Article
|
Open Access
Featured
-
-
Article
| Open AccessPersistence and reversal of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance
It is unclear whether the transfer of plasmids carrying antibiotic resistance genes can explain their persistence when antibiotics are not present. Here, Lopatkin et al. show that conjugal plasmids, even when costly, are indeed transferred at sufficiently high rates to be maintained in the absence of antibiotics.
- Allison J. Lopatkin
- , Hannah R. Meredith
- & Lingchong You
-
Article
| Open AccessHost-genotype dependent gut microbiota drives zooplankton tolerance to toxic cyanobacteria
Variations in the gut microbiota may affect the host’s performance in changing environments. Here, Macke et al. show, in the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna, that host genotype and external microbial inoculum interact to shape the gut microbiota, which in turns mediates tolerance to toxic cyanobacteria.
- Emilie Macke
- , Martijn Callens
- & Ellen Decaestecker
-
Article
| Open AccessAntimicrobial peptides in frog poisons constitute a molecular toxin delivery system against predators
To avoid being eaten, poisonous prey animals must rely on fast passage of toxins across a predator’s oral tissue, a major barrier to large molecules. Here, Raaymakers et al. show that antimicrobial peptides co secreted with frog toxins enhance intoxication of a snake predator by permeabilizing oral cell layers.
- Constantijn Raaymakers
- , Elin Verbrugghe
- & Kim Roelants
-
Article
| Open AccessA parsimonious neutral model suggests Neanderthal replacement was determined by migration and random species drift
The replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans is thought to have been due to environmental factors, a selective advantage of modern humans, or both. Here, Kolodny and Feldman develop a neutral model of species drift showing that rapid Neanderthal replacement can be explained parsimoniously by simple migration dynamics.
- Oren Kolodny
- & Marcus W. Feldman
-
Article
| Open AccessEvolutionary history biases inferences of ecology and environment from δ13C but not δ18O values
The effects of biological similarity on geochemical signals recorded in planktonic foraminiferal tests used in paleo-reconstructions remains unclear. Here, the authors embed species-specific vital effect offsets in evolutionary models and show how shared evolutionary history shapes δ13C, but not δ18O values.
- Kirsty M. Edgar
- , Pincelli M. Hull
- & Thomas H. G. Ezard
-
Article
| Open AccessThe biomechanical origin of extreme wing allometry in hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are known to defy the predicted scaling relationships between body and wing size. Here, Skandalis et al. develop a ‘force allometry’ framework to show that, regardless of wing size, hummingbird species have the same wing velocity during flight.
- Dimitri A. Skandalis
- , Paolo S. Segre
- & Douglas L. Altshuler
-
Article
| Open AccessLate Neoproterozoic seawater oxygenation by siliceous sponges
The Ediacaran–Cambrian oxygenation of seawater is thought to have been caused by lifeforms engaging in ecosystem engineering. Here, the authors show that siliceous sponges increased seawater dissolved oxygen concentrations by redistributing organic carbon oxidation through filtering suspended organic matter.
- Michael Tatzel
- , Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
- & Dorothee Hippler
-
Article
| Open AccessSiderophore cheating and cheating resistance shape competition for iron in soil and freshwater Pseudomonas communities
Lab strains of Pseudomonas are model systems for the evolution of cooperation over public goods (iron-scavenging siderophores). Here, Butaitė et al. add ecological and evolutionary insight into this system by showing that cheating and resistance to cheating both shape competition for iron in natural Pseudomonas communities.
- Elena Butaitė
- , Michael Baumgartner
- & Rolf Kümmerli
-
Article
| Open AccessAdaptive and non-adaptive divergence in a common landscape
The three-spined stickleback is a model species for the study of adaptive divergence. Here, Raeymaekers et al. compare how the three-spined stickleback and its relative the nine-spined stickleback vary at the phenotypic and genomic levels in response to the same spatial and environmental drivers.
- Joost A. M. Raeymaekers
- , Anurag Chaturvedi
- & Filip A. M. Volckaert
-
Article
| Open AccessThe evolution of host-symbiont dependence
Hosts vary in how dependent they are on their beneficial symbionts. Here, Fisher and colleagues analyse the results of symbiont-removal experiments from 106 symbioses in a phylogenetic context and show that host dependence is associated with symbiont transmission mode, function, and genome size.
