Evolutionary Journal of the Linnean Society

Evolution on Islands: from genomes to communities Call for papers “…it is not too much to say that when we have mastered the difficulties presented by the peculiarities of island life we shall find it comparat

Remember remember the 5th of...December?

Islands are central to our understanding of ecology & evolution, from the theory of natural selection to community ecology. This special issue promises to provide a synthesis of the latest research, and there's still time to submit! 🌍 🧪 👇

A common wombat peeks out over green grass in Australia

It's #WombatDay! Famed for their cubed poop, these guys have surprisingly similar forelimb myology to koalas...helping to unravel their evolutionary past! Read about it below 👇🌍🧪
doi.org/10.1093/zool...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Convergence of Darwin’s finches through hybridization on a remote Galápagos Island Abstract. Studies of Darwin’s finches in the Galápagos archipelago have thrown light on the classical model of speciation in which divergence of related po

Comparing 24 historical specimens with 89 modern individuals from the nearby Genovesa island, Darwin specimens showed morphological convergence. What does this mean? Hybrid introgression, resulting in a rare example of REVERSE speciation! Read more below 👇🧪🌍
doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Darwin's Darwin finches (the island is called Darwin, that's not a typo) have been variably described as either two species, or combined into just one. But what's right? As part of our #SpecialIssue on Evolution on Islands, Peter & Rosemary Grant took to answering this...(1/2) 🌍🧪

Natural selection, rather than sexual selection, plays a dominant role in the formation of body coloration in Drosophila suzukii Abstract. Drosophila suzukii is a globally distributed pest, and its body colour exhibits notable plasticity. Given the important roles of natural and sexu

Ahh, Drosophila suzukii, a global pest...and best dressed? Whilst fashion week is over, these guys really put the fly in fruit fly! Known for their body colour plasticity, the role of sexual vs natural selection on their colour diversity was investigated...check it out 👇🧪🌍🦟

Ants, Acacias, and Breaking the Mould of Niche Conservatism Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

New Blog Day! 🐜📣

The acacia fruit doesn't fall far from the evolutionary tree in this new blog, written by guest blogger Josie Cooper! Ever wondered how plants defend themselves from plant-eating predators? In the case of swollen-thorn acacias, the answer is ants...a 🧵 (1/6) 🌍🧪

buff.ly/Sm4NQsQ

Adaptive shell-morphological differences and differential fitness in two morphospecies of Lanistes (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) from the northern region of the Malawi Basin Abstract. Environment–phenotype correlations are a central pattern of adaptive radiations, but such correlations and the expected associated reciprocal dif

You shell (not) pass this on...🐚

Genetic inheritance, not plasticity, was shown to drive differences in the shells of Lanistes snails from the Malawi Basin! Experiencing ongoing adaptive radiation, this paper contributed to our Special Issue. Read more below 🌍🧪👇
#molluscmonday

Phylogenomic Discordance: Patterns, Processes, and Solutions Phylogenomics, the study of evolutionary relationships using genomic data, has revolutionized our understanding of the Tree of Life. As a field, phylogenomics h

If you're interested in understanding discordance in phylogenomic analyses, the @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social's special issue 'Phylogenomic Discordance: Patterns, Processes, and Solutions' is for you!

tinyurl.com/v2eces3s

I'll be sharing a few articles a week until we're through the issue! (1/n)🧪

Adaptive radiation despite conserved modularity patterns in San Salvador Island Cyprinodon pupfishes and their hybrids Abstract. Adaptive radiations are striking examples of rapid speciation along ecological lines. In adaptive radiations, fast rates of lineage diversificati

Endemic to the Island, the pupfish show rapid skull evolution despite conserved modularity! What does this mean? Rapid morphological diversification can happen even when modules remain the same! Read the full paper as part of our Adaptive Radiation Special Issue below 🌍🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Wass(P)up (fish)?

