Featured
-
-
Article
| Open AccessA multidimensional selective landscape drives adaptive divergence between and within closely related Phlox species
Selection drives divergence between species, contributing to speciation, while simultaneously favoring extensive diversity that is maintained across populations within a species. This study demonstrates how the selection landscape is complex and multidimensional across three species of Phlox flowers.
- Benjamin E. Goulet-Scott
- , Matthew C. Farnitano
- & Robin Hopkins
-
Article
| Open AccessEnvironment-induced heritable variations are common in Arabidopsis thaliana
Ancestral environments can induce heritable phenotypic changes, but whether it is a common phenomenon remains unknown. This long-term experiment in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals that environment-induced heritable changes that are common, reproducible, and predictable.
- Xiaohe Lin
- , Junjie Yin
- & Yuan-Ye Zhang
-
Article
| Open AccessConvergent evolution of fern nectaries facilitated independent recruitment of ant-bodyguards from flowering plants
Some plants use nectar to attract ant bodyguards. Here, the authors use a cross-kingdom phylogenetic approach to find that ferns and angiosperms evolved nectaries in the Cretaceous, coinciding with ant evolution, and that ferns recruited ant-bodyguards from existing ant-angiosperm partnerships.
- Jacob S. Suissa
- , Fay-Wei Li
- & Corrie S. Moreau
-
Article
| Open AccessCellular structure of dinosaur scales reveals retention of reptile-type skin during the evolutionary transition to feathers
The evolution of feathers is associated with the evolution of related skin microstructures. Here, the authors demonstrate that Psittacosaurus, a non-avian feathered dinosaur, retained scaled skin like its ancestors in body regions lacking feathers.
- Zixiao Yang
- , Baoyu Jiang
- & Maria E. McNamara
-
Article
| Open AccessSerial founder effects slow range expansion in an invasive social insect
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.
- Thomas Hagan
- , Guiling Ding
- & Rosalyn Gloag
-
Article
| Open AccessBee-pollination promotes rapid divergent evolution in plants growing in different soils
In nature, soil, pollinators, and herbivores are the main drivers of plant adaptation and diversification. This study reveals that the interaction between soil and biotic pollination causes divergent evolution where pollinators play a key role, leading to strong divergence among plants in different soils.
- Thomas Dorey
- & Florian P. Schiestl
-
Article
| Open AccessDivergent dynamics of sexual and habitat isolation at the transition between stick insect populations and species
Speciation may not be a mechanistically or temporally uniform process. We show divergent evolution of sexual versus habitat isolation and flat versus linear accumulation of the latter for within- versus between-species comparisons, revealing a critical role for species.
- Patrik Nosil
- , Zachariah Gompert
- & Daniel J. Funk
-
Article
| Open AccessPredator selection on phenotypic variability of cryptic and aposematic moths
Selection is expected to act differently on aposematic and cryptic species. Analysis of wing images revealed that camouflaged moths exhibit higher wing pattern variability than aposematic moths, supporting the theory that camouflaged species display more variability, consistent with anti-predator strategy.
- Ossi Nokelainen
- , Sanni A. Silvasti
- & Johanna Mappes
-
Article
| Open AccessEnhancing phosphate-solubilising microbial communities through artificial selection
Phosphate-solubilising microorganisms can contribute to reduce the use of P fertiliser. Here, the authors use two artificial selection methods, environmental perturbation and propagation, to build phosphate-solubilising communities that retain P-solubilising capacity in hydroponic systems.
- Lena Faller
- , Marcio F. A. Leite
- & Eiko E. Kuramae
-
Article
| Open AccessConvergent evolutionary patterns of heterostyly across angiosperms support the pollination-precision hypothesis
Heterostylous plants have floral morphs bearing female and male sex organs at reciprocal heights. Here the authors show that, across angiosperms, heterostyly is associated with tubed flowers pollinated by long-tongued insects, supporting the Darwinian hypothesis about precise pollen transfer between heterostylous morphs.
