Differences In Behavior Research Articles

Do Residential Areas Matter? Exploring the Differences in Motivational Factors, Motivation, and Learning Behaviors Among Urban High School English Learners From Different Regions

It has long been researched on the differences in motivation profiles between English learners in urban and rural schools to promote educational equity. However, important stakeholders such as students in developing cities and rural-urban-migrant students have been overlooked. Additionally, the moderating roles of regional variables between motivation and behaviors are understudied. To address these gaps, we investigated 503 high school students from four cities in China through questionnaires. Drawing on self-determination theory, we explored the differences in English learning motivational factors, motivation, and behaviors between students in developed and underdeveloped cities, and between rural-urban-migrant students and local students within the same urban school. Furthermore, we examined the moderating roles of regional variables between motivation and behaviors. Independent-samples t-tests revealed that students in the underdeveloped city had significantly lower levels of emotion-related factors and English learning behaviors. Among students attending the same urban school, it was found that rural-urban-migrant students reported higher levels of negativity across all dimensions surveyed. Moreover, moderation analysis suggested the positive impact of motivation on English learning behaviors was weaker among rural-urban-migrant students. We discussed potential reasons for these results and provided implications for teachers, parents, and policymakers.

Average Time-Delays for the Scattering of O Atoms from O2 Molecules.

We report full quantum-computed average microcanonical, initial state-specific, and canonical cumulative time-delays associated with the O + O2 scattering, presented as a function of total energy (in relation to an idealized molecular beam experiment) or temperature (for the properties of the gas phase in bulk conditions). We show that these quantities are well-defined and computable, with a temperature-dependent (canonical) time-delay presenting a smooth, monotonic decreasing behavior with temperature, despite an energy-dependent (microcanonical) time-delay of apparent chaotic character. We discuss differences in behavior when considering isotopic variations, 18O + 16O16O and 16O + 16O18O, with respect to the reference process 16O + 16O16O and reveal a greater magnitude of the cumulative time-delay when genuinely reactive events can take place, in the presence of 18O. These results constitute an addition to more conventional fashions (like cross sections and rate constants) of displaying information related to collisions in various experimental contexts.

Differences in Nanoplastic Formation Behavior Between High-Density Polyethylene and Low-Density Polyethylene

Differences in Nanoplastic Formation Behavior Between High-Density Polyethylene and Low-Density Polyethylene

Long-term follow-up of the impact of brief sleep and lifestyle interventions in infancy on BMI z-score at 11 years of age: The POI randomized controlled trial.

To determine whether BMI differences observed at 5 years of age, from early intervention in infancy, remained apparent at 11 years. Participants (n = 734) from the original randomized controlled trial (n = 802) underwent measures of body mass index (BMI), body composition (DXA), sleep and physical activity (24-h accelerometry, questionnaire), diet (repeated 24-h recalls), screen time (daily diaries), wellbeing (CHU-9D, WHO-5), and family functioning (McMaster FAD) around their 11th birthday. Following multiple imputation, regression models explored the effects of two interventions ('Sleep' vs. 'Food, Activity and Breastfeeding' [FAB]) using a 2 × 2 factorial design. Five hundred twelve children (48% female, mean [SD] age 11.1 [0.1] years) returned for the 11-year assessment (63% of original sample). Significant differences in BMI z-score (mean difference; 95% CI: -0.16; -0.41, 0.08) or the risk of overweight (including obesity) (odds ratio; 95% CI: 0.85; 0.56, 1.29) were no longer observed between children who had received the sleep intervention compared with those who had not. By contrast, children who had received the FAB intervention had greater BMI z-scores (0.24; 0.01, 0.47) and a higher risk of obesity (1.56; 1.03, 2.36) than children not enrolled in FAB. No significant differences were observed in any lifestyle variables nor wellbeing measures across all groups. Sustained reductions in BMI and obesity risk from an early sleep intervention were not apparent 9 years later, whereas a more traditional lifestyle intervention resulted in increased rates of obesity, not explained by any differences in lifestyle behaviours measured. ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00892983, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00892983.

