Evolution Letters

Society for the Study of Evolution Site description

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Cover of Evolution Letters featuring a 3D model of a fish skull with long fangs rendered in shades of purple and magenta.

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 Abstract. Understanding how genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions influence evolutionary trajectories and contribute to historical contingency is ke

Historical contingency limits adaptive diversification in a spatially structured environment

@evolletters.bsky.social from @megbehri.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...

Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon

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...

Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon

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...

Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon

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

doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

Do alternative reproductive tactics facilitate evolutionary rescue? A comment on Knell & Parrett 2024 Abstract. This contribution is a comment on a simulation study of Robert J. Knell and Jonathan M. Parrett (Evo. Lett. 8, 539–349, 2024). There is growing e

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...

Historical contingency limits adaptive diversification in a spatially structured environment Abstract. Understanding how genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions influence evolutionary trajectories and contribute to historical contingency is ke

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

Fast females, slow males: accelerated ageing and reproductive senescence in Drosophila melanogaster females across diverse social environments Abstract. Females and males typically differ in lifespan, patterns of ageing, and reproduction. General explanations for variation in the magnitude of this

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

Evolution of phenotypic plasticity owing to migration Phenotypes can change without alterations in the underlying genotype—a phenomenon known as phenotypic plasticity—the evolution of which is typically trigge

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

Multivariate trait evolution: models for the evolution of the quantitative genetic G-matrix on phylogenies Abstract. Genetic covariance matrices (G-matrices) are a key focus for research and predictions from quantitative genetic evolutionary models of multiple t

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...

The hidden threat: genetic load dynamics in tetraploids and diploids Polyploid organisms often display unique evolutionary dynamics compared to diploids. One unresolved question is how polyploidy affects the accumulation of

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...

Relative testis size is associated with vagina length but not sperm storage traits in Galliformes Abstract. Post-copulatory sexual selection, comprised of sperm competition and cryptic female choice, is a powerful evolutionary force that can drive the r

Surprisingly, sperm length is not linked to sperm storage traits. Instead, vagina length emerges as a key—yet overlooked—player in post-copulatory sexual selection in birds. academic.oup.com/evlett/article/9/6/686/8271462

Maternal age matters beyond early survival. This study shows persistent effects on male—but not female—offspring fitness in a wild mammal population. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...

Early-season helping in Polistes wasps shows increasing returns - more helpers lead to convex gains in sexual productivity, resolving a key paradox in the origins of eusociality.
academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
@ricaliari.bsky.social @twenseleers.bsky.social

Variation in the resource environment affects patterns of seasonal adaptation at phenotypic and genomic levels in Drosophila melanogaster Abstract. Natural populations often experience heterogeneity in the quality and abundance of environmentally acquired resources across both space and time,

Seasonal adaptation leaves genome-wide signatures across all traits, while food quality drives narrower, oligogenic responses—showing populations can track multiple environmental axes at once. Now out in Evolution Letters academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

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
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

Do alternative reproductive tactics facilitate evolutionary rescue? A comment on Knell & Parrett 2024 Abstract. This contribution is a comment on a simulation study of Robert J. Knell and Jonathan M. Parrett (Evo. Lett. 8, 539–349, 2024). There is growing e

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...