- Roberta M. Fisher
- , Lee M. Henry
- & Stuart A. West
-
Article
| Open AccessDiversity spurs diversification in ecological communities
Diversification may be driven by diversity, a concept Calcagnoet al. explore using models of intra- and inter-specific ecological interactions. A threshold number of species is sometimes required before adaptive radiations can occur; a phenomenon they term diversity-dependent adaptive radiation.
- Vincent Calcagno
- , Philippe Jarne
- & Patrice David
-
Article
| Open AccessSynergistic cooperation promotes multicellular performance and unicellular free-rider persistence
Multicellularity can arise by cells aggregating or remaining connected after cell division. Here, Driscoll and Travisano show that both mechanisms operate in experimentally evolved strains of the yeastKluyveromyces lactis, with transient aggregation facilitating the coexistence of unicellular and multicellular genotypes.
- William W Driscoll
- & Michael Travisano
-
Article
| Open AccessThe digestive and defensive basis of carcass utilization by the burying beetle and its microbiota
Burying beetles feed their offspring on the carrion of vertebrate animals. Here, the authors study gene expression in the insect’s gut, as well as the composition of the microbiota in the gut and in carcasses, providing evidence for metabolic cooperation between host and specific microbes.
- Heiko Vogel
- , Shantanu P. Shukla
- & Andreas Vilcinskas
-
Article
| Open AccessA dynamic eco-evolutionary model predicts slow response of alpine plants to climate warming
Environmental niche models are often used to predict species responses to climate change but they neglect the potential for evolutionary responses. Here, Cottoet al. develop a model incorporating demographic processes and evolutionary dynamics and show that perennial alpine plants persist in unsuitable habitats but produce maladapted offspring.
- Olivier Cotto
- , Johannes Wessely
- & Frédéric Guillaume
-
Article
| Open AccessAntibiotic-producing symbionts dynamically transition between plant pathogenicity and insect-defensive mutualism
Observations of recent or dynamic transitions between parasitism and mutualism are scarce. Here, Flórezet al. provide evidence that Burkholderia gladiolibacteria can protect the eggs of herbivorous beetles by producing antimicrobial compounds, while retaining their ancestral ability to infect plants.
- Laura V. Flórez
- , Kirstin Scherlach
- & Martin Kaltenpoth
-
Article
| Open AccessReal-time divergent evolution in plants driven by pollinators
Pollinators are thought to be a driver of plant diversification, but their effects are difficult to disentangle from those of other biotic and abiotic factors. Here, the authors let plants evolve under different pollination regimes and show rapid and divergent evolution of plant height, floral traits and mating system.
- Daniel D. L. Gervasi
- & Florian P Schiestl
-
Article
| Open AccessRepeated evolution of soldier sub-castes suggests parasitism drives social complexity in stingless bees
Although common in ants and termites, worker differentiation into physical castes is rare in social bees and unknown in wasps. Here, Grüter and colleagues find a guard caste in ten species of stingless bees and show that the evolution of the guard caste is associated with parasitization by robber bees.
- Christoph Grüter
- , Francisca H. I. D. Segers
- & Eduardo A. B. Almeida
-
Article
| Open AccessEcological and genetic basis of metapopulation persistence of the Glanville fritillary butterfly in fragmented landscapes
Habitat fragmentation can lead to extinction even when some habitat remains. Here, the authors model the metapopulation dynamics of the Glanville fritillary butterfly and show that persistence depends on spatial configuration and quality of the habitat, as well as on genotype-associated dispersal rate.
- Ilkka Hanski
- , Torsti Schulz
- & Sami P. Ojanen
-
Article
| Open AccessRapid evolution of dispersal ability makes biological invasions faster and more variable
Theory suggests that spatial sorting by dispersal ability can generate evolutionarily accelerated range expansions. Using the bean beetleCallosobruchus maculatus, this study shows that evolution not only increases the speed of range expansion, as predicted, but also increases variability.