Brief exposure to (-) THC affects zebrafish embryonic locomotion with effects that persist into the next generation

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs, and yet an understanding of its impact on the human brain and body is inconclusive. Medicinal and recreational use of cannabis has increased in the last decade with a concomitant increase in use by pregnant women. The major psychoactive compound in cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), exists in different isomers, with the (-) trans isomer most common. Prenatal exposure to THC can alter neural and behavioral development, but it is unknown how exposure to (-) trans-THC ((-)THC) during very early stages of development impacts fetal growth and movement, and whether effects persist to adulthood, or into the next generation. Here we exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio) to a single exposure of (-)THC (0.001 mg/L (3.2 nM) to 20 mg/L (63.6 µM), for 5 h) during gastrulation (5.25 hpf to 10.75 hpf) when key neurons involved in locomotion such as the primary motor neurons and Mauthner cell first appear. We then examined the impact on embryo morphology and locomotion, adult behavior, and locomotion in the next (F1) generation. Embryos treated with (-)THC experienced changes in morphology, were shorter in length and experienced altered hatching and survival. Spontaneous coiling of 1 dpf embryos was reduced, swimming after touch-evoked responses was reduced and basal swimming in 5 dpf larvae was also reduced. Adult zebrafish tested in the open field test and novel object approach test demonstrated no differences in locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, nor boldness, compared to controls. The (-)THC F1 generation embryos at 1 dpf showed reduced coiling activity, while swimming after touch-evoked responses was reduced in 2 dpf animals but basal swimming at 5 dpf remained similar to controls. Taken together, exposure to (-)THC only once for 5 h during gastrulation has a significant impact on locomotion in embryos and larvae, a minimal impact on adult behavior, and effects that persist into the next generation.

Effects of Wall Temperature on Scalar and Turbulence Statistics During Premixed Flame–Wall Interaction Within Turbulent Boundary Layers

Abstract Direct numerical simulations (DNS) have been utilised to investigate the impact of different thermal wall boundary conditions on premixed V-flames interacting with walls in a turbulent channel flow configuration. Two boundary conditions are considered: isothermal walls, where the wall temperature is set either equal to the unburned mixture temperature or an elevated temperature, and adiabatic walls. An increase in wall temperature has been found to decrease the minimum flame quenching distance and increase the maximum wall heat flux magnitude. The analysis reveals notable differences in mean behaviours of the progress variable and non-dimensional temperature in response to thermal boundary conditions. At the upstream of the flame–wall interaction location, higher mean friction velocity values are observed for the case with elevated wall temperature compared to the other cases. However, during flame–wall interaction, friction velocity values decrease for isothermal walls but initially rise before decreasing for adiabatic walls, persisting at levels surpassing isothermal conditions. For all thermal wall boundary conditions, the mean scalar dissipation rates of the progress variable and non-dimensional temperature exhibit a decreasing trend towards the wall. Notably, in the case of isothermal wall boundary condition, a higher scalar dissipation rate for the non-dimensional temperature is observed in comparison to the scalar dissipation rate for the progress variable. Thermal boundary condition also has a significant impact on Reynolds stress components, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation rates, showing the highest magnitudes with isothermal case with elevated wall temperature and the lowest magnitude for the isothermal wall with unburned gas temperature. The findings of the current analysis suggest that thermal boundary conditions can potentially significantly affect trubulence closures in the context of Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes simulations of premixed flame–wall interaction.

Men and women's waking patterns to infant crying: Preparenthood differences are insufficient to explain uneven sharing of nighttime care.

Crying in infancy is an important emotional signal that elicits care from adults, and women are often assumed to be more sensitive and reactive to infant crying than men. In a series of studies, we tested whether preparenthood gender differences in sensitivity to infant cries are a potential driver of the unequal share of early parenting. In Study 1, we tested for differences in men and women's awakening to infant crying and alarms among nonparents in an overnight experiment (N = 142). We found that at the lowest sound volumes only, estimated at a sound pressure level of between 33 and 44 decibels, women were 14% more likely to wake than men to both infant crying and alarm sounds. There were no differences between women and men at louder sound volumes. In Study 2, we examined the nighttime caregiving patterns of first-time parents over a week using experience sampling to obtain reports from both fathers and mothers (N = 117). We found that mothers were, on average, three times more likely to check on or respond to their infants at night than fathers. In 23% of couples, there was some evidence for equal sharing. Finally, in a simulation study, we reconstructed the distribution of care that could emerge from the awakening differences observed in Study 1. We then compared these simulations to the empirical nighttime caregiving patterns reported by first-time parents in Study 2. Our simulation showed that the large difference between parents' nighttime caregiving was unlikely to emerge from the small preparenthood differences in awakening likelihood. We conclude that the greater maternal share of nighttime caregiving cannot plausibly be explained by inherent preparenthood differences in auditory reactivity or nocturnal waking behavior in men or women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex in aging matters: exercise and chronic stress differentially impact females and males across the lifespan

