American Naturalist / ASN 🐌

Diagram from “Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics for Finite Populations and the Noise-Induced Reversal of Selection” by Ananda Shikhara Bhat and Vishwesha Guttal (Jan 2025). © University of Chicago

How Randomness Can Flip Evolution: New Study Uncovers Surprising Role of Population Noise

Summary & Analysis by Tahirah Williams of “Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics for Finite Populations and the Noise-Induced Reversal of Selection” by Bhat et al.
www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

New paper out on sibling cooperation in burying beetles! Big congrats to Paul Huber!

Chicago press booth at Botany2025, covered with journal issues and swag.

A close-up of the @uchicagopress.bsky.social @chicagojournals.bsky.social swag buffet available to #Botany2025 attendees. You can see @ijpsjournal.bsky.social bandanas, pens, and magnets, plus @asn-amnat.bsky.social magnets. Swing by to pick some up!

Quedan tres semanas para aplicar al Taller Suraméricano de Biología Evolutiva en Uruguay (nov 23-29) Todos los gastos pagos para estudiantes, gracias a la financiación del @sse-evolution.bsky.social @eseb.bsky.social @asn-amnat.bsky.social #CienciaCriolla Info aquí: sites.google.com/view/evosur2...

Very proud that @gauravathreya.bsky.social's brilliant work based on his Master's thesis is out as his first paper in @asn-amnat.bsky.social. Interested in host-symbiont interdependence, eukaryogenesis, evolutionary transitions in individuality, and some great theory to back it?...check out the🧵👇

Weather the storm by spreading your investments: the benefits of bet-hedging

Summary & Analysis by Xochitl Ortiz-Ross of “Shifting Precipitation Regimes Influence Optimal Germination Strategies and Population Dynamics in Bet-hedging Desert Annuals” by Cuello et al.
www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

Goldilocks and the Queen Bee: Finding the ideal soilscape temperature for an important pollinator

Summary & Analysis by Haleigh Yang of “Soilscapes of Mortality Risk Suggest a Goldilocks Effect for Overwintering Ectotherms” by Waybright et al.
Read now!
www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

What ratio of sons to daughters should you have?

Summary & Analysis by Iain R. Moodie of “Sex Allocation in a Monogamous Bird: Advantaged Matrilines and Sons with Silver Spoons” by Atkins Coleman et al.
Read now!
www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

figure 1 from https://doi.org/10.1086/737588 describing (a) our conceptualisation of an evolutionary transition in individuality, (b) an interpretation of the traits that we consider in our mathematical model, and (c) a graphical representation of the population dynamics in the model.

Interested in host-symbiont interdependence, eukaryogenesis, and evolutionary transitions in individuality? my first paper just came out! With @gokhalecs.bsky.social and Pete Czuppon, we study when & how individuality emerges in a host-endosymbiont collective doi.org/10.1086/737588 a short thread🧵:

Our new paper in @asn-amnat.bsky.social shows the importance of separating paternal age from sexual rest effects.
We find selective disappearence in daughters and paternal condition transfer to sons. A weak deleterious effect of paternal sperm storage too
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

Blue tits monitored in Corsica. (Photo credit: Stéphan Tillo)

How does environmental age affect chronological age-specific phenology and reproductive success senescence?
Summary & Analysis by Shatarupa Sarkar of “Age-Specific Phenology & Reproductive Success Senescence Vary with Environmental Age in a Wild Bird” by Bonamour et al. www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

bluebirds in nest from Rolland et al.

Adapt or Freeze: How Harsh Winters Are Reshaping Bluebirds’ Survival

Summary & Analysis by Baltazar González Chávez of “Natural Selection after Severe Winter Favors Larger and Duller Bluebirds” by Rolland et al.
Read now!
www.amnat.org/an/newpapers...

Dung beetle and larvae taken by Huber et al.

Better together: sibling cooperation matters! Burying beetle larvae consistently benefited from growing up with siblings, both with & without parents. Huber et al. show that sibling interactions can play a key role in the evolution of family life. Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Flier that reads "Heyduk Lab @ Botany 2025" along the top. The rest of the flier has photos of presenters along with their presentation titles and times: The next section says "Posters - Monday 5:30-7:00PM Claire Marino “A Li-Cor walks into a muddy forest: photosynthetic physiology and genomics of Symplocarpus foetidus” (P143) Ed McAssey “Late-flowering phenology shifts in Witch-hazel, Hamamelis virginiana” (P14) Lizzy Doan “Plasticity and ontogenetic variability of a Joshua Tree common garden study” (P119) Elena Foust “Medicinal succulent, molecular mystery: assessing the role of abiotic stress in mesembrine alkaloid production in Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum)” (P225)" The next section lists the following talkss: David Wickell, Wed. 10:30 am, Madera "Cutting the Gordian Knot: Can HybSeq help resolve reticulate relationships in Isoetes?” Anna Pardo, Wed. 10:15 am, SmoketreeAB "Conservation of a key CAM gene triplication in a hybrid Yucca species” Karolina Heyduk, Wed. 2:45 pm, Catalina "Physiological plasticity across time and space in Joshua trees” Erika Moore-Pollard Wed. 9:00 am, SmoketreeAB "Comparative Genomics in Asterales: Foundations for understanding evolutionary and functional dynamics in Asteraceae” Wed. 2:45 pm, Santa Rosa "Phylogenomic challenges in polyploid-rich lineages: Insights from orthology inference and reticulation methods using the complex genus Packera” Also check out “Belonging In Botany: the immigrant experience” Tues. 11-12, Ventura Featuring panelists from our Botany community" The final section is titled "Germinating Ideas - Mesquite C" and lists two talks: G Young Kim "Cacti under the snow: unveiling physiological mechanisms behind the overwintering cacti, Opuntia humifusa” - Wed 2:25pm Elena Foust "Microbial analysis of Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia & Yucca jaegeriana) rhizosphere: an amplicon sequencing approach" - Wed 1:50 pm"

Less than a week to go until #Botany2025 - as you work on your schedules, check out some of the lab's talks!!

