Wolfgang Goymann

Verborgene Rhythmen im Cichliden-Alltag — Holtz et al. nutzen Computer-Vision-Analyse, um feine Unterschiede in Bewegungsmustern bei Buntbarschen aus dem Malawisee aufzudecken. Solche Nischenaufteilung im Verhalten kann zur Artenvielfalt beitragen, jenseits von Nahrungsunterschieden. 🐟📹🤖 #Ethologie

Cryptic and Ecologically Relevant Locomotor Activity Patterns in Lake Malawi Cichlids Revealed Through Computer Vision Pipeline Cryptic behavioral variation revealed by computer vision pipeline. Two closely related cichlid species show differences in patterns of tank usage (heatmaps) as well as the number and duration of stop...

🧪ETHOLOGY: Holtz et al. use a computer vision pipeline to uncover subtle differences in movement patterns in Lake Malawi cichlids — showing how behavior may help maintain biodiversity beyond diet differences. 🐟📹🤖
It's #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1111/eth....
#Cichlids #ComputerVision #MachineLearning

Egg Traders Do Not Discriminate Between Familiar and Unfamiliar Partners Reciprocity in annelids: switching partners does not affect delay or size of egg donation.

🧪ETHOLOGY: Imagine you wake up as a hermaphrodite marine worm - who should you trade eggs with?! 🐛💞🥚
Loubière & Lorenzi show that Ophryotrocha diadema trade eggs equally with familiar and unfamiliar partners — suggesting reciprocity without individual recognition. Read here: doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Risikoverhalten abhängig vom Zustand bei Mäusen! 🐭💥🍔
Lopez-Hervas et al. zeigen, dass Futterqualität und Körpermasse die Reaktionen von Mäusen auf Gefahr beeinflussen — schwerere, oder Tiere mit besseren Ressourcen, verhalten sich vorsichtiger und stützen damit die Asset-Protection-Hypothese!

Condition‐Dependent Responses to Risk in a Small Mammal Responses to a predation risk gradient vary as a function of the resource environment and individual condition in a small mammal.

🧪ETHOLOGY: Condition-dependent risk-taking in mice! 🐭💥🍔
Lopez-Hervas et al. show that diet quality and body mass shape mice’s reactions to risk — heavier or better-fed individuals play it safer, supporting the asset-protection hypothesis! Read here, it's #OpenAccess: doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Wie wirken sich Mikroplastikpartikel auf das Gehirn von Fischen aus? 🧠🐟
Lucon-Xiccato et al. testeten, ob synthetisches (PE) oder biologisch abbaubares (PBAT) Mikroplastik die Kognition von Zebrafischen beeinflusst. PE senkte deutlich die Gehirnaktivität – das Lernvermögen blieb jedoch unverändert.

🧪ETHOLOGY: How does ingesting microplastics mess with fish minds? 🧠🐟
Lucon-Xiccato et al. tested if synthetic (PE) vs. biodegradable (PBAT) microplastics affects zebrafish cognition. While PE significantly reduced brain activity, learning ability didn't change. #OpenAccess doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Award alert! 🎖️🚨 Every other year, the Ethologische Gesellschaft awards the Niko Tinbergen Award to outstanding post-doc level researchers in Behavioural Biology (<=6yrs post PhD exam).
...and this year is one of these years! Please send us your nominations! 🫵 Infos: www.etho-ges.de/wordpress/aw...

...and maybe continue at the DK Symposium on Cognition & Communication in Vienna, taking place right after (23–24 February 2026)! Exciting talks and contributions can be expected at both venues. Student contributions very welcome!

a black and white photo of a cat and a duck standing on their hind legs ALT: a black and white photo of a cat and a duck standing on their hind legs

IT'S THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN!! 🧪🦢🐸🐀
Registration for the Annual Meeting of the Ethological Society is open! Join the science & networking fun in Grünau im Almtal 16-21 February 2026 univie.eventsair.com/etho26-dkcog...

A white-browed coucal listening to a playback recording, leaning over to better hear the speaker in a tree.

