Evolutionary Applications

Musk deer face extinction due to genetic bottlenecks & human pressure, but little is known. Study reveals Moschus berezovskii suffered admixture & declines, and M.
anhuiensis is a distinct species with high harmful mutations. Key insights into their vulnerabilities🦌

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70134

🧐 All invited speakers, oral presenters, and poster presenters from ESEB #S23 are invited to submit! We also welcome the broader research community to contribute! 🐦

🙋 If you have any questions, please reach out to @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social and other Editors involved!

Evolutionary Applications Call for Papers Evolutionary Genomics: Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change Evolutionary Applications is an open access evolutionary biology journal, covering questions of health, social and economic significance.

📢 We’re seeking studies on:
🔹 Genomic adaptation to climate extremes
🔹 Epigenetics & microbiome shifts
🔹 Conservation genomics in management
🔹 Omics tools for biodiversity resilience

🔍 Learn more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal...

🚨 Call for Papers! 🚨
How can evolutionary genomics help us understand and adapt to #ClimateChange? Submit your research to this joint Special Issue by Molecular Ecology & Evolutionary Applications! 🌎🌱

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2026

This review touches upon how ancestral solitary stem-nesting bees (Xylocopini) keep microbes siloed, while derived social Allodapini share them in a network through trophallaxis, brood contact & frass cleanup 🐝🐝🐝

📸 Fig. 2

Bee nesting behavior + network-microbiome = potential integration of socio-eco-evo-immunology 🐝🌺

👉 check out this review @ doi.org/10.1111/eva.70137

w/ @tomjeffries.bsky.social

📸: Simon Tierney

‪Study on black, brown & polar bears shows inbreeding & genetic load vary by population history. Isolated groups face higher risks, while mixed populations hold more diversity (even harmful variants). That's key for conservation! 🐻🐻‍❄️

doi.org/10.1111/eva....

Anadromous brown trout in Norway form a metapopulation, with one key source population sustaining multiple sinks. 55% of potential spawners disperse, but only 25% stray successfully. Connectivity boosts resilience despite habitat challenges 🐟

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70130

Study shows soil chemistry shapes local adaptation in sacred fir trees, but the genetic drivers differ at range-wide vs local scales. This shows complex gene-environment interplay, being key for conservation & forest management 🌱

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70116

Map of Sydney and Newcastle, NSW (Australia). PCA results show panmixia across Newcastle but structure in Sydney

🦟New paper out in Evolutionary Applications🦟
The Australian mosquito Aedes vigilax is panmictic across one city (Newcastle) but has strong structure in another (Sydney). The structure was stable across years and may be due to industrial barriers

doi.org/10.1111/eva....
@evolappjournal.bsky.social

Study on Arctic black guillemots shows anthropogenic oil pollution alters DNA methylation patterns differently than natural exposure. Epigenetic changes may help us understand pollution's impact on wildlife 🐦🧬

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70125

Jumping spiders rock.

Hermit crab taxi with a blue sea slug on board. 🐚y¡¡y✨

Two coral species in Florida appear to care more about depth and water chemistry than temperature 🌊

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70126

Now published. Led by Dr. Akanksha Singh, we studied what happened to grain amaranth once it arrived to India. Surprisingly differentiation stayed high and populations adapted individually. No gene flow, high diversity.

ntroduced populations can conserve lost genetic variation. The introduction of grain amaranth to India shows how crop evolution continued outside the domestication area and could enable future adaptation 🌱

w/ @mgstetter.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70124

Scientists used genomic selection to breed disease-resistant yellow croakers, improving survival against white spot disease by up to 79.7%! Positive selection regions were enriched in immune & metabolic genes 🐟

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70120

Implications of Breeding for Growth on Drought Tolerance in Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)—Insights From Metabolomics and High‐Throughput Plant Architecture Analysis Drought has been identified as one of the important environmental factors in the context of climate change due to its interaction with other biotic and abiotic stresses. However, only a few studies h...

