Genome size influences plant growth and biodiversity responses to nutrient fertilization in diverse grassland communities.

Experiments comparing diploids with polyploids and in single grassland sites show that nitrogen and/or phosphorus availability influences plant growth and community composition dependent on genome size; specifically, plants with larger genomes grow faster under nutrient enrichments relative to those with smaller genomes. However, it is unknown if these effects are specific to particular site localities with speciifc plant assemblages, climates, and historical contingencies. To determine the generality of genome size-dependent growth responses to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization, we combined genome size and species abundance data from 27 coordinated grassland nutrient addition experiments in the Nutrient Network that occur in the Northern Hemisphere across a range of climates and grassland communities.

Red, gold and green: Comparative genomics of polymorphic leopards from South Africa.

An important goal of comparative and functional genomics is to connect genetic polymorphisms to phenotypic variation. Leopards (Panthera pardus) from northern South Africa are particularly diverse, as here a unique colour morph occurs, as well as two deeply diverged southern (SA) and central African (CA) mitochondrial clades, stemming from Pleistocene refugia. Here, we present the first whole genomes of a red leopard and a black (captive) leopard, and wildtypes belonging to the CA and SA mitochondrial clades, to evaluate genome-wide diversity, divergence, and high impact mutations that may relate to their phenotype.

Ecological and intrinsic drivers of foraging parameters of Eurasian lynx at a continental scale.

The estimation of foraging parameters is fundamental for understanding predator ecology. Predation and feeding can vary with multiple factors, such as prey availability, presence of kleptoparasites and human disturbance. However, our knowledge is mostly limited to local scales, which prevents studying effects of environmental factors across larger ecological gradients.

Photoregulatory functions drive variation in eye coloration across macaque species.

Primates, the most colorful mammalian radiation, have previously served as an interesting model to test the functions and evolutionary drivers of variation in eye color. We assess the contribution of photo-regulatory and communicative functions to the external eye appearance of nine macaque species representing all the branches of their radiation. Macaques' well described social structure and wide geographical distribution make them interesting to explore.

Excess mortality of infected ectotherms induced by warming depends on pathogen kingdom and evolutionary history.

Climate change is causing extreme heating events and can lead to more infectious disease outbreaks, putting species persistence at risk. The extent to which warming temperatures and infection may together impair host health is unclear. Using a meta-analysis of >190 effect sizes representing 101 ectothermic animal host-pathogen systems, we demonstrate that warming significantly increased the mortality of hosts infected by bacterial pathogens.

Impact of global environmental changes on the range contraction of Eurasian moose since the Late Pleistocene.

Climatic oscillations are considered primary factors influencing the distribution of various life forms on Earth. Large species adapted to cold climates are particularly vulnerable to extinction due to climate changes. In our study, we investigated whether temperature increase since the Late Pleistocene and the contraction of environmental niche during the Holocene were the main factors contributing to the decreasing range of moose (Alces alces) in Europe.

EthoCRED: a framework to guide reporting and evaluation of the relevance and reliability of behavioural ecotoxicity studies.

Behavioural analysis has been attracting significant attention as a broad indicator of sub-lethal toxicity and has secured a place as an important subdiscipline in ecotoxicology. Among the most notable characteristics of behavioural research, compared to other established approaches in sub-lethal ecotoxicology (e.g.

Improved species assignments across the entire genus using targeted sequencing.

Accurate species identification of the mosquitoes in the genus is of crucial importance to implement malaria control measures and monitor their effectiveness. We use a previously developed amplicon panel (ANOSPP) that retrieves sequence data from multiple short nuclear loci for any species in the genus. Species assignment is based on comparison of samples to a reference index using -mer distance.

Resolving biology's dark matter: species richness, spatiotemporal distribution, and community composition of a dark taxon.

Background: Zoology's dark matter comprises hyperdiverse, poorly known taxa that are numerically dominant but largely unstudied, even in temperate regions where charismatic taxa are well understood. Dark taxa are everywhere, but high diversity, abundance, and small size have historically stymied their study. We demonstrate how entomological dark matter can be elucidated using high-throughput DNA barcoding ("megabarcoding").

Widespread Adaptive Introgression of Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes across Vertebrate Hybrid Zones.

Interspecific introgression is a potentially important source of novel variation of adaptive significance. Although multiple cases of adaptive introgression are well documented, broader generalizations about its targets and mechanisms are lacking. Multiallelic balancing selection, particularly when acting through rare allele advantage, is an evolutionary mechanism expected to favor adaptive introgression.

Meristic co-evolution and genomic co-localization of lateral line scales and vertebrae in Central American cichlid fishes.

Meristic traits are often treated as distinct phenotypes that can be used to differentiate and delineate recently diverged species. For instance, the number of lateral line scales and vertebrae, two traits that vary substantially among Neotropical Heroine cichlid species, have been previously suggested to co-evolve. These meristic traits could co-evolve due to shared adaptive, developmental, or genetic factors.

Facilitating accessible, rapid, and appropriate processing of ancient metagenomic data with AMDirT.

Background: Access to sample-level metadata is important when selecting public metagenomic sequencing datasets for reuse in new biological analyses. The Standards, Precautions, and Advances in Ancient Metagenomics community (SPAAM, https://spaam-community.org) has previously published AncientMetagenomeDir, a collection of curated and standardised sample metadata tables for metagenomic and microbial genome datasets generated from ancient samples.

Recurrent evolution of small body size and loss of the sword ornament in Northern swordtail fish.

Across the tree of life, species have repeatedly evolved similar phenotypes. While well-studied for ecological traits, there is also evidence for recurrent evolution of sexually selected traits. Swordtail fish (Xiphophorus) is a classic model system for studying sexual selection, and female Xiphophorus exhibit strong mate preferences for large male body sizes and a range of sexually dimorphic ornaments.

Early Pennsylvanian Lagerstätte reveals a diverse ecosystem on a subhumid, alluvial fan.

Much of what we know about terrestrial life during the Carboniferous Period comes from Middle Pennsylvanian (~315-307 Mya) Coal Measures deposited in low-lying wetland environments. We know relatively little about terrestrial ecosystems from the Early Pennsylvanian, which was a critical interval for the diversification of insects, arachnids, tetrapods, and seed plants. Here we report a diverse Early Pennsylvanian trace and body fossil Lagerstätte (~320-318 Mya) from the Wamsutta Formation of eastern North America, distinct from coal-bearing deposits, preserved in clastic substrates within basin margin conglomerates.

Revisiting the ecology and evolution of burying beetle behavior (Staphylinidae: Silphinae).

Investigating fundamental processes in biology requires the ability to ground broad questions in species-specific natural history. This is particularly true in the study of behavior because an organism's experience of the environment will influence the expression of behavior and the opportunity for selection. Here, we provide a review of the natural history and behavior of burying beetles of the genus to provide the groundwork for comparative work that showcases their remarkable behavioral and ecological diversity.