#pictureofthemonth: Pairs of white-browed coucals often duet. Here you see a coucal listening to a playback recording of its own species. Find out more: www.bi.mpg.de/goymann

August – Institute calendar of @mpibiochem.bsky.social and @mpiforbi.bsky.social

Picture by @dudumizi.bsky.social

Christian Kolb's picture of GAYY, one of our oldest (and most beautiful) whinchat males, who was ringed as a first-year breeder in 2020. Hope to see you coming back next year!

Geschlecht im Wandel: Eine interdisziplinäre Reise durch Biologie, Kultur und Diskriminierung Das Sachbuch erläutert, wie sich die Geschlechter von Befruchtung bis Tod unterscheiden und warum sie eine so große Rolle bei unserem Verhalten spielen

For the German crowd: Peter Kappelers new comprehensive interdisciplinary book on sex:
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Ruff clutches are expertly hidden, the eggs are camouflaged and very difficult to find. But this year’s field crew with @jellybb.bsky.social @simonvandepitte.bsky.social @koivulakari.bsky.social @vmpakanen.bsky.social is on 🔥 and found already plenty of them.

Use of Social Information About Novel Food by Juvenile Solitary Forktongue Goby, Chaenogobius annularis Solitary goby juveniles can use social information about novel food and novel food location.

Tiere lernen oft voneinander. Auch juvenile Fische?! 🐟👀 Ja! Junge Grundeln lernten schneller, neues Futter zu fressen, wenn sie mit erfahrenen Artgenossen zusammen waren – soziales Lernen ist nicht nur etwas für hochsoziale Arten! #Tierverhalten #SozialesLernen

Use of Social Information About Novel Food by Juvenile Solitary Forktongue Goby, Chaenogobius annularis Solitary goby juveniles can use social information about novel food and novel food location.

ETHOLOGY: Animals often learn from others. Even juvenile solitary fish?! 🐟👀 Yes! Juvenile forktongue gobies learned to feed on novel food faster when paired with experienced peers—social learning isn't just for highly social species! Read more doi.org/10.1111/eth.... #AnimalBehavior #SocialLearning

A resurrected defence of beanbag genetics | Aeon Essays Today a bitter dispute about the nature of biology is underway. A simple bag of beans may be what tips the balance

Another cool article in Aeon
aeon.co/essays/a-res...

A psychologist and biologist debate the significance of testosterone | Aeon Essays In probing whether there are basic sex differences in humans, a psychologist and a biologist agree to seriously disagree

Interesting and stimulating dicussion of the role of testosterone by Cordelia Fine and Carol Hooven in Aeon:
aeon.co/essays/a-psy...

Biology should not dispense with sexes Paul Griffiths and Hamish Spencer discuss and reject the notion that biological sex is a construct that should be eliminated in scientific research and discourse.

This is science not politics! Griffiths and Spencer published a neat article on sex in Curr. Biol., corresponding well with our previous publication "Biological sex is binary even though there is a rainbow of sex roles", see
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
and
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Ein Pinguin erklärt 3 Möwen anhand einer Schautafel, wie sie auf einen Tesla schietern sollen

Netzfund
Ich hätte beinahe meinen Kaffee rausgeprustet vor Lachen 😂

Another step forward in the ghrelin saga and its functions in birds led by @fusanilab.bsky.social 👇

Ah, science...

#S4FAppell: Die 11.000 wurden heute Abend überschritten. 🙂

www.bayceer.uni-bayreuth.de/s4f/de/top/o...

yes rain and storm since three days...

view to the sea from a viewpoint close to the lighthouse

This year's lesser coucal field season on Lanyu started

Soziale Netzwerke als demokratische Kraft retten Rund 100 Akteur*innen aus Kultur, Wirtschaft und Medien haben sich zur Initiative Save Social zusammengetan. [1] Gemeinsam schlagen sie zehn konkrete Schritte vor, um das Internet von der Dominanz ...

This cause is important - please sign: weact.campact.de/petitions/sa...