@evolletters.bsky.social
OA journal publishing the best work in evolutionary biology. Jointly owned by @eseb.bsky.social & @sse-evolution.bsky.social, published by OUP. https://academic.oup.com/evlett Tag us in your post about your Evolution Letters papers and we will repost!
Cool study. On a separate note, wow we need more (and larger) phylogenies of invertebrate clades
Diversification rate shifts are everywhere. Analyses of phylogenies covering >300k species reveal widespread changes in speciation dynamics across the Tree of Life.
@bjorntko.bsky.social @hoehna.bsky.social @acapomorphic.bsky.social academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Check out our Editor’s Choice article academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... by @knapprew.bsky.social et al showing the K/Pg adaptive radiation in open-ocean fish in jaw morphology. With this amazing micro-CT image of the deep-sea black scabbardfish on the cover, by @sternarchella.bsky.social
Did you know that Evolution Letters now publishes reviews?! Our inaugural one is fantastic! Deep learning is opening new doors for evolutionary genomics, especially for nonmodel organisms with sparse or uncertain genomic data. doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Do dim forests select for bigger butterfly eyes? Surprisingly, no. Across 59 species, eye size evolution reflects ancestry and scaling—not ecology. By @sridharhalali.bsky.social and @lepphylo.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Did you know we offer free English language editing for authors submitting to Evolution and Evolution Letters? Simply send an email to our EELS program coordinator to get started!
www.evolutionsociety.org/publications...
@journal-evo.bsky.social @evolletters.bsky.social
Did you know that Evolution Letters now publishes reviews?! Our inaugural one is fantastic! Deep learning is opening new doors for evolutionary genomics, especially for nonmodel organisms with sparse or uncertain genomic data. doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Are you interested in receiving light-touch English language editing for your next @journal-evo.bsky.social or @evolletters.bsky.social manuscript? Check out our Evolution English Language Support program to learn how to receive free support! www.evolutionsociety.org/publications...
Registration is now open! Early-bird closes April 15. www.evolutionmeetings.org/registration...
Study on the diversification of jaw shape in pelagiarian/scombriform fishes led by @knapprew.bsky.social out in Evolution Letters as Editor's Choice. Gorgeous trichiuroid render by co-author @sternarchella.bsky.social nabbed the cover! Open access: academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Delighted that our article on pelagiarian mandible evolution has made the cover of @evolletters.bsky.social!
Check out our Editor’s Choice article academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... by @knapprew.bsky.social et al showing the K/Pg adaptive radiation in open-ocean fish in jaw morphology. With this amazing micro-CT image of the deep-sea black scabbardfish on the cover, by @sternarchella.bsky.social
Historical contingency limits adaptive diversification in a spatially structured environment
@evolletters.bsky.social from @megbehri.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Is speciation usually allopatric? Genomic analyses of 93 Drosophila species pairs show that gene flow during divergence is common—even among allopatric species—challenging the classic allopatric model of speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Is speciation usually allopatric? Genomic analyses of 93 Drosophila species pairs show that gene flow during divergence is common—even among allopatric species—challenging the classic allopatric model of speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social
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Is lifespan shaped by genetic conflict between the sexes? In wild marmots, longevity is heritable but negatively genetically correlated between males and females, implying selection for longer life in one sex favors shorter life in the other. Image Credit: Wikimedia
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Does predictability matter for adaptation? In fruit flies, predictable thermal variation favors evolved longevity, while unpredictable environments impose survival and reproductive costs—revealing distinct routes to adaptation under climate change. Image: Wikimedia
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Do alternative reproductive tactics promote evolutionary rescue? Riederer & Weissing show that claims for ART rescue depend on model assumptions—when thresholds evolve or mating success shifts, fixed tactics no longer prevent extinction leaving the question open.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
How does development shape skull evolution? In lizards, neural crest–derived skull bones drive rapid sexually selected shape change within species but show long-term constraint, revealing developmental bias linking micro- and macroevolution. Image Credit: Wikimedia
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Evolution isn’t always forward-looking. Experiments show that an early, beneficial mutation can trap E. coli on a local fitness peak, preventing ecotype diversification in structured environments and highlighting the role of G×E interactions.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Can sexual selection alone drive divergence? Experimental evolution in seed beetles shows that strong sexual selection accelerates divergence in reproductive traits and gene expression, even without environmental differences. Image credit: Udo Schmidt Wikimedia
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Why has live birth evolved repeatedly in lizards? A mechanistic model linking behavior, thermal physiology, and life history shows cold climates favor viviparity, providing causal support for the classic cold-climate hypothesis. Image credit: Wikimedia
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Can microbial partners reduce agrochemical harm? In clover–rhizobia mutualisms, herbicide effects depend strongly on rhizobial strain, highlighting symbionts as potential buffers against stress. Image Matt Lavin @wikimedia
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Who really lives fast and dies young? In Drosophila, females show faster ageing and reproductive senescence than males across social environments, overturning sexual selection predictions and highlighting social effects on ageing. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
@laurenmharrison.bsky.social
Why is phenotypic plasticity so common? Models show that even low migration between locally adapted populations can maintain costly plasticity in constant environments, revealing migration as a key driver of plastic trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Why do selfing rates vary across a species’ range? In alpine monkeyflower, self-fertilization increases away from the range center, supporting the abundant center hypothesis over historical range expansion in shaping reproductive assurance.
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
Photo Credit: Brewbooks
Can we predict gene expression evolution? In flour beetles, transcriptome-wide selection predicts expression change, with indirect selection acting strongest on pleiotropic, network-central genes—linking co-expression architecture to adaptation.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... Photo: Udo Schmidt
How do genetic variances and covariances evolve over deep time? This paper unifies quantitative genetics and macroevolution with analytical models for G-matrix evolution on phylogenies, enabling new tests of multivariate trait evolution.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Do extra chromosome sets mask bad mutations? Simulations show tetraploids often carry higher genetic load than diploids, depending on dominance, demography, and drift—with important implications for fitness and conservation.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...