Assessing sex as a biological variable is critical to determining the influence of environmental and lifestyle risks and protective factors mediating behavior and neuroplasticity across the lifespan. We investigated sex differences in affective behavior, memory, and hippocampal neurogenesis following short- or long-term exposure to exercise or chronic mild stress in young and aged mice. Male and female mice were assigned control, running, or chronic stress rearing conditions for 1 month (young) or for 15 months (aged), then underwent a behavioral test battery to assess activity, affective behavior, and memory. Stress exposure into late-adulthood increased hyperactivity in both sexes, and enhanced anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior in aged female, but not male, mice. One month of stress or running had no differential effects on behavior in young males and females. Running increased survival of BrdU-labelled hippocampal cells in both young and aged mice, and enhanced spatial memory in aged mice. These findings highlight the importance of considering sex when determining how aging is differently impacted by modifiable lifestyle factors across the lifespan.

Behavior of Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) recki confronted to a combination of plants and food: pollen, Tetranychus urticae and Aculops lycopersici for companion plant use.

Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) recki feeds on pest mites on tomato plants and its introduction into crops via companion plants, Mentha suaveolens and Phlomis fruticosa, has been recently investigated. This study aims at assessing the predator arrestment behavior, through lab choice tests to determine the effects of (i) prey (Aculops lycopersici and Tetranychus urticae) vs Typha angustifolia pollen deposited on companion plant or Solanum nigrum, (ii) T. urticae vs A. lycopersici on S. nigrum and (ii) M. suaveolens vs P. fruticosa using pollen as food source. The predator position, the number of eggs laid and the number of T. urticae eggs consumed were assessed during 4 days. The predator was more observed on leaf discs with A. lycopersici vs pollen when the pollen was deposited on S. nigrum and M. suaveolens, but was more found on leaf discs with pollen on P. fruticosa. It was equally found on leaf discs with T. urticae vs pollen for all the plants tested. No difference in predator arrestment behavior was noted between A. lycopersici and T. urticae, but a higher proportion was observed on leaf discs with A. lycopersici at the beginning of the experiment than at the end. Finally, the predator was more observed on leaf discs of P. fruticosa than of M. suaveolens. The highest fecundity was observed in systems with pollen and A. lycopersci + pollen, and the lowest with T. urticae + pollen; T. urticae consumption was not different with pollen or A. lycopersici. The predator less arrested on pollen vs A. lycopersici that provides a high fecundity; however, surprisingly it was more attracted to pollen vs a prey T. urticae, questioning the cues perceived by T. (A.) recki. The strong preference for P. fruticosa without prey vs S. nigrum with prey or M. suaveolens with pollen, suggests for the second time for Phytoseiidae, direct effects of plant (may be via odors) and questions the ecological advantages of such a behavior. For practical issues, M. suaveolens would be a better bank plant than P. fruticosa; an arrestment on patches of A. lycopersici within tomato plant is expected even if pollen is present and in case of T. urticae infestation a low dispersal to this prey will probably occur, questioning the interest to use T. (A.) recki in combination with other Phytoseiidae species, specialized in T. urticae predation, as Phytoseiulus persimilis.

Analysis of Morphologic and Rheological Properties of Hyaluronic Acid Gel Fillers to Body Contouring and Its Clinical Correlation

The demand for minimally invasive body contouring procedures, particularly for gluteal augmentation, has grown significantly. This study evaluates the morphologic and rheological properties of four commercially available hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers used for body contouring and explores their clinical implications. Critical parameters such as storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), complex modulus (G*), and damping factor (tan δ) were measured using oscillatory rheological tests to assess each filler’s elasticity, viscosity, and viscoelastic profile. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was performed to analyze the microstructure of the fillers, providing insights into their microscopic architecture. The results showed differences in mechanical properties and viscoelastic behavior among the fillers. These variations suggest that the choice of filler may need to be tailored to specific body contouring requirements. Understanding these differences is crucial for achieving the best clinical results and patient satisfaction, helping professionals select the most suitable filler for each case.

Distinct Behavioral Profiles and Neuronal Correlates of Heroin Vulnerability Versus Resiliency in a Multi-Symptomatic Model of Heroin Use Disorder in Rats.