Adaptive radiations are striking examples of rapid speciation, where lineage diversification often pairs with rapid changes in morphology. But what is the role of intrinsic structural constraints? Here, Pupfish from San Salvador Island were studied...what did they find?

Are you a PhD student ready to publish a paper? Submit your research to our journal today & enter one of our new journal prizes, celebrating PhD student work in #Botany or #Biology !🧪🌍👇
academic.oup.com/evolinnean/p...

Perspectives on Speciation Following the one-day interdisciplinary symposium at the Linnean Society examining how the process of speciation is viewed from a diversity of disciplines, we a

This paper is part of our Special Issue "Perspectives on Speciation", a synthesis of current speciation research. Check out the full issue below 👇
academic.oup.com/evolinnean/p...

Explaining extreme differences in species richness among co-occurring palm clades in Madagascar Abstract. Imbalance in species richness among related clades is a pervasive, yet incompletely understood feature of biodiversity. Comparison of species-poo

Why do some palm clades in Madagascar thrive while others stagnate? Why do some have 1 species, and others 180+? Turns out it's less about that Island Magic & more about inherited traits and timing (when is it not?)! 🌍🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Ecological speciation in sympatric palms: 5. Evidence for pleiotropic speciation genes using gene knockout and high-throughput phenotyping Abstract. Theoretical models predict that sympatric, ecological speciation may be facilitated more readily when so-called ‘magic traits’ are present, linki

Magic traits may assist sympatric #Ecological speciation, but few examples exist & evidence for their role is rare. Yet, this study found #pleiotropy affected soil preference & flowering time in #Hawea, consistent with speciation!

Check out the full paper 🌍🧪👇

Gene flow can reveal ghost lineages Abstract. Ghost species, encompassing extinct, unknown, and unsampled taxa, vastly outnumber those typically included in phylogenetic analyses. This hidden

Here, the potential of horizontal gene transfer detection methods were explored, based on phylogenies, to detect & quantify ghost diversity. What did they find? Read the full paper to find out (2/2)👇🧪🌍
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
@bastien-boussau.bsky.social
@damdevienne.bsky.social

Who you gonna call? EVOLUTIONARY SCIENTISTS!

Ghost species (no, not species of ghost) are extinct, unknown & unsampled taxa...and they vastly outnumber those included in phylogenetics. This hidden diversity can complicate phylogenetic signals of horizontal gene flow, impacting their study...(1/2)🧪

As a Learned Society, our journals provide vital income that funds our charitable endeavours and community engagement. By reviewing for us, you give back to our community and contribute to our mission of creating a world where nature is understood, valued, and protected. (2/2)

It's #PeerReviewWeek and what better opportunity exists to say a huge thank you to our excellent reviewers from across the globe. It is your hard work & commitment that enables us to continue publishing ground-breaking research in Biology, Botany, Evolution and Zoology. (1/2)

How widespread is pollination by sexual deception of fungus gnats in Pterostylis (Orchidaceae)? Abstract. Pollination by sexual deception has evolved multiple times in the Orchidaceae, with most known cases involving male Hymenoptera as pollinators. T

Did you know male wasps can get tricked by orchids into thinking they're females?

Pterostylis orchids use sexual deception as a pollination strategy, with fungus gnats (Diptera) falling victim, acting as the main pollinators of these deceptive plants! 🌍🧪👇
academic.oup.com/botlinnean/a...

Recombination and Phylogenetic Inference Abstract. We explore the problem of inferring phylogenetic trees in the presence of recombination. Two widely used approaches are considered: concatenation

How are phylogenetic trees built? Unlike real trees, they don't sprout on their own. Here, Bruce Rannala explores how recombination affects phylogenetic tree building...check out what they found below 🌍🧪👇
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

On measures of influence and discordance in phylogenomic analyses Abstract. As models are approximate descriptions of real biological processes, and data are collected often with errors and contaminations, sensitivity or

Scientists often use models to study how species evolved, but these models are not always perfect. Here, Ziheng Yang (Darwin Wallace Medal winner) looks at how small changes in data or assumptions can affect the results of these studies. Check it out below 👇🌍🧪

Hybrid Day Meeting | Organismal Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World Join us at the Linnean Society for a one-day symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience

Speaker Spotlight!