- Violeta Simón-Porcar
- , Marcial Escudero
- & Juan Arroyo
-
Article
| Open AccessIsolation may select for earlier and higher peak viral load but shorter duration in SARS-CoV-2 evolution
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the emergence of different variants. Analyzing the evolution from the Wuhan strain to the Delta variant, clinical data reveals a fivefold increase in peak viral load and a 1.5-fold faster time to peak.
- Junya Sunagawa
- , Hyeongki Park
- & Ryo Yamaguchi
-
Article
| Open AccessDeep-sea origin and depth colonization associated with phenotypic innovations in scleractinian corals
Scleractinian corals are important in both shallow and deep ecosystems. Here, the authors use global spatial distribution data with a phylogenetic approach to examine directionality and speed of colonization during depth diversification, finding an offshore-onshore pattern of evolution and that depth dispersion is associated with phenotypic innovations.
- Ana N. Campoy
- , Marcelo M. Rivadeneira
- & Chris Venditti
-
Article
| Open AccessEcophysiological adaptations shape distributions of closely related trees along a climatic moisture gradient
Energetic tradeoffs help determine where individual traits confer a competitive advantage. Here, the authors grow ten Eucalyptus species at four common gardens along a rainfall gradient and show that 50 traits mostly vary as predicted, and that species in their native ranges generally outperform others in height growth.
- Duncan D. Smith
- , Mark A. Adams
- & Thomas J. Givnish
-
Article
| Open AccessCandidate genes under selection in song sparrows co-vary with climate and body mass in support of Bergmann’s Rule
Ecogeographic rules link spatial patterns in phenotype and environment, potentially reflecting adaptation. This study identifies nine genes associated with body mass variation in song sparrow populations, supporting Bergmann’s Rule and highlighting the role of natural selection in local adaptation.
- Katherine Carbeck
- , Peter Arcese
- & Jennifer Walsh
-
Article
| Open AccessEco-evolutionary feedbacks in the human gut microbiome
Little is known about how the evolution of gut microbiota is impacted by their surrounding community. Here, the authors examine the evolutionary ecology of the human gut microbiome, modelling resource competition to show that local evolutionary history can impact the structure and function of host microbiota.
- Benjamin H. Good
- & Layton B. Rosenfeld
-
Article
| Open AccessThe radiation continuum and the evolution of frog diversity
The contribution of adaptive radiation to species and phenotypic diversity within major clades is not clear. Here, the authors use morphological and phylogenetic data for 1226 species of frogs, finding that less than half of families resemble adaptive radiation, but that adaptive radiation contributed to 75% of diversity.
- Gen Morinaga
- , John J. Wiens
- & Daniel S. Moen
-
Comment
| Open AccessEngineered and natural gene drives: mechanistically the same, yet not same in kind
We propose the use of the terms natural gene drive (NGD) and engineered gene drive (EGD) arguing against James et al.
1 , who think both should be included within the term “gene drive”, based on their mechanistic similarities.- Raul F. Medina
- & Jennifer Kuzma
-
Article
| Open AccessEmergent increase in coral thermal tolerance reduces mass bleaching under climate change
Marine heatwaves and mass bleaching mortality events threaten the persistence of coral communities on tropical reefs. This study demonstrates that the thermal tolerance of coral communities in Palau has likely increased since the late 1980s. Such ecological resilience could reduce future bleaching impacts if global carbon emissions are cut down.
- Liam Lachs
- , Simon D. Donner
- & James R. Guest
-
Article
| Open AccessIntra-gastric phytoliths provide evidence for folivory in basal avialans of the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota
Birds exhibit extensive close ecological interactions with flowering plants, but the evolutionary origins of those relationships remain unclear. Plant phytolith analysis of stomach contents of the Early Cretaceous long-tailed bird Jeholornis reveals the earliest example of leaf eating by birds.
- Yan Wu
- , Yong Ge
- & Zhonghe Zhou
-
Article
| Open AccessComplementarity in Allen’s and Bergmann’s rules among birds
Birds can adapt to temperature gradients by changing body size (Bergmann’s rule) or bill size (Allen’s rule), but many groups don’t conform to these patterns. Here the authors show that most bird families show subtle and complementary changes in bill and body size, while also being constrained by feeding ecology.
