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The remarkable diversity in sperm morphology and performance in zebra finches is generated by a supergene on a sex chromosome and maintained by a heterozygous advantage.
Feedbacks between biological and economic systems can lead to persistent poverty traps for the world’s rural poor. A combination of economic, ecological and epidemiological modelling helps unravel how these feedbacks and traps occur.
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships remain constant no matter how many functions are considered. Biodiversity affects the level of multifunctionality and the effect on multifunctionality equals the average effect on single functions.
A new approach is outlined for capturing multiple facets of biodiversity in near real-time by combining the latest advances in automated Earth observation recording, high-throughput sequencing and ecological modelling.
Five laws derived from fossil data describe the relationships between species extinction and longevity, species richness, origination rates, extinction rates and diversification. These laws are crucial to the study of evolution and ecology.
Reproducibility starts with having a transparent and streamlined workflow. Here, the authors describe how they achieved this using open data tools for the collaborative Ocean Health Index project.
Female aggression is enhanced after mating. Genetic manipulation and behavioural observation show that the receipt of sperm, and a seminal fluid protein, enhances female Drosophila aggression towards other females.
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.
Newly discovered filamentous fossils from 2.4-billion-year-old oceanic lavas suggest that eukaryotes of possible fungal affinity are much older than previously thought.
Destruction of seafloor habitat following a submarine volcanic eruption facilitates construction and recolonization by an intriguing new bacterial species.
The widespread occurrence of microscopic plastic particles in the ocean is of both and ecological and societal concern. Here, the authors review the biological impacts of interactions with microplastics in the marine environment.
The Nutrient Network is a globally distributed, coordinated grassland ecology experiment. Here, the first decade of this network is reviewed, including insights into ecosystem productivity, stability and the effects of herbivores and invasive species.
A tribute to Ilkka Hanski. Empirical data modelling shows that molecular variation at a candidate gene within populations has consequences for metapopulation size and persistence.
Three new bivalve genomes are resources for comparative genomics over broad timescales, providing a glimpse into the evolution of understudied marine animals and their adaptations to extreme environments.
Primates, especially humans, have large brains and this is thought to reflect our level of cognitive complexity or ‘intelligence’. Could this all be down to what we eat?
Morphology and gene expression in mid-embryogenesis are highly conserved across species of the same phylum. In nematodes, developmental constraints, rather than natural selection, explain how this pattern was established during evolution.
The evolution of organs requires changes in multiple tissues and is underpinned by complex molecular mechanisms. In this Review, the authors use the evolution of the placenta in vertebrates as a model to discuss the genetic processes involved in organ origins.
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.
