Nature Ecology & Evolution

Baobab (Adansonia suarezensis) - Nature Ecology & Evolution Onja Razanamaro spends her time in the canopy of Madagascar’s majestic baobabs, contemplating their pollination.

New Species Spotlight 🌳

Onja Razanamaro on Madagascar’s majestic baobabs

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Free to read here: rdcu.be/ezFVn

Screenshot of thetext of the August 2025 Editorial in Nature Ecology & Evolution entitled "An update on author and reviewer diversity". The article standfirst reads: "Self-identified gender information on authors and reviewers across the Nature Portfolio allows us to report on current trends at Nature Ecology & Evolution."

Our new Editorial is an update on author and reviewer diversity in our journal:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cover of the August issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution. The image shows a pangolin curled up in a ball in the palm of a hand. The headline reads "Threat scales"

Our August issue is now live! www.nature.com/natecolevol/...

🧪 Featuring research on:

🧬 The antibiotic resistome
🌍 Palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs
🫄 Evolution of mammalian pregnancy

Cover shows a pangolin from Emogor et al. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cover of the August issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution. The image shows a pangolin curled up in a ball in the palm of a hand. The headline reads "Threat scales"

Our August issue is now live! www.nature.com/natecolevol/...

🧪 Featuring research on:

🧬 The antibiotic resistome
🌍 Palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs
🫄 Evolution of mammalian pregnancy

Cover shows a pangolin from Emogor et al. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease - Nature Ecology & Evolution The causative agent of sea star wasting disease has been elusive. This study used genetic datasets and experimental exposures to demonstrate that a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida caused disease and mortality in sea stars.

🌏 A bacterial species has been identified as a cause of sea star wasting disease, which has been responsible for billions of sea star deaths since 2013 and widespread loss of kelp habitats. The findings could enable the development of recovery strategies:

@natecoevo.nature.com #Ecology

And here is the News & Views commentary by Kevin Lafferty, one of the experts who reviewed the paper:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease - Nature Ecology & Evolution The causative agent of sea star wasting disease has been elusive. This study used genetic datasets and experimental exposures to demonstrate that a strain of the bacterium Vibrio pectenicida caused di...

A marine serial killer at large, caught at last: researchers identify the agent of the sea star wasting disease that nearly caused the collapse of kelp forests along the Pacific Northwest

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@hakai.org @science.ubc.ca @tula.org @nature.org @uwenvironment.bsky.social

Archived natural DNA samplers reveal four decades of biodiversity change across the tree of life - Nature Ecology & Evolution This study explores four decades of biodiversity change across the tree of life in Germany’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by sequencing standardized biota samples from a long-term pollution moni...

New study by Isabelle Junk, Julian Hans, @bperezlamarque.bsky.social and colleagues explores biodiversity change across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in Germany thanks to a long-term pollution monitoring archive.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cryptic phenotypic variation emerges rapidly during the adaptive evolution of a carbapenemase - Nature Ecology & Evolution Experimental characterization of the pathways by which the carbapenemase KPC-2 evolves high activity against ceftazidime reveals strong epistasis underpinning four major resistance groups, each with d...

Directed evolution study shows how mutations in an enzyme impact adaptation to new antibiotics due to epistasis.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Restoration outcomes are compromised by a lack of diverse native seed supply - Nature Ecology & Evolution Changes in seed banking practices and business incentives are needed to ensure restoration practitioners have access to plentiful and reliable supplies of diverse native seeds.

World View commentary: Rachel Gallagher from @westsyduhie.bsky.social calls for changes in seed banking practices and business incentives to ensure that restoration practitioners have access to plentiful and reliable supplies of diverse native seeds

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

From the archives:

Climate co-benefits of tiger conservation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ancient DNA reveals genetic admixture in China during tiger evolution: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ecological and hydroclimatic determinants of vegetation water-use strategies - Nature Ecology & Evolution Vegetation responses to water limitation are difficult to predict due to large variation across space and time. A new analysis of global soil moisture dynamics reveals that water-use strategies vary s...

Global analysis of soil moisture dynamics reveals how water-use strategies vary by vegetation types and the factors that drive these patterns:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@ucsantabarbara.bsky.social

Lagged precipitation effects on plant production across terrestrial biomes - Nature Ecology & Evolution Precipitation is a key driver of plant growth. Here the authors integrate ground-based observations, remote sensing and process-based models to disentangle the relative contribution of preceding-year ...

He ert al. integrate ground-based observations, remote sensing and process-based models to disentangle the relative contribution of preceding-year and current-year precipitation on plant productivity and identify its predictors across biomes

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Neighbourhood diversity increases tree growth in experimental forests more in wetter climates but not in wetter years - Nature Ecology & Evolution How tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning vary along climatic gradients is unclear. Here, analysing data from 15 experimental forest sites, the authors show that tree growth responses to nei...

🗞️New publication🗞️

How do neighbourhood diversity effects on tree growth change with climatic conditions?🌳🌲🔆🌧️

We adress this question in our new study in @natecoevo.nature.com led by Liting Zheng.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

/w @liting-zheng.bsky.social, Peter Reich & #TreeDivNet

Two decades of improved wetland carbon sequestration in northern mid-to-high latitudes are offset by tropical and southern declines - Nature Ecology & Evolution Here the authors identify hotspots for wetland carbon uptake and regions where wetland carbon sinks are most susceptible to hydrological shifts. They show that two decades of improved carbon sinks in ...

Li et al. identify hotspots for wetland carbon uptake and show that two decades of improved carbon sinks in northern mid- to high-latitude wetlands are offset by declining efficiencies elsewhere www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪

Triassic diapsid shows early diversification of skin appendages in reptiles - Nature A Middle Triassic diapsid is presented that has a distinctive crest consisting of integumentary appendages that are structurally distinct from avemetatarsalian feathers.