Today we're sharing molecular biologist Glenn Yannic, whose research focuses on the consequences of environmental & anthropogenic changes on the genetic diversity of alpine & arctic species.

Book to see Glenn Nov 20 🌍🧪👇
buff.ly/bLADJcs.?mso...

Hybrid Day Meeting | Organismal Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World Join us at the Linnean Society for a one-day symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience

Speaker Spotlight! 📣

Today we're highlighting Chloe Haberkorn, a biologist who specialises in evolutionary genomics, currently in yeast! Her PhD focused on resistance mechanisms in bed bugs (scream).

Come see Chloe on Nov 20 🧪🌍👇
buff.ly/bLADJcsmsock...
@chloehbk.bsky.social

Fathers Out Of The Blue: Leatherback Turtles Take a DNA Test Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

New Blog Day! 📣

Who's your daddy? This is the question asked by guest blogger @katyakolesnykova.bsky.social, breaking down Gabriela Bispo & co's paper on leatherback turtle mating systems! A long-time mystery, DNA analysis revealed a surprising truth 🌍🧪👇 A 🧵 (1/6)

buff.ly/iVBnhAO

The Linnean Society Student Paper Prizes Eligible papers will be shortlisted throughout the year by our Editors-in-Chief. Papers will be judged according to the following criteria, marked 1-5: Evalu

Are you a PhD student ready to publish a paper? Submit your research to our journal today & enter one of our new journal prizes, celebrating PhD student work in #Botany or #Biology !🧪🌍👇
academic.oup.com/evolinnean/p...
@linneansociety.bsky.social

Body shape, a key trait in fish (they'd do wonders on Hinge), varies between geographic regions & sexes, reflecting adaptations to local environments. Here, body-shape variation among 3-spine sticklebacks was studied, revealing shape was mostly affected by sexual dimorphism! How? (1/2) 🧪🌍

Unravelling the cryptic diversity of the low-dispersal land planarian Cephaloflexa bergi to elucidate diversification processes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Abstract. The terrestrial flatworm Cephaloflexa bergi (Tricladida: Platyhelminthes) is an excellent model for elucidating the evolutionary processes shapin

Terrestrial flatworms have helped uncover the evolutionary processes shaping #Biodiversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, as their limited dispersal & sensitivity to environmental change reflect the evolutionary history of the forest! 🌍🧪👇

Diversity and development of labial tooth row formulae in tadpoles Abstract. Keratinized labial teeth of the oral apparatus are a conspicuous evolutionary novelty of anuran tadpoles. Although several comparative studies ha

Tadpoles have...TEETH?! An evolutionary novelty of anuran tadpoles, the taxonomic distribution of keratinized labial teeth remains a mystery. Yet here, variation in row number was studied in a phylogenetic context!
If you're bitten by a tadpole do you turn into a frog..? 🌍🧪👇

Getting Batty at Battersea Learn how to use bat detectors to spot their squeaky echolocation calls with us, and how to identify different species.

SCREEAEAAEEEEEAAAAAAEAEAAA!!! That's bat for "Join our Bat Walks"! Every Wednesday at dusk in Battersea Park, book your place now (tickets are flying, just like bats...the only mammal to evolve true flight....) 🌍🧪🦇👇

Why Do Birds Have Whiskers? Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

📣New Blog Day! 🚨

Ever wondered why birds have whiskers? Many theories have been proposed, from eye protection to prey capture, but all lacked conclusive scientific evidence...until now! Guest blogger Michael Sellgren breaks this down in our latest blog, a 🧵(1/6)🌍🧪

www.linnean.org/news/2025/08...