The behavioral and diagnostic heterogeneity within the opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis is not readily captured in current animal models, limiting the translational relevance of the mechanistic research that is conducted in experimental animals. The authors hypothesized that a nonlinear clustering of OUD-like behavioral traits would capture population heterogeneity and yield subpopulations of OUD vulnerable rats with distinct behavioral and neurocircuit profiles. Over 900 male and female heterogeneous stock rats, a line capturing genetic and behavioral heterogeneity present in humans, were assessed for several measures of heroin use and rewarded and non-rewarded seeking behaviors. A nonlinear stochastic block model clustering analysis was used to assign rats to OUD vulnerable, intermediate, and resilient clusters. Additional behavioral tests and circuit analyses using c-fos protein activation were conducted on the vulnerable and resilient subpopulations. OUD vulnerable rats exhibited greater heroin taking and seeking behaviors relative to those in the intermediate and resilient clusters. Akin to human OUD diagnosis, further vulnerable rat subclustering revealed subpopulations with different combinations of behavioral traits, including sex differences. Lastly, heroin cue-induced neuronal patterns of circuit activation differed between resilient and vulnerable phenotypes. Behavioral sex differences were recapitulated in patterns of circuitry activation, including preferential engagement of extended amygdala stress circuitry in males and cortico-striatal drug cue-seeking circuitry in females. Using a nonlinear clustering approach in rats, the analysis captured behavioral diagnostic heterogeneity reflective of human OUD diagnosis. OUD vulnerability and resiliency were associated with distinct neuronal activation patterns, posing this approach as a translational tool in assessing neurobiological mechanisms underpinning OUD.

Molecular characterization of chicken DA systems reveals that the avian personality gene, DRD4, is expressed in the mitral cells of the olfactory bulb

Animal personalities are stable, context-dependent behavioral differences. Associations between the personality of birds and polymorphisms in the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene have been repeatedly observed. In mammals, our understanding of the role of the dopamine (DA) system in higher cognitive functions and psychiatric disorders is improving, and we are beginning to understand the relationship between the neural circuits modulating the DA system and personality traits. However, to understand the phylogenetic continuity of the neural basis of personality, it is necessary to clarify the neural circuits that process personality in other animals and compare them with those in mammals. In birds, the DA system is anatomically and molecularly similar to that in mammals; however, the function of DRD4 remains largely unknown. In this study, we used chicks as model birds to reveal the expression regions of the DA neuron-related markers tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopa decarboxylase (DDC), dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH), and DRD4, as well as other DRDs throughout the forebrain. We found that DRD4 was selectively expressed in the mitral cells of the olfactory bulb (OB). Furthermore, a detailed comparison of the expression regions of DA neurons and DRD4 in the OB revealed a cellular composition similar to that of mammals. Our findings suggest that the animal personality gene DRD4 is important for olfactory information processing in birds, providing a new basis for comparing candidate neural circuits for personality traits between birds and mammals.

Modulation by NPY/NPF-like receptor underlies experience-dependent, sexually dimorphic learning

The evolutionary paths taken by each sex within a given species sometimes diverge, resulting in behavioral differences. Given their distinct needs, the mechanism by which each sex learns from a shared experience is still an open question. Here, we reveal sexual dimorphism in learning: C. elegans males do not learn to avoid the pathogenic bacteria PA14 as efficiently and rapidly as hermaphrodites. Notably, neuronal activity following pathogen exposure was dimorphic: hermaphrodites generate robust representations, while males, in line with their behavior, exhibit contrasting representations. Transcriptomic and behavioral analysis revealed that the neuropeptide receptor npr-5, an ortholog of the mammalian NPY/NPF-like receptor, regulates male learning by modulating neuronal activity. Furthermore, we show the dependency of the males’ decision-making on their sexual status and demonstrate the role of npr-5 as a modulator of incoming sensory cues. Taken together, these findings illustrate how neuromodulators drive sex-specific behavioral plasticity in response to a shared experience.

Impact of Rock Cuttings on Downhole Fluid Movement in Polycrystalline Diamond Compact (PDC) Bits, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Simulation, and Optimization of Hydraulic Structures

The flow occurring at the bottom of a polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bit involves a complex process made up of drilling fluid and the drilled rock cuttings. A thorough understanding of the bottom-hole flow conditions is essential for accurately evaluating and optimizing the hydraulic structure design of the PDC drill bit. Based on a comprehensive understanding of the hydraulic structure and fluid flow characteristics of PDC drill bits, this study integrates computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with rock-breaking simulation methods to refine and enhance the numerical simulation approach for the liquid–solid two-phase flow field of PDC drill bits. This study further conducts a comparative analysis of simulation results between single-phase and liquid–solid two-phase flows, highlighting the influence of rock cuttings on flow dynamics. The results reveal substantial differences in flow behavior between single-phase and two-phase conditions, with rock cuttings altering the velocity distribution, flow patterns, and hydraulic performance near the bottom-hole region of the drill bit. The two-phase flow simulation results demonstrate higher accuracy and provide a more detailed depiction of the bottom-hole flow, facilitating the identification of previously unrecognized issues in the hydraulic structure design. These findings advance the methodology for multiphase flow simulation in PDC drill bit studies, providing significant academic and engineering value by offering actionable insights for optimizing hydraulic structures and extending bit life.

