Reduced palatability, fast flight, and tails: decoding the defence arsenal of Eudaminae skipper butterflies in a Neotropical locality.

Prey often rely on multiple defences against predators, such as flight speed, attack deflection from vital body parts, or unpleasant taste, but our understanding on how often and why they are co-exhibited remains limited. Eudaminae skipper butterflies use fast flight and mechanical defences (hindwing tails), but whether they use other defences like unpalatability (consumption deterrence) and how these defences interact have not been assessed. We tested the palatability of 12 abundant Eudaminae species in Peru, using training and feeding experiments with domestic chicks. Further, we approximated the difficulty of capture based on flight speed and quantified it by wing loading. We performed phylogenetic regressions to find any association between multiple defences, body size, and habitat preference. We found a broad range of palatability in Eudaminae, within and among species. Contrary to current understanding, palatability was negatively correlated with wing loading, suggesting that faster butterflies tend to have lower palatability. The relative length of hindwing tails did not explain the level of butterfly palatability, showing that attack deflection and consumption deterrence are not mutually exclusive. Habitat preference (open or forested environments) did not explain the level of palatability either, although butterflies with high wing loading tended to occupy semi-closed or closed habitats. Finally, the level of unpalatability in Eudaminae is size dependent. Larger butterflies are less palatable, perhaps because of higher detectability/preference by predators. Altogether, our findings shed light on the contexts favouring the prevalence of single versus multiple defensive strategies in prey.

Thermoregulatory ability and mechanism do not differ consistently between neotropical and temperate butterflies.

Climate change is a major threat to species worldwide, yet it remains uncertain whether tropical or temperate species are more vulnerable to changing temperatures. To further our understanding of this, we used a standardised field protocol to (1) study the buffering ability (ability to regulate body temperature relative to surrounding air temperature) of neotropical (Panama) and temperate (the United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Austria) butterflies at the assemblage and family level, (2) determine if any differences in buffering ability were driven by morphological characteristics and (3) used ecologically relevant temperature measurements to investigate how butterflies use microclimates and behaviour to thermoregulate. We hypothesised that temperate butterflies would be better at buffering than neotropical butterflies as temperate species naturally experience a wider range of temperatures than their tropical counterparts. Contrary to our hypothesis, at the assemblage level, neotropical species (especially Nymphalidae) were better at buffering than temperate species, driven primarily by neotropical individuals cooling themselves more at higher air temperatures. Morphology was the main driver of differences in buffering ability between neotropical and temperate species as opposed to the thermal environment butterflies experienced. Temperate butterflies used postural thermoregulation to raise their body temperature more than neotropical butterflies, probably as an adaptation to temperate climates, but the selection of microclimates did not differ between regions. Our findings demonstrate that butterfly species have unique thermoregulatory strategies driven by behaviour and morphology, and that neotropical species are not likely to be more inherently vulnerable to warming than temperate species.

El calentamiento global es una gran amenaza para las especies alrededor del mundo, sin embargo, no se tiene bien definido sí en los insectos, las especies distribuídas en las zonas tropicales son más vulnerables a los cambios de temperature que las especies de zonas templadas o viceversa. Para responder a este interrogante, utilizamos un protocolo de campo estandarizado aplicado a especies de mariposas distribuídas en zonas tropicales (Panamá) versus zonas templadas (Reino Unido, República Checa y Austria), con el cual buscamos: (1) Evaluar la capacidad de amortiguación (capacidad de regular la temperatura corporal en relación con la temperatura del aire circundante) en el a nivel de ensamblaje y familia, (2) Determinar sí las diferencias en la capacidad de amortiguación es facilitada por sus características morfológicas, y (3) Investigar cómo las mariposas usan los microclimas y el comportamiento para termorregularse a tráves de mediciones de temperatura ecológicamente relevantes. Nuestra hipotesis incial soportaba que las mariposas templadas estaban adaptadas para amortiguar los cambios de temperatura en comparación con las mariposas neotropicales, ya que las especies templadas experimentan un rango más amplio de temperaturas que sus contrapartes tropicales. Contrariamente a nuestra hipótesis, a nivel de ensamble, las especies neotropicales (especialmente familia Nymphalidae) fueron mejores en la capaicidad de amortiguacion que las especies templadas, explicado por el hecho de que individuos se enfrían más a altas temperaturas del aire. Así, la morfología fué el principal impulsor de las diferencias en la capacidad de amortiguación entre las especies neotropicales y templadas en comparación con el ambiente térmico experimentado por las mismas. Encontramos que las mariposas templadas utilizaron la termorregulación de postura para elevar su temperatura corporal más que las mariposas neotropicales, probablemente como una adaptación a los climas templados, aunque la selección de microclimas no difirió entre regiones. Nuestros hallazgos demuestran que las especies de mariposas tienen estrategias de termorregulación únicas, impulsadas principalmente por el comportamiento y morfología, además nuestros resultados demuestran que a diferencia de lo que se ha pensado, las especies neotropicales son igual de vulnerables al calentamiento de su hábitat que las especies templadas.

