At the meeting of the Zoological Society of Japan Board of Directors held on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 2:00 PM, candidate papers for the 2024 Zoological Science Award were nominated by the Editorial Board of Zoological Science.
As a result of deliberation, the Editorial Board of the Zoological Society of Japan decided to confer the Zoological Science Award to the following seven papers.
The authors of the paper will be presented with a certificate of merit and a cash prize of 50,000 yen.
Zoological Science Award 2024
Development of Genetic Markers for Sex and Individual Identification of the Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista leucogenys) by an Efficient Method Using High-throughput DNA Sequencing
Aki Sugita, Mayumi Shigeta, Moriko Tamura, Hiroyuki Okazaki, Nobuyuki Kutsukake, Yohey Terai
Zoological Science 40 (1): 24-31. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs220045
Ecology
This paper is a study that discovered genetic markers enabling sex identification and individual recognition in the giant flying squirrel. The authors determined the genome sequences of one male and one female giant flying squirrel, selected sex-determining markers on the sex chromosomes and 12 microsatellite markers for individual identification from the sequences, and developed primer sets for discrimination. Furthermore, they verified that these primer sets can also be used with DNA samples extracted from feces. The giant flying squirrel is an animal for which it is difficult to determine sex, let alone identify individuals based on appearance, and continuous ecological observation is challenging because it is arboreal and nocturnal. This research paves the way for efficient and non-invasive analysis and can be highly evaluated as a method applicable to other mammals as well.
Gravitactic Swimming of the Planula Larva of the Coral Acropora: Characterization of Straightforward Vertical Swimming
Asuka Takeda-Sakazume, Junko Honjo, Sachia Sasano, Kanae Matsushima, Shoji A. Baba, Yoshihiro Mogami, Masayuki Hatta
Zoological Science 40 (1): 44-52. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs220043
Physiology
This paper details the vertical swimming behavior of planula larvae of the branching coral Acropora digitifera. Based on video recording in still water and quantitative analysis of swimming speed, it demonstrates that planula larvae are capable of vertical swimming between the water surface and the bottom. The propulsion speed was significantly greater for downward swimming than for upward swimming, suggesting the involvement of gravitactic control. These findings indicate that planula larvae are not merely carried by ocean currents, but actively swim to search for favorable settlement sites, providing new insights into larval dispersal and recruitment, and are highly commendable.
Segment-Dependent Gene Expression Profiling of the Cartilaginous Fish Nephron Using Laser Microdissection for Functional Characterization of Nephron at Segment Levels
Takashi Horie, Wataru Takagi, Naotaka Aburatani, Manabu Yamazaki, Mayu Inokuchi, Masaya Tachizawa, Kataaki Okubo, Ritsuko Ohtani-Kaneko, Kotaro Tokunaga, Marty Kwok-Sing Wong, Susumu Hyodo
Zoological Science 40 (2): 91-104. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs220092
Physiology
The kidney of cartilaginous fish consists of a complex four-loop nephron and plays a crucial role in adaptation to marine environments, including urea reabsorption. In this paper, to clarify the structure and function of this nephron, various conditions were examined to obtain segment-by-segment samples from fixed specimens using laser microdissection. Furthermore, as a result of comparing gene expression profiles across the three obtained segments, a novel solute reabsorption function in the proximal tubule was discovered. In addition to making progress toward elucidating renal function and its regulatory mechanisms, this work is highly commendable as it is also applicable to the study of other organs and tissues with complex structures and functions.
Male Guppies Recognize Familiar Conspecific Males by Their Face
Shumpei Sogawa, Rio Fukushima, Will Sowersby, Satoshi Awata, Kento Kawasaka, Masanori Kohda
Zoological Science 40 (2): 168-174. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs220088
Field: Behavioral Biology
This paper presents research showing that male guppies recognize familiar versus unfamiliar males by their faces, as demonstrated by presenting images with swapped faces and bodies. Although it was previously known that perciform fish, such as cichlids, perform individual recognition via faces, this study is interesting because it demonstrates that male guppies, which have distinctive body patterns, also use their faces rather than their bodies for individual recognition. Furthermore, the study discovered that male guppies of various body colors possess silvery-white patterns on their faces that exhibit individual variation. This research is highly commendable as it suggests that individual recognition, which is important for understanding animal social relationships, may be conducted by many fish species using facial patterns.
A New Species of Bisexual Milnesium (Eutardigrada: Apochela) Having Aberrant Claws from Innhovde, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Atsushi C. Suzuki, Kenta Sugiura, Megumu Tsujimoto, Ryosuke Nakai, Sandra J. McInnes, Hiroshi Kagoshima, Satoshi Imura
Zoological Science 40 (3): 246-261. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs220085
Field Taxonomy
This research describes a new species of macrobiotid tardigrade obtained from Imnhovde, located about 120 km from Japan's Syowa Station in Antarctica, based on meticulous morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Macrobiotids matching the characteristics of this species had already been discovered during the surveys of the 5th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (1960–1962), but its taxonomic status has been confirmed after more than 60 years. Based on the discovery of male specimens and the results of rearing and observing female specimens, the authors inferred that this species reproduces sexually and also discussed the evolutionary history of reproductive modes in macrobiotids. This work is highly commendable and significant also in that the results of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition were published in this journal.
Wnt4a Is Indispensable for Genital Duct Elongation but Not for Gonadal Sex Differentiation in the Medaka, Oryzias latipes
Akira Kanamori, Ryota Kitani, Atsuko Oota, Koudai Hirano, Taijun Myosho, Tohru Kobayashi, Kouichi Kawamura, Naoyuki Kato, Satoshi Ansai, Masato Kinoshita
Zoological Science 40 (5): 348-359. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs230050
Developmental Biology
This paper reveals that medaka Wnt4a is essential for the posterior elongation of the reproductive tract, whereas Wnt4a and Wnt4b are not indispensable for sex differentiation. These findings suggest that the fish reproductive tract develops with a molecular background common to the Müllerian duct, and are highly regarded as a significant contribution to understanding the mechanisms of reproductive organ evolution.
In Vitro Phagocytosis of Different Dinoflagellate Species by Coral Cells
Kaz Kawamura, Eiichi Shoguchi, Koki Nishitsuji, Satoko Sekida, Haruhi Narisoko, Hongwei Zhao, Yang Shu, Pengcheng Fu, Hiroshi Yamashita, Shigeki Fujiwara, Noriyuki Satoh
Zoological Science 40 (6): 444-454. https://doi.org/10.2108/zs230045
Field: Diversity and Evolution
The symbiosis between corals and dinoflagellates is a unique system in which animal cells acquire photosynthetic ability by incorporating unicellular algae. To clarify the mechanism involved in this symbiotic process, the authors examined phagocytosis by cells of Acropora muricata using a culture system they established, and revealed that they preferentially take up specific zooxanthellae species, namely Symbiodinium and Breviolum. This result is similar to that of uptake by larvae, demonstrating that even when dissociated into individual cells, corals exhibit a preference for zooxanthellae and possess the ability to take them up specifically. This is an important achievement for understanding the evolution of coral symbiosis and is highly commendable.
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Zoological Society of Japan