- Justin W. Baldwin
- , Joan Garcia-Porta
- & Carlos A. Botero
-
Article
| Open AccessCell facilitation promotes growth and survival under drug pressure in breast cancer
In cancer, interactions between treatment-sensitive and resistant cells can influence the effectiveness of therapies. Here, the authors use experimental and mathematical models to explore interactions between ER+ breast cancer cell lineages that are sensitive or resistant to CDK4/6 inhibition, revealing the role of facilitative growth.
- Rena Emond
- , Jason I. Griffiths
- & Andrea H. Bild
-
Article
| Open AccessSeasonal specialization drives divergent population dynamics in two closely related butterflies
Seasons may impose different selection pressures on organisms. Here, the authors propose that species may either maximize gains during the growth season or minimize losses during winter, and provide empirical support of such seasonal specialisation in two closely related butterfly species.
- Loke von Schmalensee
- , Pauline Caillault
- & Philipp Lehmann
-
Article
| Open AccessBreakdown of self-incompatibility due to genetic interaction between a specific S-allele and an unlinked modifier
Breakdown of self-incompatibility in plants is often attributed to S-locus mutations. Here, by crossing between populations of Arabidopsis lyrate that differ in their breeding system, the authors propose that a modifier unlinked to the S-locus causes self-compatibility by disrupting S-locus function.
- Yan Li
- , Ekaterina Mamonova
- & Marc Stift
-
Article
| Open AccessDynamic pathogen detection and social feedback shape collective hygiene in ants
Cooperative disease defense is part of group-level collective behavior. Here, the authors explore individual decisions, finding that garden ants increase grooming highly infectious individuals when they perceive a high pathogen load and suppress grooming after having been groomed by nestmates.
- Barbara Casillas-Pérez
- , Katarína Boďová
- & Sylvia Cremer
-
Article
| Open AccessAllometry reveals trade-offs between Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules, and different avian adaptive strategies for thermoregulation
Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules are speculated to describe alternative strategies of thermal adaptation. Here, Frӧhlich et al. explore global variation across avian species to show that the way in which relative length of beaks and tarsi co-vary with ambient temperature depends on body mass and vice versa.
- Arkadiusz Frӧhlich
- , Dorota Kotowska
- & Matthew R. E. Symonds
-
Article
| Open AccessHuman activities favour prolific life histories in both traded and introduced vertebrates
Predicting which species will become invasive is vital because the harm they cause cannot always be mitigated once populations establish. Street et al. show that traded and introduced species have distinctive life histories with high invasion potential, helping to identify future invasion risks.
- Sally E. Street
- , Jorge S. Gutiérrez
- & Isabella Capellini
-
Article
| Open AccessMigration direction in a songbird explained by two loci
The genetic determinants of long-distance migration in birds are largely unknown. Sokolovskis et al. tracked genotyped hybrid willow warblers from a migratory divide in Sweden and find that autumn migration direction is consistent with a dominant inheritance pattern of two large effect loci that interact through epistasis.
- Kristaps Sokolovskis
- , Max Lundberg
- & Staffan Bensch
-
Article
| Open AccessRecent speciation associated with range expansion and a shift to self-fertilization in North American Arabidopsis
Parapatric speciation occurs when reproductive isolation arises without full geographic isolation. Here, the authors combine genomic and phylogeographic analyses to illustrate a case of parapatric speciation attributed to climate change, range expansion and mating system shift.
- Yvonne Willi
- , Kay Lucek
- & Nora Walden
-
Article
| Open AccessTransposable elements maintain genome-wide heterozygosity in inbred populations
How highly inbred populations generate novel genetic variations upon which natural selection can act is unclear. Here, the authors reveal the effect of transposable elements on the genome-wide heterozygosity landscape across a natural inbreeding gradient of Arabidopsis lyrata and reducing the probability of inbreeding depression.