A Triassic reptile with a crest of appendages on its back, which are neither feathers nor skin, is described in Nature. Analyses of a collection of fossils that are around 247 million years old, demonstrate that feathers or hair-like protrusions are not unique to birds and mammals.

#Palaeontology

Tropical biodiversity loss from land-use change is severely underestimated by local-scale assessments - Nature Ecology & Evolution Analysis of data on 971 bird species in natural habitat and cattle pasture in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, sugges...

Analysis of data on 971 bird species in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, suggesting that extrapolations from local studies will severely underestimate biodiversity losses
www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪

Tropical biodiversity loss from land-use change is severely underestimated by local-scale assessments - Nature Ecology & Evolution Analysis of data on 971 bird species in natural habitat and cattle pasture in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, sugges...

Analysis of data on 971 bird species in Colombia finds that near-national-scale losses of bird diversity greatly exceed losses recorded at the local scale, suggesting that extrapolations from local studies will severely underestimate biodiversity losses
www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪

So happy to see this paper out in @natecoevo.nature.com. Huge congrats to the whole team, and especially to @fany-real.bsky.social, @dariloops.bsky.social, @stemundi.bsky.social, Magdalena Schindler & Christian Feregrino. Ever wondered how bats develop wings from their hands? 🦇 Enjoy the read ;) 👇

Dental microwear texture analysis reveals behavioural, ecological and habitat signals in Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur faunas - Nature Ecology & Evolution The authors compare tooth wear patterns from three Late Jurassic sauropod faunas in North America, Portugal and Tanzania and find that different regions and climate regimes seem to have had distinctiv...

Winkler et al. compare tooth wear patterns from three Late Jurassic sauropod faunas in North America, Portugal and Tanzania and find distinctive impacts on dental wear of megaherbivores in these areas, revealing habitat and ecological niche information www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Dental microwear texture analysis reveals behavioural, ecological and habitat signals in Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur faunas - Nature Ecology & Evolution The authors compare tooth wear patterns from three Late Jurassic sauropod faunas in North America, Portugal and Tanzania and find that different regions and climate regimes seem to have had distinctiv...

Winkler et al. compare tooth wear patterns from three Late Jurassic sauropod faunas in North America, Portugal and Tanzania and find distinctive impacts on dental wear of megaherbivores in these areas, revealing habitat and ecological niche information www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New Editorial: "The human factor" rdcu.be/exe7t

From this month, we will be publishing pieces specifically focused on the personal side of research. And the first is:

Q&A with Aster Gebrekirstos: "Creating resilience through agroforestry" rdcu.be/exl7A

Comparative single-cell analyses reveal evolutionary repurposing of a conserved gene programme in bat wing development - Nature Ecology & Evolution Single-cell comparison of developing bat and mouse limbs reveals conservation of cell populations and gene expression patterns, and suggests repurposing of genes involved in proximal limb development ...

Single-cell comparison of developing bat and mouse limbs reveals conservation of cell populations and gene expression patterns, and suggests repurposing of genes involved in proximal limb development for wing evolution
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Comparative single-cell analyses reveal evolutionary repurposing of a conserved gene programme in bat wing development - Nature Ecology & Evolution Single-cell comparison of developing bat and mouse limbs reveals conservation of cell populations and gene expression patterns, and suggests repurposing of genes involved in proximal limb development ...

Single-cell comparison of developing bat and mouse limbs reveals conservation of cell populations and gene expression patterns, and suggests repurposing of genes involved in proximal limb development for wing evolution
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Gene regulatory networks and essential transcription factors for de novo-originated genes - Nature Ecology & Evolution A combination of computational methods applied to single-cell RNA sequencing data and genetic experiments shows that a small number of transcription factors are involved in the regulation of many de n...

A combination of computational methods applied to single-cell RNA sequencing data and genetic experiments shows that a small number of transcription factors are involved in the regulation of many de novo genes in Drosophila melanogaster.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Amazon’s new oil frontier is a biodiversity bomb in the making - Nature Ecology & Evolution Nature Ecology & Evolution - The Amazon’s new oil frontier is a biodiversity bomb in the making

New Correspondence:

"While Brazil prepares to host ... COP 30 in Belém — in the heart of the Amazon — in November 2025, it is also pushing to drill for oil in the region, one of the world’s last biodiversity frontiers."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Free to read rdcu.be/ewOZB

The Amazon’s new oil frontier is a biodiversity bomb in the making - Nature Ecology & Evolution Nature Ecology & Evolution - The Amazon’s new oil frontier is a biodiversity bomb in the making

New Correspondence:

"While Brazil prepares to host ... COP 30 in Belém — in the heart of the Amazon — in November 2025, it is also pushing to drill for oil in the region, one of the world’s last biodiversity frontiers."
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Free to read rdcu.be/ewOZB

The role of plasmid copy number and mutation rate in evolutionary outcomes - Nature Ecology & Evolution In an experimental multicopy plasmid evolution system that allows manipulation of mutation rate and copy number, low copy number promoted enrichment of beneficial alleles whereas high copy number main...

In an experimental multicopy plasmid evolution system that allows manipulation of mutation rate and copy number, low copy number promoted enrichment of beneficial alleles whereas high copy number maintained allelic diversity
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The next generation of colour pattern genomics - Nature Ecology & Evolution Convolutional neural networks and genetic association analysis decode the evolution of colour pattern diversity and its underlying complex genetic architecture in the Trinidadian guppy.

‪A really lovely commentary on @vdbijl.bsky.social's paper by Nidal Karagic and Claudius Kratochwil in @natecoevo.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

That's us in the picture! 🖼️
Read about diversity-stability relationships in biodiversity experiments such as ours in @natecoevo.nature.com