Decline in Match Running Performance in Football is affected by an Increase in Game Interruptions.

This study quantified the contribution of game interruptions to the fatigue-related declines in match running performance over the course of a football match. Using a semi-automatic multiple camera system, the running activity of 792 individual German Bundesliga performances was divided into pre-defined 15-minute intervals and subsequently analysed under two prerequisites: with (effective playing time) and without (total playing time) consideration of game interruptions. Results showed a significant decline in effective playing time over the course of a match, from 66.3% of the total playing time in the first 15 minutes to 55.9% in the final 15 minutes of a match. Under consideration of the total playing time, match running performances decreased by 24.2% on average; considering the effective playing time, they decreased on average by only 10.2%. It can, therefore, be concluded that more than half (57.9%) of the commonly reported decline in match running performance cannot be assigned to physical fatigue, but rather to an increase in game interruptions as the game progresses. In conclusion, this study demonstrated for the first time that the decline in players' match running performance during football matches is substantially amplified by a proven increase in game interruptions, indicating that there may be a tendency among practitioners to overestimate fatigue-induced performance declines.

The genome sequence of the Plain Longtail butterfly, Spicauda simplicius (Stoll, 1807).

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Spicauda simplicius (the Plain Longtail butterfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Hesperiidae). The genome sequence is 610.1 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 32 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the Z and W sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.54 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 18,506 protein coding genes.

Flight behaviour diverges more between seasonal forms than between species in Pieris butterflies.

In flying animals, wing morphology is typically assumed to influence flight behaviours. Whether seasonal polymorphism in butterfly morphology is linked to adaptive flight behaviour remains unresolved. Here, we compare the flight behaviours and wing morphologies of the spring and summer forms of two closely related butterfly species, Pieris napi and P. rapae. We first quantify three-dimensional flight behaviour by reconstructing individual flight trajectories using stereoscopic high-speed videography in an experimental outdoor cage. We then measure wing size and shape, which are characteristics assumed to influence flight behaviours in butterflies. We show that seasonal, but not interspecific, differences in flight behaviour might be associated with divergent forewing shapes. During spring, Pieris individuals are small and have elongated forewings, and generally fly at low speed and acceleration, while having a high flight curvature. On the contrary, summer individuals are larger and exhibit rounded forewings. They fly at high speed and acceleration, while having high turning acceleration and advance ratio. Our study provides one of the first quantitative pieces of evidence of different flight behaviours between seasonal forms of two Pieris butterfly species. We discuss the possibility that this co-divergence in flight behaviour and morphology is an adaptation to distinct seasonal environments. Properly identifying the mechanisms underpinning such divergence, nonetheless, requires further investigations to disentangle the interacting effects of microhabitats, predator community, parasitoid pressure and behavioural differences between sexes.

Football-specific validity of TRACAB's optical video tracking systems.