- Brad M. Ochocki
- & Tom E. X. Miller
-
Article
| Open AccessRapid trait evolution drives increased speed and variance in experimental range expansions
Spatial structure provides unique opportunities for evolution during range expansions. Here, the authors show experimentally using the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum, that dispersal and growth can evolve through spatial processes, increasing expansion speed and its variance.
- Christopher Weiss-Lehman
- , Ruth A Hufbauer
- & Brett A Melbourne
-
Article
| Open AccessMarket forces influence helping behaviour in cooperatively breeding paper wasps
In cooperatively breeding species, subordinates help to raise the dominant breeders’ offspring in return for benefits associated with group membership. Here, Grinsted and Field show that the amount of help provided by subordinate paper wasps depends on the availability of alternative nesting options, as predicted by biological market theory.
- Lena Grinsted
- & Jeremy Field
-
Article
| Open AccessWater striders adjust leg movement speed to optimize takeoff velocity for their morphology
How water striders escape from danger by jumping vertically from the water surface without sinking is an open question in biomechanics. Yanget al. show that water strider species with varying leg lengths and body masses tune their leg movements to maximize jump speeds without breaking the surface of the water.
- Eunjin Yang
- , Jae Hak Son
- & Ho-Young Kim
-
Article
| Open AccessGlobal cooling as a driver of diversification in a major marine clade
In many groups of organisms, speciation rates are higher when global temperatures are warmer. Here, Davis et al. find that marine crustaceans in the Anomura clade have higher speciation rates during cooler periods, whereas their freshwater relatives have the more typical relationship of higher speciation rates in warmer periods.
- Katie E. Davis
- , Jon Hill
- & Matthew A. Wills
-
Article
| Open AccessImmune modulation enables a specialist insect to benefit from antibacterial withanolides in its host plant
Certain plants in the nightshade family contain withanolides, defensive chemicals known to be harmful to most insect herbivores. Here, Barthel et al. show that a moth species that is a specialist herbivore of these plants benefits from the compounds by gaining increased immunity to a pathogen.
- Andrea Barthel
- , Heiko Vogel
- & Hanna M. Heidel-Fischer
-
Article
| Open AccessComparative genomics reveals convergent rates of evolution in ant–plant mutualisms
Mutualisms in which ants protect plants in exchange for food and shelter have arisen independently multiple times. Here, Rubin and Moreau sequence the genomes of three mutualistic ant species and four of their non-mutualistic relatives and show that the transition to mutualism is associated with elevated evolutionary rates across the genome
- Benjamin E. R. Rubin
- & Corrie S. Moreau
-
Article
| Open AccessAdaptation to elevated CO2 in different biodiversity contexts
How do species adapt to environmental change when living with different kinds of competitors? Through a reciprocal transplant experiment, the authors show that competitive community alters the nature of selection so that species adapt to elevated CO2in different ways in varying community contexts.
- Elizabeth J. Kleynhans
- , Sarah P. Otto
- & Mark Vellend
-
Article
| Open AccessLocal adaptation of a bacterium is as important as its presence in structuring a natural microbial community
Though both the presence and traits of a species can influence the dynamics of its ecological community, the effects of these factors are difficult to disentangle. Here, Gómez et al. demonstrate in a microbial mesocosm that local adaptation of a focal species can influence the community as much as the presence of the focal species per se.
- Pedro Gómez
- , Steve Paterson
- & Angus Buckling
-
Article
| Open AccessGenomics-informed isolation and characterization of a symbiotic Nanoarchaeota system from a terrestrial geothermal environment
Many microbial lineages have not yet been cultured, which hampers our understanding of their physiology. Here, Wurch et al. use single-cell genomics to infer cultivation conditions for the isolation of a tiny ectosymbiotic nanoarchaeon and its crenarchaeota host from a geothermal spring.
- Louie Wurch
- , Richard J. Giannone
- & Mircea Podar
-
Article
| Open AccessMid Pleistocene foraminiferal mass extinction coupled with phytoplankton evolution
The cause of a 20% decline in sea floor calcareous foraminifera species during the Mid-Pleistocene remains enigmatic. Here, the authors present new geochemical evidence, from the Tasman Sea that supports a change in phytoplankton food source as the primary driver.
