Article
Ecology
Debela Daba, Birhanu Kagnew, Belay Tefera, Sileshi Nemomissa
Summary: This study investigates the impact of climate change on the distribution of P. abyssinica and H. citrispinum in Ethiopia. The distribution modeling predicts the ecological niche ranges and habitat suitability of these species using environmental parameters as predictors. The results show changes in the suitable habitat for both species under current and future climatic scenarios.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Vassanti Audemar, Yannick Guerringue, Joni Frederick, Pauline Vinet, Isaty Melogno, Avin Babataheri, Valerie Legue, Sebastien Thomine, Jean-Marie Frachisse
Summary: A study has investigated how plant roots respond to mechanical compression using a microfluidic system. The researchers found that lateral pressure on the roots resulted in moderate elastic deformation of the root cells and an increase in calcium signaling. They also observed that repeated pressure stimuli led to a decrease in the calcium signal. These findings contribute to our understanding of how roots adapt to mechanical cues in the soil.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Thibaut Renard, Baptiste Martinet, Natalia De Souza Araujo, Serge Aron
Summary: Epigenetic alterations are a primary hallmark of aging, and this study found that such changes occur not only in mammals but also play a crucial role in insects. By using a hypomethylating agent, the researchers extended the average lifespan of bumblebees and induced differential methylation of genes associated with aging. Additionally, they discovered that the overexpression of the longevity gene sirt1 was positively correlated with lifespan.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Angela Hayward, Benjamin J. Hunt, Julian Haas, Ellie Bushnell-Crowther, Bartlomiej J. Troczka, Adam Pym, Katherine Beadle, Jeremy Field, David R. Nelson, Ralf Nauen, Chris Bass
Summary: Recent research has found that certain bee species have specific cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) that can effectively detoxify certain insecticides. However, the alfalfa leafcutter bee is sensitive to certain insecticides because it lacks these enzymes. To investigate this further, researchers sequenced the transcriptomes of four Megachile species and found that they have evolved phylogenetically distinct P450 genes. This research provides important insights into pesticide risk assessment and the evolution of P450s in bees.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Hanne Griem-Krey, Carola Petersen, Inga K. Hamerich, Hinrich Schulenburg
Summary: The microbiota plays a crucial role in shaping host biology, including protection against pathogens. This study investigates the triangular interaction between a nematode, a protective symbiont, and a pathogen, and finds that immunity has a greater influence on the fitness of the host-microbe assemblage than microbial colonization. However, the presence of the protective microbe still improves fitness in most cases.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Alison T. Cribb, Kiersten K. Formoso, C. Henrik Woolley, James Beech, Shannon Brophy, Paul Byrne, Victoria C. Cassady, Amanda L. Godbold, Ekaterina Larina, Philip-peter Maxeiner, Yun-Hsin Wu, Frank A. Corsetti, David J. Bottjer
Summary: Research findings indicate that the end-Triassic mass extinction had a greater impact on terrestrial ecosystems than marine ecosystems, resulting in prolonged ecological flux in terrestrial biomes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biology
Kristen M. Rayfield, Alexis M. Mychajliw, Robin R. Singleton, Sabrina B. Sholts, Courtney A. Hofman
Summary: This review examines the impact of humans as niche constructors on the emergence of new host species and disease scapes from the Late Pleistocene to the Anthropocene. It highlights the untapped potential of archaeological records in understanding the dynamics of zoonotic diseases and proposes the integration of biomolecular tools and omics advancements with archaeological and paleoecological reconstructions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Anik Saha, Arianna Bellucci, Sara Fratini, Stefano Cannicci, Claudio Ciofi, Alessio Iannucci
Summary: This study investigates the drivers of genome size variation in squamate reptiles and finds that environmental factors and parity mode are the main parameters explaining genome size variation. The results suggest that genome size may be related to species' adaptation to specific environments or the interaction between environmental factors and parity mode.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jerry Z. X. Lei, Martyn L. Golding, Jon M. Husson
Summary: Late Triassic conodont species Mockina ex gr. carinata and Mockina ex gr. englandi were prevalent in the marine fauna of the Panthalassan realm and underwent significant changes near the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. These changes may be linked to shifts in diet and the suppression of carbonate biomineralization.