The present study aimed to validate and compare the football-specific measurement accuracy of two optical tracking systems engineered by TRACAB. The "Gen4" system consists of two multi-camera units (a stereo pair) in two locations either side of the halfway line, whereas the distributed "Gen5" system combines two stereo pairs on each side of the field as well as two monocular systems behind the goal areas. Data were collected from 20 male football players in two different exercises (a football sport-specific running course and small-sided games) in a professional football stadium. For evaluating the accuracy of the systems, measures were compared against simultaneously recorded measures of a reference system (VICON motion capture system). Statistical analysis uses RMSE for kinematic variables (position, speed and acceleration) and the difference in percentages for performance indicators (e.g. distance covered, peak speed) per run compared to the reference system. Frames in which players were obviously not tracked were excluded. Gen5 had marginally better accuracy (0.08 m RMSE) for position measurements than Gen4 (0.09 m RMSE) compared to the reference. Accuracy difference in instantaneous speed (Gen4: 0.09 m⋅s-1 RMSE; Gen5: 0.08 m⋅s-1 RMSE) and acceleration (Gen4: 0.26 m⋅s-2 RMSE; Gen5: 0.21 m⋅s-2 RMSE) measurements were significant, but also trivial in terms of the effect size. For total distance travelled, both Gen4 (0.42 ± 0.60%) and Gen5 (0.27 ± 0.35%) showed only trivial deviations compared to the reference. Gen4 showed moderate differences in the low-speed distance travelled category (-19.41 ± 13.24%) and small differences in the high-speed distance travelled category (8.94 ± 9.49%). Differences in peak speed, acceleration and deceleration were trivial (<0.5%) for both Gen4 and Gen5. These findings suggest that Gen5's distributed camera architecture has minor benefits over Gen4's single-view camera architecture in terms of accuracy. We assume that the main benefit of the Gen5 towards Gen4 lies in increased robustness of the tracking when it comes to optical overlapping of players. Since differences towards the reference system were very low, both TRACAB's tracking systems can be considered as valid technologies for football-specific performance analyses in the settings tested as long as players are tracked correctly.

Impact of sensor/reference position on player tracking variables: Center of scapulae vs center of pelvis.

Electronic performance and tracking systems (EPTS) traditionally rely on one of two body positions as the ultimate representative for the entire body in space: the upper torso between the scapulae (GPS- and radar-based systems) or the body's estimated center (optical and some radar-based systems). The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of the respective reference point upon the resulting kinematic tracking variables. We present a marker-based method comparing center of pelvis (COP) derived tracking variables with center of scapulae (COS) derived tracking variables in a 30 × 30 m (900 m2) VICON measurement area. Fourteen male soccer players completed a running circuit with prescribed team-sport specific movements. Results showed that differences between COP and COS heavily depend on the underlying movement characteristic. Low-speed running showed the lowest deviations whereas accelerated movements and movements with sharp changes in direction lead to a significant increase in the observed differences. Results further showed that COS sprinting distance was on average -44.65% (p < 0.001) lower in comparison to COP. Similarly, maximum speed obtained from COS was -2.94% (p = 0.001) lower in comparison to COP. On the contrary, maximum acceleration values of COS were on average 16.15% (p = 0.02) higher compared to COP. Our work illustrates that the anatomical reference point used to represent the entire body in space needs to be carefully considered in the interpretation of tracking variables delivered by different EPTS.

Validation of electronic performance and tracking systems EPTS under field conditions.

The purpose of this study was to assess the measurement accuracy of the most commonly used tracking technologies in professional team sports (i.e., semi-automatic multiple-camera video technology (VID), radar-based local positioning system (LPS), and global positioning system (GPS)). The position, speed, acceleration and distance measures of each technology were compared against simultaneously recorded measures of a reference system (VICON motion capture system) and quantified by means of the root mean square error RMSE. Fourteen male soccer players (age: 17.4±0.4 years, height: 178.6±4.2 cm, body mass: 70.2±6.2 kg) playing for the U19 Bundesliga team FC Augsburg participated in the study. The test battery comprised a sport-specific course, shuttle runs, and small sided games on an outdoor soccer field. The validity of fundamental spatiotemporal tracking data differed significantly between all tested technologies. In particular, LPS showed higher validity for measuring an athlete's position (23±7 cm) than both VID (56±16 cm) and GPS (96±49 cm). Considering errors of instantaneous speed measures, GPS (0.28±0.07 m⋅s-1) and LPS (0.25±0.06 m⋅s-1) achieved significantly lower error values than VID (0.41±0.08 m⋅s-1). Equivalent accuracy differences were found for instant acceleration values (GPS: 0.67±0.21 m⋅s-2, LPS: 0.68±0.14 m⋅s-2, VID: 0.91±0.19 m⋅s-2). During small-sided games, lowest deviations from reference measures have been found in the total distance category, with errors ranging from 2.2% (GPS) to 2.7% (VID) and 4.0% (LPS). All technologies had in common that the magnitude of the error increased as the speed of the tracking object increased. Especially in performance indicators that might have a high impact on practical decisions, such as distance covered with high speed, we found >40% deviations from the reference system for each of the technologies. Overall, our results revealed significant between-system differences in the validity of tracking data, implying that any comparison of results using different tracking technologies should be done with caution.