🧪🌾PAPER - How did breeding effect drought tolerance in Scots pine?🧬

Francisco Gil Muñoz from @garciagillab.bsky.social and colleagues evaluated drought tolerance in Scots pine seedlings from breeding stands and natural forests.

Read more in @evolappjournal.bsky.social:
doi.org/10.1111/eva....

🧬 New reference genome: the grooved carpet shell clam!

🐚 This commercially valuable bivalve, found across the European coast, has been sequenced, assembled, and annotated by CNAG

📎The research is published in @evolappjournal.bsky.social: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#CNAG #Biodiversity

Studying population genetics in sharks is hard.. Despite past panmixia claims, this study's stratified sampling of 414 tiger sharks reveals local structure in young females, highlighting how sex & life stage shape connectivity! 🌊🦈

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70117

Population Genomics Provides Insights Into Genomic Features of Inbreeding Depression in Arma Chinensis Arma chinensis, a predatory insect renowned for its prey diversity in East Asia, is effective in controlling agricultural and forestry pests. However, after introducing field populations into indoor ...

📰🔍Here's the link to the study!

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70107

Arma chinensis, an effective predatory insect, show inbreeding depression in indoor subcultures. Inbred generations exhibited genomic features impacting biosynthetic processes and potential biological dysfunction. This study highlights the importance of maintaining genetic diversity 🧬🧬

Population Genomics Provides Insights Into Genomic Features of Inbreeding Depression in Arma Chinensis Arma chinensis, a predatory insect renowned for its prey diversity in East Asia, is effective in controlling agricultural and forestry pests. However, after introducing field populations into indoor ...

📃🔎 Here's the link to the study!
doi.org/10.1111/eva.70107

Study of 26 butterfly species links evolutionary history with plant toxins & range size to pollution tolerance. Bigger-ranged butterflies handle heavy metals better, while small-ranged ones are more vulnerable 🦋

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70112

Urban eastern gray squirrels may face a hidden selective force: traffic! Melanistic squirrels are more visible to drivers, leading to fewer roadkill deaths compared to gray morphs. This may help explain why darker squirrels thrive in cities 🐿️

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70109

Our symposium "Evolutionary Genomics: Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change" (S23), co-organized by Molecular Ecology and @evolappjournal.bsky.social received outstanding submissions. We'll showcase research on using evolutionary genomics to tackle climate change. eseb2025.com/list-of-symp...

Multiple Stressors in the Anthropocene: Urban Evolutionary History Modifies Sensitivity to the Toxic Effects of Crude Oil Exposure in Killifish Persistence of wild species in human-altered environments is difficult, in part because challenges to fitness are complex when multiple environmental changes occur simultaneously, which is common in ...

Interested in evolution in the Anthropocene?

In a paper out today we use a mechanism-guided approach to predict & show that evolved resistance to urban pollutants offers cross-resistance to oil in killifish, via adaptive change in AHR signaling
doi.org/10.1111/eva....

@evolappjournal.bsky.social

Study shows that browsing by large (>2kg) mammals disrupts eco-evolutionary dynamics in restored forests, reducing tree survival & growth. To boost resilience, restoration plans must prioritize genetic diversity and account for herbivore impacts

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70099

📸 Wallaby and E. ovata

DNA methylation shapes vertebrate genomes by depleting CpGs. Study in 6 spp. shows that protein-coding genes retain more CpGs, especially in regulatory/stress genes. This bias may mark adaptive potential & genome optimization

doi.org/10.1111/eva.70101

📸 Fig 2: Forces acting on CpG

Pain neurons & immune system cross-talk helps detect threats, but pathogens manipulate it via opioids or nerve interference. Some hijack pain signaling, affecting health & treatment.

Learn more with this review: doi.org/10.1111/eva.70098

📸Fig 1 PAMP=pathogen-associated molecular patterns