Article
Ecology
Metsehet Yinebeb, Ermias Lulekal, Tamrat Bekele
Summary: Ethiopia has diverse topographic features that contribute to its rich floral diversity in tropical Africa. The composition and structure of plant communities are influenced by various environmental variables, with altitude being the most influential factor. In order to effectively conserve forest patches in the future, it is recommended to consider the effects of grazing and human interference, and further research efforts should focus on mitigating disturbance factors and understanding the environmental variables that affect forest patches.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniel C. Segessenman, Shanan E. Peters
Summary: This study presents a quantitative analysis of the rock and fossil records of North American Ediacaran-Cambrian, revealing a correlation between sea level rise and continental flooding with the increase in animal diversity during the Cambrian period.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuya Kato, Seiji Arakaki, Atsushi J. Nagano, Kiyoshi Kikuchi, Shotaro Hirase
Summary: By conducting population genomic analyses on the East China Sea lineage of Chaenogobius annularis, researchers found that this lineage originated from ancient hybridization with an extinct ghost lineage. They also found reduced introgression from the extinct lineage in regions with low recombination rates and functional importance, suggesting a role of linked selection in shaping the hybrid genome. Additionally, the researchers identified enrichment of repetitive elements in regions associated with ghost introgression.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Caroline P. Abbott, Mark Webster, Kenneth D. Angielczyk
Summary: Body size has a significant impact on macroevolution, and its patterns in the fossil record can be explained by various mechanisms. By studying ontogeny and phylogeny, a theoretical framework for size change can be developed and tested empirically. The influence of geological factors should also be considered when investigating the mechanisms of size change.
Article
Plant Sciences
Li Zhang, Qin Zuo, Wen-Zhang Ma, James R. Shevock, Nikisha Patel, Matthew Johnson, Rafael Medina, Nicholas Wilding, Bernard Goffinet
Summary: The rediscovery of the monospecific genera Brachymeniopsis and Clavitheca, endemic to the Himalayas, reveals their close relationship with the genus Entosthodon through phylogenomic inferences. It is proposed to transfer Brachymeniopsis and Clavitheca to the genus Entosthodon based on their morphological similarities and genetic evidence.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Genfu Yagi, Huiyuan Qi, Kana Arai, Yuki F. Kita, Kazunobu Kogi, Tadamichi Morisaka, Motoi Yoshioka, Miho Inoue-Murayama
Summary: Age is crucial for studying the life history of wild animals but often requires invasive methods. This study developed a non-invasive method to estimate the age of dolphins using DNA methylation rate from fecal samples, achieving high accuracy.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lia Schlippe Justicia, Martin Mayer, Ugo Lorioux-Chevalier, Carolin Dittrich, Bibiana Rojas, Mathieu Chouteau
Summary: Intraspecific variation in body size, especially between populations and sexes, has significant impacts on life-history strategies. The study on dyeing poison frog reveals that female frogs are more influenced by body size selection compared to males, likely due to divergent reproductive investment between sexes. While there are differences in body size and sexual size dimorphism among populations, the overall number of froglets produced per clutch remains consistent.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Claudio S. Quilodran, Mathias Currat, Juan I. Montoya-Burgos
Summary: Testing associations between objects is crucial in ecology, evolution, and quantitative sciences. This study evaluates the statistical power and error rate of different types of variables in the presence of spatial autocorrelation, and provides guidelines for choosing appropriate methods.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Patrick T. Rohner, Yonggang Hu, Armin P. Moczek
Summary: Static allometry is a significant component of morphological variation. This study uses geometric morphometrics to investigate the effect of functional genetic manipulations on horn shape allometry in dung beetles. The findings suggest that some genes closely align with shape allometry, indicating their role in regulating relative trait growth, while other genes are implicated in scaling-independent processes. The study highlights the importance of multivariate approaches in studying allometry and phenotypic plasticity.
EVOLUTION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hiroshi C. Ito, Akira Sasaki
Summary: Evolutionary taxonomic turnovers are often associated with beneficial innovations in various ecological niches. Species with innovations tend to flow from optimum to suboptimum niches, while less innovated species are excluded. Central niches tend to have the fastest innovation speeds and become biodiversity sources, while species that diverge from central niches compete with indigenous species in peripheral niches. This globally acting process leads to the least innovated species occupying the most peripheral niches and having deep divergence times, making them living fossils. This analysis extends to multiple geographic regions, where living fossils are also expected in geographically peripheral regions.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonas Lescroart, Alejandra Bonilla-Sanchez, Constanza Napolitano, Diana L. Buitrago-Torres, Hector E. Ramirez-Chaves, Paola Pulido-Santacruz, William J. Murphy, Hannes Svardal, Eduardo Eizirik
Summary: Using whole-genome resequencing data, this study constructed a time-calibrated consensus phylogeny of Neotropical small felids in the genus Leopardus. The findings challenge previous notions about the relatedness of certain species and provide insights into the speciation history and diversity patterns of this felid radiation.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