Can Positioning Systems Replace Timing Gates for Measuring Sprint Time in Ice Hockey?

This study explores whether positioning systems are a viable alternative to timing gates when it comes to measuring sprint times in ice hockey. We compared the results of a single-beam timing gate (Brower Timing) with the results of the Iceberg optical positioning system (Optical) and two radio-based positioning systems provided by InMotio (Radio 1) and Kinexon (Radio 2). The testing protocol consisted of two 40 m linear sprints, where we measured sprint times for a 11 m subsection (Linear Sprint 11), and a shuttle run (Shuttle Total), including five 14 m sprints. The exercises were performed by six top-level U19 field players in regular ice hockey equipment on ice. We quantified the difference between measured sprint times e.g., by Mean Absolute Error (MAE) (s) and Intra Class Correlation (ICC). The usefulness of positioning systems was evaluated by using a Coefficient of Usefulness (CU), which was defined as the quotient of the Smallest Worthwhile Change (SWC) divided by the Typical Error (both in s). Results showed that radio-based systems had a higher accuracy compared to the optical system. This concerned Linear Sprint 11 (MAEOptical = 0.16, MAERadio1 = 0.01, MAERadio2 = 0.01, ICCOptical = 0.38, ICCRadio1 = 0.98, ICCRadio2 = 0.99) as well as Shuttle Total (MAEOptical = 0.07, MAERadio1 = 0.02, MAERadio2 = 0.02, ICCOptical = 0.99; ICCRadio1 = 1.0, ICCRadio2 = 1.0). In Shuttle Total, all systems were able to measure a SWC of 0.10 s with a probability of >99% in a single trial (CUOptical = 4.6, CURadio1 = 6.5, CURadio2 = 5.1). In Linear Sprint 11 an SWC of 0.01 s might have been masked or erroneously detected where there were none due to measurement noise (CUOptical = 0.6, CURadio1 = 1.0, CURadio2 = 1.0). Similar results were found for the turning subsection of the shuttle run (CUOptical = 0.6, CURadio1 = 0.5, CURadio2 = 0.5). All systems were able to detect an SWC higher than 0.04 s with a probability of at least 75%. We conclude that the tested positioning systems may in fact offer a workable alternative to timing gates for measuring sprints times in ice hockey over long distances like shuttle runs. Limitations occur when testing changes/differences in performance over very short distances like an 11 m sprint, or when intermediate times are taken immediately after considerable changes of direction or speed.

Estimation and validation of spatio-temporal parameters for sprint running using a radio-based tracking system.

Spatio-temporal parameters like step length, step frequency and ground contact time are directly related to sprinting performance. There is still a lack of knowledge, however, on how these parameters interact. Recently, various algorithms for the automatic detection of step parameters during sprint running have been presented which have been based on data from motion capture systems, video cameras, opto-electronic systems or Inertial measurement units. However, all of these methods suffer from at least one of the following shortcomings: they are (a) not applicable for more than one sprinter simultaneously, (b) only capable of capturing a small volume or (c) do not provide accurate spatial parameters. To circumvent these issues, the radio-based local position measurement system RedFIR could be used to obtain spatio-temporal information during sprinting based on lightweight transmitters attached to the athletes. To assess and optimize the accuracy of these parameters 19 100 m sprints of twelve young elite athletes (age: 16.5 ±â€¯2.3 years) were recorded by a radio-based tracking system and a opto-electronic reference instrument. Optimal filter parameters for the step detection algorithm were obtained based on RMSE differences between estimates and reference values on an unseen test set. Attaching a transmitter above the ankle showed the best results. Bland-Altman analysis yielded 95% limits of agreement of [-14.65 cm, 15.05 cm] for step length [-0.016 s, 0.016 s] for step time and [-0.020 s, 0.028 s] for ground contact time, respectively. RMS errors smaller than 2% for step length and step time show the applicability of radio-based tracking systems to provide spatio-temporal parameters. This creates new opportunities for performance analysis that can be applied for any running discipline taking place within a stadium. Since analysis for multiple athletes is available in real-time this allows immediate feedback to coaches, athletes and media.