Evolutionary responses to crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill by the copepod .

The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster was the most catastrophic offshore oil spill in U.S. history, yet we still have a poor understanding of how organisms could evolve in response to the toxic effects of crude oil.

Response to selection and evolvability of invasive populations.

While natural selection might in some cases facilitate invasions into novel habitats, few direct measurements of selection response exist for invasive populations. This study examined selection response to changes in salinity using the copepod Eurytemora affinis. This copepod has invaded fresh water from saline habitats multiple times independently throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Evolution of physiological tolerance and performance during freshwater invasions.

Invasive species that penetrate habitat boundaries are likely to experience strong selection and rapid evolution. This study documents evolutionary shifts in tolerance and performance following the invasion of fresh water by the predominantly estuarine and salt marsh copepod Eurytemora affinis. Common-garden experiments were performed on freshwater-invading (Lake Michigan) and ancestral saline (St.