- Hanne De Kort
- , Sylvain Legrand
- & James Buckley
-
Article
| Open AccessHost biology, ecology and the environment influence microbial biomass and diversity in 101 marine fish species
In this study, the microbiota of multiple body sites from 101 marine fish species from Southern California were sampled and analysed. The authors compared diversity measures while also establishing a method to estimate microbial biomass. Body site is shown to be the strongest driver of microbial diversity and patterns of phylosymbiosis are observed across the gill, skin and hindgut.
- Jeremiah J. Minich
- , Andreas Härer
- & Eric E. Allen
-
Article
| Open AccessResponse of soil viral communities to land use changes
Soil viral communities remain understudied. Here, Liao et al. retrieve a catalogue of around sixty thousand vOTUs through a systematic viromic pipeline, and uncover the response of soil viral communities to anthropogenic land use changes.
- Hu Liao
- , Hu Li
- & Jian-Qiang Su
-
Article
| Open AccessOrnaments are equally informative in male and female birds
Ornaments are often less elaborate in females than males. Regardless of such sex differences, this meta-analysis across mutually-ornamented birds supports that ornamental traits could equally act as adaptive signals in males and females.
- Sergio Nolazco
- , Kaspar Delhey
- & Anne Peters
-
Article
| Open AccessSpatial coalescent connectivity through multi-generation dispersal modelling predicts gene flow across marine phyla
This study uses a compilation of 58 population genetic studies of 47 phylogenetically divergent marine sedentary species over the Mediterranean basin to assess how genetic differentiation is predicted by different dispersal models. Multi-generation dispersal models reveal implicit links among siblings from a common ancestor (coalescent connectivity) that could improve spatial conservation planning.
- Térence Legrand
- , Anne Chenuil
- & Vincent Rossi
-
Article
| Open AccessDeep learning image segmentation reveals patterns of UV reflectance evolution in passerine birds
Here, the authors develop software that uses photographs of birds to extract information on plumage UV reflectance. They use these data to show that UV reflectance is phylogenetically conserved and associated with the light environment.
- Yichen He
- , Zoë K. Varley
- & Christopher R. Cooney
-
Article
| Open AccessDecomposing virulence to understand bacterial clearance in persistent infections
The relationship between virulence and pathogen clearance is not well understood. Here, using bacterial infections in Drosophila melanogaster as a model system, the authors demonstrate an approach to disentangle the drivers of virulence and assess their relation to pathogen clearance rate.
- Beatriz Acuña Hidalgo
- , Luís M. Silva
- & Sophie A. O. Armitage
-
Article
| Open AccessThe origin and evolution of open habitats in North America inferred by Bayesian deep learning models
The expansion timing and dynamics of open vegetation are disputed. Here, the authors present a model of paleovegetation changes in North America, showing open vegetation beginning around 23 million years ago and accelerating at 5 million years ago to become the most prominent natural vegetation type in North America today.
- Tobias Andermann
- , Caroline A. E. Strömberg
- & Daniele Silvestro
-
Article
| Open AccessThermal adaptation best explains Bergmann’s and Allen’s Rules across ecologically diverse shorebirds
Global patterns in animal size and shape have been long observed, but their underlying drivers are not well understood. Here the authors suggest latitudinal patterns in shorebird size and shape are best explained by thermal adaptation to warm climates.
- Alexandra McQueen
- , Marcel Klaassen
- & Matthew R. E. Symonds
-
Comment
| Open AccessAnisogamy explains why males benefit more from additional matings
Why do males typically compete more intensely for mating opportunities than do females and how does this relate to sex differences in gamete size? A new study provides a formal evolutionary link between gamete size dimorphism and ‘Bateman gradients’, which describe how much individuals of each sex benefit from additional matings.
- Jonathan M. Henshaw
- , Adam G. Jones
- & Lukas Schärer
-
Article
| Open AccessThe genomic basis of the plant island syndrome in Darwin’s giant daisies
Many island plant species share a syndrome of characteristic phenotype and life history. Cerca et al. find the genomic basis of the plant island syndrome in one of Darwin’s giant daisies, while separating ancestral genomes in a chromosome-resolved polyploid assembly.
