distinguishing character useful to define cryptic diversity within E. sculpticauda. This study presents additional molecular data from the mitochondrial genes cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and the large ribosomal subunit (16S), and the nuclear histone 3 gene (H3) to investigate telson morphotypes in relation to evolutionary history within this species. Molecular data identified two strongly supported clades, lending support for potential cryptic diversification within the Gulf of Mexico. Investigations into telson morphology suggest that this character may be informative, but the morphotypes were sometimes ambiguous and additional characters could not be found that discriminate clades. At present, our data suggest early evidence for cryptic diversification within Gulf of Mexico populations, but additional morphological characters and geographic sampling are needed before a new species can be described.

Hypoxia tolerance in aquatic ectotherms involves a suite of behavioral and physiological responses at the organismal, tissue, and cellular levels. The current study evaluated two closely related killifish species (Fundulus heteroclitus, Fundulus majalis) to evaluate responses to acute moderate and acute severe hypoxia. Routine metabolic rate and loss of equilibrium were assessed, followed by analysis in skeletal muscle of markers of oxidative damage to proteins (2,4-DNPH), lipids (4-HNE), and DNA (8-OHdG), hypoxia signaling (HIF1α, HIF2α), cellular energy state (p-AMPK: AMPK), and protein degradation (Ubiquitin, LC3B, Calpain 2, Hsp70). Both species had a similar reduction in metabolic rate at low PO2. However, F. heteroclitus was the more hypoxia-tolerant species based on a lower PO2 at which there was loss of equilibrium, perhaps due in part to a lower oxygen demand at all oxygen tensions. Despite the differences in hypoxia tolerance between the species, skeletal muscle molecular markers were largely insensitive to hypoxia, and there were few differences in responses between the species. Thus, the metabolic depression observed at the whole animal level appears to limit perturbations in skeletal muscle in both species during the hypoxia treatments.

Intraspecific variation can be as great as variation across species, but the role of intraspecific variation in driving local and large-scale patterns is often overlooked, particularly in the field of thermal biology. In amphibians, which depend on environmental conditions and behavior to regulate body temperature, recognizing intraspecific thermal trait variation is essential to comprehensively understanding how global change impacts populations. Here, we examine the drivers of micro- and macrogeographical intraspecific thermal trait variation in amphibians. At the local scale, intraspecific variation can arise via changes in ontogeny, body size, and between the sexes, and developmental plasticity, acclimation, and maternal effects may modulate predictions of amphibian performance under future climate scenarios. At the macrogeographic scale, local adaptation in thermal traits may occur along latitudinal and elevational gradients, with seasonality and range-edge dynamics likely playing important roles in patterns that may impact future persistence. We also discuss the importance of considering disease as a factor affecting intraspecific variation in thermal traits and population resilience to climate change, given the impact of pathogens on thermal preferences and critical thermal limits of hosts. Finally, we make recommendations for future work in this area. Ultimately, our goal is to demonstrate why it is important for researchers to consider intraspecific variation to determine the resilience of amphibians to global change.

Birds exhibit a variety of migration strategies. Because sustained flapping flight requires the production of elevated levels of energy compared to typical daily activities, migratory birds are well-documented to have several physiological adaptations to support the energy demands of migration. However, even though mitochondria are the source of ATP that powers flight, the respiratory performance of the mitochondria is almost unstudied in the context of migration. We hypothesized that migratory species would have higher mitochondrial respiratory performance during migration compared to species that do not migrate. To test this hypothesis, we compared variables related to mitochondrial respiratory function between two confamilial bird species-the migratory Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) and the non-migratory Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). Birds were captured at the same location along the Alabama Gulf Coast, where we assumed that Gray Catbirds were migrants and where resident Northern Mockingbirds live year-round. We found a trend in citrate synthase activity, which suggests that Gray Catbirds have a greater mitochondrial volume in their pectoralis muscle, but we observed no other differences in mitochondrial respiration or complex enzymatic activities between individuals from the migrant versus the non-migrant species. However, when we assessed the catbirds included in our study using well-established indicators of migratory physiology, birds fell into two groups: a group with physiological parameters indicating a physiology of birds engaged in migration and a group with the physiology of birds not migrating. Thus, our comparison included catbirds that appeared to be outside of migratory condition. When we compared the mitochondrial performance of these three groups, we found that the mitochondrial respiratory capacity of migrating catbirds was very similar to that of Northern Mockingbirds, while the catbirds judged to be not migrating were lowest. One explanation for these observations is these species display very different daily flight behaviors. While the mockingbirds we sampled were not breeding nor migrating, they are highly active birds, living in the open and engaging in flapping flights throughout each day. In contrast, Gray Catbirds live in shrubs and fly infrequently when not migrating. Such differences in baseline energy needs likely confounded our attempt to study adaptations to migration.