This is a photo of a brown and red bird to the left of a flowering cactus, it is set against a blue sky.

Are specializations evolutionary dead ends? Morrison et al. reveal that in bird carotenoid evolution, continuity and stability are two sides of the same coin.

Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Deconninck et al. provides a refreshed view of how plasticity in temperature preference can inform us about the thermoregulatory strategies of ectotherms. An all-new framework that they apply to Drosophila melanogaster.

Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Genome Composition Predicts Physiological Responses to Temperature in Polyploid Salamanders | The American Naturalist Abstract Multitrait analyses can be used to measure the differential performance of phenotypic traits in species complexes. Hybridization within these complexes can result in a mismatch between mitoch...

Stealing sperm is the only way this lineage of unisexual salamanders can reproduce! Despite potential consequences of ‘genetic theft’, Burger et al. found that females do as well as the sexual species in which they are more related.

Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

AmNat Editor-in-Chief Volker Rudolf speaks out: "Best Publishing Practices and Open Access Options at The American Naturalist"
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Published ahead of print with open access: "Natural Selection of Synthetic Gene Drives for Population Suppression Can Favor an Intermediate Strength of Drive" by Beaghton and Burt

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

Boom-Bust Cycles Constrain Host-Parasite Dynamics, Suppress Parasite Spread, and Drive Parasites Extinct | The American Naturalist Abstract Host-parasite theory is rooted in equilibrium dynamics. However, many host species exhibit “boom-bust” life histories or range expansions characterized by population booms and severe bottlene...

Bubrig et al. modeled host-parasite interactions where the host population experienced recurring bottlenecks: turns out that bottlenecks can hugely benefit hosts in their quest to rid themselves of parasites!

Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

The mushroom enigma - ABC listen Natural historian Alison Pouliot goes underground, to unravel the mysterious life cycle of fungi and mushrooms (R)

Alison Pouliot joins ABC's Listen to discuss her new book, FUNGA OBSCURA, and the hidden world of fungi that thrives all around us. Listen here!

Artistic representation of the Blue-banded Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis), one of the species included in this study. Artist: Roberto Ruiz (https://www.instagram.com/rob_rz/), student at https://maevolab.mx.

Artículo publicado antes de la impresión: "La centralidad de las aves en redes de interacción varía dentro de sus nichos climáticos" de Moulatlet et al.

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Artista: Roberto Ruiz, estudiante en maevolab.mx.

On Measurements of Phenotypic Parallel Evolution | The American Naturalist Abstract Several metrics have been proposed to measure phenotypic parallel evolution. All of these metrics stem from a geometric definition of parallel evolution in which two evolutionary trajectories...

Arendt et al. discuss several metrics of phenotypic parallel evolution including one that doesn't measure parallelism. They suggest use of a partial Eta-squared of the interaction term btw Habitat and Replicate as an appropriate metric. Read ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Oh, thanks for the correction: it is Sinclair et al. (Stone is the last author). The link should be right, however!

Inbreeding and Competitor’s Genetic Relatedness Affect Dynamic Male Color Ornament Expression in a Cichlid Fish | The American Naturalist Abstract Ornamental traits signaling phenotypic and/or genetic quality play a central role in sexual selection and greatly determine the access to mating partners and thus fitness. Accordingly, they u...

Gussone et al. identify sources of phenotypic variation in ornamental traits by showing that inbreeding and genetic relatedness of rivals affect the dynamic colour-expression in competing males in a cichlid fish.
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

No Evidence for Paternal Age Effects on Sons or Daughters When Accounting for Paternal Sperm Storage | The American Naturalist Abstract A father’s age at conception is predicted to affect not only his own fertility but also his offspring’s fitness. Offspring born to old fathers are assumed to be less fit than those of young f...

Why do old males produce poor quality offspring? Is it the age of their germline, or the age of their sperm? Sanghvi et al. discover some surprising answers!
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

The Means of Signal Divergence Early in a Host Shift | The American Naturalist Abstract We used a “quasi-natural” selection experiment and subsequent reciprocal transplants to assess the means of divergence in mating signals early in a host shift. We worked with a member of the ...

Rodríguez et al. conduct experimental host shifts with Enchenopa treehoppers that resulted in subtle signal divergence in a few generations. This was fueled by standing genetic variation and plasticity, and unrelated to host specialization.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

How does leaf litter decomposition change through the seasons in temperate streams & forests? Cereghetti & Altermatt track microbial and invertebrate decomposition across a full year, revealing how factors shape this key process!
Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Chemical Mate Choice Copying in Drosophila melanogaster | The American Naturalist Abstract Mate choice is a critical decision, especially for females, that requires time and energy to assess potential partners’ genetic quality. Consequently, in many species, females have evolved th...

Mitchell et al. reveal the first evidence of chemical mate choice copying in Drosophila. Females exposed to pheromone cues from mated flies prefer males chosen by others, showing that social learning in flies extends beyond visual cues.
Now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

The Evolution of Homeothermic Endothermy via Life History Optimization | The American Naturalist Abstract Endothermy is an energetically expensive trait, yet it has posed an evolutionary advantage across different lineages—a paradox that remains puzzling to biologists. Here, I investigate whether...

Why do endotherms spend so much energy? Juan G. Rubalcaba describes a theoretical model that shows that species followed one of two possible evolutionary patches: live fast while spending a lot, or live slowly and keep your costs low. Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...