- José Cerca
- , Bent Petersen
- & Michael D. Martin
-
Article
| Open AccessBateman gradients from first principles
In 1948, Bateman asserted that sexual selection is driven by the sex difference in gamete numbers. Lehtonen presents mathematical models broadly validating this controversial claim, while pointing out selection can be reversed under some conditions.
- Jussi Lehtonen
-
Article
| Open AccessSwitches, stability and reversals in the evolutionary history of sexual systems in fish
Fish have a diversity of sexual systems. Pla et al. analyse the transitions in these systems across fish, supporting that simultaneous hermaphroditism cannot evolve directly from separate sexes but requires sequential hermaphroditism as an intermediate step.
- Susanna Pla
- , Chiara Benvenuto
- & Francesc Piferrer
-
Article
| Open AccessExceptional parallelisms characterize the evolutionary transition to live birth in phrynosomatid lizards
There have been five independent transitions from egg laying to live birth in the phrynosomatid lizards. Here, Domínguez-Guerrero et al. identify parallel changes in physiology, life history and behaviour that characterize these transitions to live birth.
- Saúl F. Domínguez-Guerrero
- , Fausto R. Méndez-de la Cruz
- & Martha M. Muñoz
-
Article
| Open AccessFast-growing species shape the evolution of reef corals
The effect of biotic interactions among reef corals on macroevolutionary patterns is unclear. Here, the authors study the rich coral fossil record, finding that reef coral diversity experienced potentially biotic interaction-driven evolutionary rate changes, and that Staghorn corals affected fossil diversity trajectories of other coral groups.
- Alexandre C. Siqueira
- , Wolfgang Kiessling
- & David R. Bellwood
-
Article
| Open AccessNiche expansion and adaptive divergence in the global radiation of crows and ravens
Traits that facilitate adaptive responses to novel environments may facilitate global radiations. Here, the authors describe diversification dynamics of crows, finding that their global radiation coincides with high rates of phenotypic and climatic niche evolution.
- Joan Garcia-Porta
- , Daniel Sol
- & Carlos A. Botero
-
Article
| Open AccessCongruent evolutionary responses of European steppe biota to late Quaternary climate change
Quaternary climatic oscillations had a large impact on European biogeography. Using genomic data, machine learning, and approximate Bayesian computation, this study outlines a general scenario in which Quaternary climatic oscillations shaped the evolution of European steppe biota in a congruent way, emphasizing the role of climate underlying patterns of genetic variance at the biome level.
- Philipp Kirschner
- , Manolo F. Perez
- & Peter Schönswetter
-
Article
| Open AccessIndividual experience as a key to success for the cuckoo catfish brood parasitism
The importance of learning for brood parasites is explored using cuckoo catfish. The catfish increase their parasitism success as they gain experience, mainly by improving their social coordination and timing of intrusions to cichlid host spawnings.
- Holger Zimmermann
- , Radim Blažek
- & Martin Reichard
-
Article
| Open AccessMachine learning reveals cryptic dialects that explain mate choice in a songbird
The authors show that captive populations of zebra finches, which have been kept in isolation for up to 100 generations, have diverged in song dialect. When individuals singing different dialects are mixed, mating is assortative for song dialect.
- Daiping Wang
- , Wolfgang Forstmeier
- & Bart Kempenaers
-
Article
| Open AccessLoss of transcriptional plasticity but sustained adaptive capacity after adaptation to global change conditions in a marine copepod
Rapid adaptation will facilitate species resilience under global climate change, but its effects on plasticity are less commonly investigated. This study shows that 20 generations of experimental adaptation in a marine copepod drives a rapid loss of plasticity that carries costs and might have impacts on future resilience to environmental change.
- Reid S. Brennan
- , James A. deMayo
- & Melissa H. Pespeni
-
Article
| Open AccessConvergent morphology and divergent phenology promote the coexistence of Morpho butterfly species
‘Here, the authors use dummies of different Morpho butterfly species and sexes to investigate behaviour in patrolling butterflies, finding strong reproductive interference between species despite limited gene flow. They finally show that interference is mitigated by temporal partitioning, hence promoting the coexistence of sympatric Morpho species.’
- Camille Le Roy
- , Camille Roux
- & Violaine Llaurens