When cultural biases pervade communication, whether visual or text-based, objectivity is impaired. Anthropocentrism (human-centered bias) and androcentrism (male-centered bias) in particular distort perspectives in mammalian reproductive biology. This paper provides a resource for professionals who understand how cultural biases can be reinforced with language, visuals, and conceptual framing. After brief explanations, we present neutral alternatives to biased terminology as well as ways to avoid bias in illustrations. Since this paper is animal-centric, we hope to inspire the creation of similar resources across a more diverse biota and, thus, move towards a more neutral perspective across reproductive biology.

The morphology-performance-fitness paradigm has long been a guiding principle inspiring a great deal of laboratory and field studies fundamental to understanding functional-morphology relationships across the tree of life. Despite the power of experimental approaches they also come with inherent limitations associated with equipment and animal costs, as well as ethical considerations for the types of manipulations that can be implemented. Modeling can provide an opportunity to surmount some of these challenges by offering greater flexibility in manipulating variables and exploring a wider parameter space than is tractable during animal experimentation. However, effective implementation of these tools requires careful consideration of the limitations and benefits they convey, requiring both greater interdisciplinary training from early stages of educational development and increased collaboration and synergies among scientists from traditionally separate disciplines. With institutions increasingly recognizing the need for and investing in providing universal access to computational and rapid prototyping resources, we believe that it is an opportune moment to prioritize greater synergy to accelerate discovery and innovation across fields.

The extent to which evolution is predictable is a long-standing question in biology, with implications for urgent biological issues such as viral evolution, the emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and organismal responses to climate change. Convergent evolution, the phylogenetically independent evolution of similar phenotypes, provides biological replicates useful for exploring patterns of predictability in evolution. Understanding evolutionary convergence requires synthesizing findings across biological scales and organisms. To this end, we organized a SICB-wide symposium entitled "Integrating research on convergent evolution across levels of biological organization, organisms, and time". Our symposium showcased interdisciplinary research on evolutionary convergence across diverse study systems and levels of biological organization, while highlighting new techniques and comparative methods for identifying patterns of predictability in convergently evolved traits. Here, we introduce findings from papers included in this symposium issue and identify common themes, highlight emerging questions, and discuss how we can integrate new techniques, tools, and systems to expand our understanding of evolutionary convergence.

Trade-offs during reproduction have long been a central focus within biology and much of the foundational work within life history evolution has focused on females, as the fitness of females is more easily quantified for use in theoretical models. However, in many regards, the field of organismal biology has deviated from this early focus on females, particularly as it relates to the nuances and dynamic nature of female reproduction. Regardless, at the organismal level, reproduction is thought to trade-off with other simultaneously occurring processes. Recent papers have sought to outline the issues with our current understanding of whole-organism trade-offs, though the field as a whole has not come to a consensus on what trade-offs mean to a reproducing female. To rectify this important gap in how trade-offs are discussed in organismal biology as well as confusion about what constitutes a trade-off, our overarching goal of this symposium was to discuss trade-offs from an integrative perspective that places female reproduction at the center. By answering what trade-offs are and what they mean to reproducing females, what has been neglected in the context of whole-organism physiology, and how maternal effects fit within this framework, our group of speakers and their associated papers will crystalize nuances of measuring and determining presence (if any) of trade-offs in reproducing females in a range of taxa and subfields.