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Nature Ecology & Evolution is celebrating two years of publishing outstanding work from across the entire breadth of ecological and evolutionary subjects. This has included both fundamental advances and work with immediate applied significance. Topics have ranged across species, evolutionary timescales, geographical scales and ecosystem types. In addition, the journal’s Perspectives, Reviews and Comments have fostered discussion between scientific disciplines and with the wider world.
Analysis of cell-type-specific transcription in non-bilaterian animals provides insight into the evolution of the gene regulatory networks that underlie metazoan cell types.
The evolutionary history of life and the history of the planet itself are closely entwined. This Perspective looks at the sources of energy — geochemical, sunlight, oxygen, flesh and fire — that have shaped this inter-relationship and the course of evolution.
As well as allowing horizontal gene transfer, the increased copy number of plasmids could accelerate evolution. Here, it is shown that clinically relevant antibiotic resistance evolves faster when the target gene is on a plasmid.
Ant colonies include reproductive queens and sterile workers. Based on brain transcriptomes from five ant species, the authors identify an ancestral gene network for caste differentiation that has been modified over time as ant societies evolved.
Thanks to phylogenomics, reconstruction of the tree of life is now possible, yet different datasets and methods can yield contradictory relationships. Here, the authors quantify phylogenetic signals and show that contentious relationships can be supported by a tiny amount of data.
Munias are small birds that underwent a rapid radiation in Papua New Guinea and Australia. Here, the authors show that the unique colouration of each species was generated by introgression and selection of ancestral genetic variation at a few relevant genes.
Humans have been modifying environments and habitats both indirectly and directly for millennia. This has resulted in extensive changes to the biology of non-domesticated non-human species, and this pattern is likely to increase in the future
Cetaceans show a similar increase in brain size as is seen in human evolution. Here, this increase is shown to be linked to an expansion in the social and ecological niche.
Cancer evolution is central to poor outcomes of cancer therapies, enabling tumour progression and the acquisition of drug resistance. Joint efforts of evolutionary biologists, oncologists and cancer researchers are necessary to understand the principles of cancer evolution and to derive therapeutic strategies that can control it.
A full understanding of speciation requires the integration of knowledge at the macro and micro evolutionary scales. Here, the authors discuss the developmental processes associated with variation within plant species and morphological innovations that promote speciation in plants.