Large carpenter bees show high dispersal in a tropical semi-arid region susceptible to desertification.

Desertification is a major threat to biodiversity in arid areas of the world, partly because many organisms in these regions already exist at or near the limits of their movement and physiology. Here, we used molecular data to investigate patterns of persistence and dispersal in an ecologically and economically important carpenter bee ( Lepeletier) found throughout the semiarid Caatinga region of Brazil. We used a genome-wide approach (double digest restriction-site associated DNA, ddRAD) to gather genetic data from bees sampled from eight sites within a semiarid region subject to desertification in Northeastern Brazil.

Metabarcoding expands knowledge on diversity and ecology of rare actinobacteria in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Rare and unknown actinobacteria from unexplored environments have the potential to produce new bioactive molecules. This study aimed to use 16 s rRNA metabarcoding to determine the composition of the actinobacterial community, particularly focusing on rare and undescribed species, in a nature reserve within the Brazilian Cerrado called Sete Cidades National Park. Since this is an inaccessible area without due legal authorization, it is understudied, and, therefore, its diversity and biotechnological potential are not yet fully understood, and it may harbor species with groundbreaking genetic potential.

Introgressive hybridization in a Spiny-Tailed Iguana, , and its implications for taxonomy and conservation.

Introgression, the transmission of genetic material of one taxon into another through hybridization, can have various evolutionary outcomes. Previous studies have detected signs of introgression between western populations of the Mexican endemic and threatened spiny-tailed iguana, . However, the extent of this phenomenon along the geographic distribution of the species is unknown.

Fission and fusion in island taxa--serendipity, or something to be expected?

A well-used metaphor for oceanic islands is that they act as 'natural laboratories' for the study of evolution. But how can islands or archipelagos be considered analogues of laboratories for understanding the evolutionary process itself? It is not necessarily the case that just because two or more related species occur on an island or archipelago, somehow, this can help us understand more about their evolutionary history. But in some cases, it can.

Reproductive conflict in bumblebees and the evolution of worker policing.

Worker policing (mutual repression of reproduction) in the eusocial Hymenoptera represents a leading example of how coercion can facilitate cooperation. The occurrence of worker policing in "primitively" eusocial species with low mating frequencies, which lack relatedness differences conducive to policing, suggests that separate factors may underlie the origin and maintenance of worker policing. We tested this hypothesis by investigating conflict over male parentage in the primitively eusocial, monandrous bumblebee, Bombus terrestris.