- Sev Kender
- , Erin L. McClymont
- & Henry Elderfield
-
Article
| Open AccessFull circumpolar migration ensures evolutionary unity in the Emperor penguin
Delimiting populations is crucial for conserving threatened species. Using genome-wide data from the whole of Antarctica, Cristofari et al.show that Emperor penguins are organised into a single global population that have shared demography since the late Quarternary.
- Robin Cristofari
- , Giorgio Bertorelle
- & Emiliano Trucchi
-
Article
| Open AccessFitness consequences of artificial selection on relative male genital size
Within species, there tends to be a tight relationship between genital size and body size, suggesting strong stabilizing selection. Here, Booksmythe et al.artificially select relative genital size in mosquitofish and find that novel genital size-body size combinations do not lead to expected fitness reductions.
- Isobel Booksmythe
- , Megan L. Head
- & Michael D. Jennions
-
Article
| Open AccessCoral snakes predict the evolution of mimicry across New World snakes
Toxic and venomous species often have conspicuous warning colouration that is mimicked by harmless species. Here, Davis Rabosky et al. combine phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses to reveal that mimicry of venomous coral snakes has been a major driver of snake colour evolution in the New World.
- Alison R. Davis Rabosky
- , Christian L. Cox
- & Jimmy A. McGuire
-
Article
| Open AccessOmnivory in birds is a macroevolutionary sink
Diet is known to influence speciation, but much less is known about how this process operates at macroevolutionary scales. Using a global dietary database of birds, Burin et al. show that omnivory is associated with higher extinction and lower speciation rates compared to other guilds.
- Gustavo Burin
- , W. Daniel Kissling
- & Tiago B. Quental
-
Article
| Open AccessUnpredictable environments lead to the evolution of parental neglect in birds
The response of parents to offspring begging behaviour is hugely variable in birds, but what mediates this response is not known. In a meta-analysis across 143 species, Caro et al. show that variation in offspring begging and parental care is a function of environmental quality and predictability.
- Shana M. Caro
- , Ashleigh S. Griffin
- & Stuart A. West
-
Article |
Isotopic ordering in eggshells reflects body temperatures and suggests differing thermophysiology in two Cretaceous dinosaurs
The evolutionary transitions leading to the modern endothermic state of birds and mammals is unclear. Here, the authors use isotopologues from eggshells to determine body temperatures of females during periods of ovulation, suggesting variability existed between sauropods and the more bird-like oviraptors.
- Robert A. Eagle
- , Marcus Enriquez
- & John M. Eiler
-
Article
| Open AccessIslands contribute disproportionately high amounts of evolutionary diversity in passerine birds
Islands generally have fewer species than continental areas and are not thought to contribute significantly to continental diversity. Here, the authors show islands can be more dynamic and export many more evolutionary lineages than expected based on contemporary diversity patterns.
- Knud A. Jønsson
- & Ben G. Holt
-
Article
| Open AccessHerbivory increases diversification across insect clades
Insects include most living species, yet the causes of this remarkable diversity remain unclear. Here, the authors show a positive relationship between herbivory and diversification among insect orders, which suggests that herbivory helps explain insect diversity.
- John J. Wiens
- , Richard T. Lapoint
- & Noah K. Whiteman
-
Article |
Emergence of a novel prey life history promotes contemporary sympatric diversification in a top predator
Intraspecific variation is known to cascade evolutionary change down through food webs, although bottom-up changes are less well described. Here, Brodersenet al. show that life history change in a prey fish species, mediated through anthropogenic activity, can promote phenotypic diversification of its top predator.
- Jakob Brodersen
- , Jennifer G. Howeth
- & David M. Post
-
Article
| Open AccessIrreversibly increased nitrogen fixation in Trichodesmium experimentally adapted to elevated carbon dioxide
The long-term response of marine cyanobacteria to increased anthropogenic CO2 are not known. Here, Hutchins et al. show that Trichodesmium exposed to long-term selection at elevated CO2display irreversible increases in nitrogen fixation and growth rates, even after returning to present day conditions.