Eumelanic Coloration Impacts Mating Behavior, Stress Response, and Predator Preference in the Polymorphic Eastern Mosquitofish

ABSTRACTThe expression of melanic or black coloration is ubiquitous and has significant behavioral and ecological relevance. Although black coloration is common, melanic morphs within populations are often considered rare. The mechanism for the maintenance of rare melanic morphs is often associated with differences in morph behavior, predator preference, or the interaction of both. Mechanistically, the genetic loci associated with black coloration in rare morphs can also influence behaviors, and these pleiotropic effects may provide some benefit to black morphs. We predicted that different mating behaviors, antipredator responses, and stress response, as well as predator preference influenced the maintenance of a rare black morph in freshwater Eastern mosquitofish. We created predator and control treatments to measure differences in melanic and silver mosquitofish behavior and cortisol levels. We also measured predator approach and attack of melanic and silver morphs. Overall, melanic morphs exhibited a higher number of mating behaviors compared to silver morphs and returned to mating attempts quicker than silver morphs after predator exposure. Melanic males also exhibited higher baseline cortisol levels, but silver males produced more cortisol after predator exposures compared to melanic males. These specific responses may provide the mechanism by which melanic males continue to persist in populations where they are rare.

Exploring behavioral determinants of residents’ ecological conservation in rural tourism development

This study explores the residents’ behavioral determinants of ecological conservation in rural tourism development, focusing on resident participation to promote sustainable development in the tourism industry. By integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM), it examines the roles of subjective norm, responsibility attribution, ecological environmental risk perception, and human capital in shaping ecological conservation behavior. Based on data from 331 valid responses collected through a questionnaire survey, structural equation model (SEM) was performed using SPSS and AMOS to analyze ecological conservation behavior. The findings reveal that subjective norm and responsibility attribution significantly enhance ecological protection intention, which subsequently boosts ecological protection behavior. The relationship between subjective norm and behavior is mediated by intention, while ecological environmental risk perception positively moderates the subjective norm-behavior relationship. Additionally, human capital positively and significantly moderates the intention-behavior relationship. Significant differences in ecological conservation behavior were found based on gender and age, with men and women, as well as different age groups, responding uniquely to the ecological intention and the ecological environmental risk perception. To promote sustainable tourism development, targeted policy recommendations were put forward.

Understanding the influence of hydrogen on BCC iron grain boundaries using the kinetic activation relaxation technique (k-ART)

Abstract Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) poses a significant challenge to the mechanical integrity of iron and its alloys. This study explores the influence of hydrogen atoms on two distinct grain boundaries (GBs), $\Sigma37$ and $\Sigma3$, in body-centered-cubic (BCC) iron. Using the kinetic activation relaxation technique (k-ART), an off-lattice kinetic Monte Carlo approach with an EAM-based potential, extensive catalogs of activated events for atoms in both H-free and H-saturated GBs were generated.
Studying the diffusion of H, we find that, for these systems, while GB is energetically favorable for H, this element diffuses more slowly at the GBs than in the bulk. The results further indicate that the $\Sigma 3$ GB exhibits higher stability in its pure form compared to the $\Sigma 37$ GB, with notable differences in energy barriers and diffusion behaviors. Moreover, with detailed information about the evolution landscape around the GB, we find that the saturation of a GB with hydrogen both stabilizes the GB by shifting barriers associated with Fe diffusion to higher energies and reducing the number of diffusion events. For the $\Sigma 37$ GB, the presence of hydrogen causes elastic deformation, affecting the diffusion of Fe atoms both at the GB and in adjacent positions. This results in new diffusion pathways but with higher diffusion barriers, unlike for the $\Sigma 3$ GB. These results indicate that the presence of hydrogen rigidifies the direct GB interface layers while allowing more atoms to be active for the $\Sigma 37$ GB. This provides a microscopic basis to support the existence of competing mechanisms compatible with either plasticity (such as hydrogen enhanced localized plasticity --- HELP) or energy-dominated (hydrogen enhanced decohesion mechanism ---HEDE) embrittlement, with the relative importance of these mechanisms determined by the local geometry of the GBs.

