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Molecular ecology is the use of molecular genetic tools to study ecological questions. Techniques such as microarrays and DNA markers are used to study the interactions and diversity of natural populations.
The parental experience exerts a profound impact on offspring phenotypes. Zhu et al. find that in locusts the population density of parents regulates the hatching synchrony of progeny eggs via the FOXN1-PTBP1/XPO5 pathway, facilitating the nuclear export of precursor miRNA in the oocytes.
A study on global arthropod biodiversity dynamics reveals that beta-diversity increased with latitude, distance, and time. Species replacement and richness difference patterns vary across regions, supporting global biodiversity expectations.
Invasive populations often have low genetic diversity because they originated from a small number of founding individuals. This study shows that in an invasive honey bee, one consequence of low genetic diversity is a reduced rate of population expansion due to serial founder effects at range edges.
Data that span 15 generations reveal how gene flow and selection in a subordinate mesopredator are affected by pathogen-driven declines in the population density of a top predator. This work highlights the evolutionary impacts of interspecific competition and elucidates landscape-scale effects of an indirect interaction between a pathogen and nonhost species.
An article in Molecular Ecology describes the factors shaping microbial eukaryotic populations and their role in the carbon cycle at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
The combination of highly resolved climatic and genomic data allows assessment of putative maladaptation of populations to climate change and can identify high-risk populations. Now, a study that accounts for migration and dispersal shows high maladaptation of a North American tree species in the northern and eastern distribution range.
The quantity of UVA/deep violet light varies seasonally and affects locomotor activity in a marine annelid, providing cues for phenology in addition to those provided by change in photoperiod.
Pathogens are wreaking havoc on bee populations. A study in Science describes how bacteria in the guts of bees can be engineered to protect their hosts from two particular pests, deformed wing virus and Varroa mites.