- David A. Hutchins
- , Nathan G. Walworth
- & Fei-Xue Fu
-
Article
| Open AccessMuseum samples reveal rapid evolution by wild honey bees exposed to a novel parasite
Introduction of pathogens can cause colony collapse in honey bees. Here, the authors use museum specimens to show widespread colony mortality but unaffected nuclear genetic diversity in a wild population of honey bees in North America following the introduction of ectoparasiticVarroamites.
- Alexander S. Mikheyev
- , Mandy M. Y. Tin
- & Thomas D. Seeley
-
Article
| Open AccessBiological invasion and biological control select for different life histories
Understanding how biological invaders displace native species is challenging. Here, the authors compare the evolution of life-history strategies in the harlequin ladybird under laboratory conditions and show that invaders reproduce earlier and allocate more resources to reproduction than natives.
- Ashraf Tayeh
- , Ruth A. Hufbauer
- & Benoit Facon
-
Article
| Open AccessEco-evolutionary feedbacks during experimental range expansions
Biological range expansions and invasions can be affected by rapid evolution. Here the authors show an evolutionary increase of dispersal during range expansions and an increase of population densities from range cores to range margins in microcosm experiments with a freshwater ciliate.
- Emanuel A. Fronhofer
- & Florian Altermatt
-
Article
| Open AccessLimited role of functional differentiation in early diversification of animals
Functional differentiation and taxonomic diversity are related in modern ecosystems. Here, the authors show that functional differentiation lags behind taxonomic diversification early in the evolutionary history of marine animals and that important shifts in this relationship occur at major mass extinction events.
- M.L. Knope
- , N.A. Heim
- & J.L. Payne
-
Article
| Open AccessThe first archaic Homo from Taiwan
Growing evidence reveals great diversity of archaic Asian hominins. Here, Chang and colleagues describe a newly discovered archaic Homomandible from Taiwan, which suggests the survival of multiple evolutionary lineages among archaic hominins before the arrival of modern humans to eastern Asia.
- Chun-Hsiang Chang
- , Yousuke Kaifu
- & Liang-Kong Lin
-
Article
| Open AccessQuorum sensing triggers the stochastic escape of individual cells from Pseudomonas putida biofilms
Bacteria secrete signalling molecules (AHLs) to coordinate actions such as biofilm formation and the release of public goods, in a process called quorum sensing. Here, the authors show that AHLs are stochastically produced and control asocial (self-directed) traits in young biofilms of P. putida.
- Gerardo Cárcamo-Oyarce
- , Putthapoom Lumjiaktase
- & Leo Eberl
-
Article
| Open AccessTransposable element islands facilitate adaptation to novel environments in an invasive species
Genetic variation is key to species evolution. Here the authors sequence two phenotypically distinct populations of the ant Cardiocondyla obscurior, and find accumulations of transposable elements correlating with genetic variation that may have a role in differentiation, adaptation and speciation.
- Lukas Schrader
- , Jay W. Kim
- & Jan Oettler
-
Article
| Open AccessCoccolithophore calcification response to past ocean acidification and climate change
Calcifying organisms such as planktonic coccolithophores may be particularly vulnerable to increased ocean acidification. Here, O’Dea et al.show that two fossil coccolithophore species exhibited reduced calcification rates during a global warming acidification event 56 million years ago.
- Sarah A. O’Dea
- , Samantha J. Gibbs
- & Paul A. Wilson
-
Article |
An extremely low-density human population exterminated New Zealand moa
It is generally accepted that Polynesian settlers were directly responsible for the extinction of New Zealand moa. Here, the authors present three series of radiocarbon ages that define the brief period of interaction between Polynesians and moa, and show that high human population densities are not a prerequisite for the extinction of megafauna populations.
- Richard N. Holdaway
- , Morten E. Allentoft
- & Michael Bunce
-
Review Article |
On the unfounded enthusiasm for soft selective sweeps
Patterns of genomic variation can be used to identify targets of positive selection but understanding their mode of evolution is challenging. This review discusses theory and empirical evidence regarding soft sweep models and concludes that the recent enthusiasm for soft sweeps is unfounded.
- Jeffrey D Jensen