Differences in the influence of virtual influencers on different consumer groups

This paper uses quantitative research methods to explore the differences in the impact of virtual influencers on different consumer groups in the context of technological integration and innovation. The study uses DBSCAN clustering technology to segment consumers and combines social media behavior analysis with purchase records to collect data to identify differences in consumer behavior under the influence of virtual influencers. Consumers’ emotional resonance and brand awareness information about virtual influencers are extracted through sentiment analysis technology. The study finds that there are significant differences in the influence of virtual influencers on different consumer groups, especially in high-potential purchase groups, where the influence of virtual influencers is strong but short-lived. This paper further explores the deep integration of virtual influencer technology with new generation information technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, and emphasizes the importance of such technological integration in enhancing the endogenous and empowering capabilities of virtual influencers. The research results show that technological integration and innovation can not only promote the development of virtual influencers, but also provide new technical support for infrastructure construction, especially in the fields of smart cities and industrial production. This paper provides a new theoretical perspective for the market application of virtual influencers and provides practical support for the application of virtual technology in infrastructure construction.

Behavioral Patterns and Honey Yield Between Native and Non-native Stingless Bees in Bali's Ecosystem

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to significant growth in honey bee cultivation in Bali, leading to the introduction of nonnative bee species alongside the indigenous Tetragonula laeviceps. However, the 75% failure rate of nonnative species cultivation between 2020 and 2023 necessitated a deeper understanding of species adaptability in the Bali ecosystem. This study specifically examined the behavioral adaptation and honey production of Heterotrigona itama compared with those of Tetragonula laeviceps in a shared cultivation environment. A seven-month comparative experimental study involving 30 bee colonies (15 H. itama introduced from Lampung and 15 local T. laeviceps) was conducted. Time series sampling was employed at three daily intervals (09:00, 13:00, and 16:00) for behavioral observations, while honey production was measured via nondestructive vacuum extraction. H. itama demonstrated superior honey production (516.3 ml average) to that of T. laeviceps (213.3 ml average). The species exhibited distinct foraging preferences, with T. laeviceps favoring Jatropha integerrima and H. itama preferring Antigonon leptopus and Xanthostemon chrynsanthus. Both species have developed different adaptive strategies for nectar–water content management, with H. itama utilizing sun exposure and T. laeviceps employing smaller storage pots. This study revealed successful coexistence between native and nonnative species through differentiated foraging behaviors and resource utilization strategies, with H. itama showing greater productive capacity attributed to morphological and behavioral differences.

Seasonal coastal residency and large-scale migration of two grey mullet species in temperate European waters

Grey mullets (family Mugilidae) are widespread across coastal, brackish, and freshwater habitats, and have supported fisheries for millennia. Despite their global distribution and commercial value, little is known about their movement ecology and its role in the co-existence of sympatric mullet species. Gaps in knowledge about migratory behaviour, seasonal occurrence, and movement scales have also impeded effective management, highlighting the need for further research. This study aimed to identify key habitats and timing of grey mullet presence across the Dutch Wadden Sea, North Sea, and freshwater areas, and to explore potential behavioral differences between two grey mullet species: thicklip mullet (Chelon labrosus) and thinlip mullet (Chelon ramada). Using acoustic telemetry, we tracked 86 tagged grey mullet over three years (thicklip mullet, N = 74; thinlip mullet, N = 12), combining data from 100 local acoustic receivers and the European Tracking Network. Both species were detected in the Wadden Sea from April to November, however, thinlip mullet arrived in the Wadden Sea earlier than thicklip mullet (median date = May 16 vs. June 7). Individual residency in the Wadden Sea lasted a median 97 days for thicklip mullet and 94 days for thinlip mullet. Thinlip mullet were also detected by more receivers and over a larger area than thicklip mullet, indicating differences in movement behaviour. Both species showed an affinity for receivers near major harbours, with thinlip mullet more often detected near fresh water outflows. Seasonal migrations between coastal and offshore waters were also observed, with one thinlip mullet returning to freshwater across consecutive years. North Sea detections spanned ten months, with a gap during the presumed spawning period (Jan–Feb). Our data suggest that thinlip mullet show a preference for deeper gullies while thicklip mullet may spend more time in shallow areas and flooded tidal flats. These findings highlight the importance of the Wadden Sea as a seasonal foraging ground and provide insights into the migratory patterns of grey mullets.