EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-28DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf088
Ian J Ausprey, Daniel Hanley, Mark E Hauber, Taylor Hiers, Jay P McEntee
{"title":"Correlated evolution between nest architecture and the visual system of Passerine birds.","authors":"Ian J Ausprey, Daniel Hanley, Mark E Hauber, Taylor Hiers, Jay P McEntee","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nest architecture is central to avian life history evolution, and the degree to which visual acuity and sensitivity mediate nest construction, nest defense from invaders (including predators and parasites), and interactions with eggs and nestlings under variable lighting conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we use a comparative approach to reveal correlated evolution between eye size and nest architecture for 1662 species of terrestrial birds (order Passeriformes). After controlling for body mass allometry and known ecological predictors of relative eye size variation, such as habitat, foraging behavior, and diet, we assessed several hypotheses regarding the relationship between eye size and nesting behavior. Open cup and cavity nesters had the largest and smallest residual eye sizes, respectively, especially for metrics related to contrast sensitivity in dark environments. Specifically, forest specialists constructing open cups had the largest eyes, and habitat generalists constructing cavities and domes had the smallest eyes. Birds appeared to compensate for having smaller eyes that collect less light in dark nest conditions by producing relatively brighter eggshells and nestling gape coloration. Eye size was also positively correlated with intricate nest material stitching behaviors for species within the weaver songbird family (Ploceidae), revealing a previously undocumented relationship between nest construction and visual systems. In general, we provide evidence that avian eyes have evolved to enhance visual acuity and contrast sensitivity across a wide range of nest lighting conditions. Our results point towards the evolution of a pervasive set of interactions between the visual system and avian reproductive dynamics as mediated by nest architecture.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143986273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-28DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf087
Søren Toft, Maria J Albo
{"title":"Hunger-dependent female receptivity leads to variable optimal polyandry with equal fitness in a nuptial gift-giving spider.","authors":"Søren Toft, Maria J Albo","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Female mating decisions are often plastic, dependent on the environment. In the nuptial gift-giving spider Pisaura mirabilis, the optimal number of matings for females, i.e. the number that maximizes fitness, depends on prey availability and is regulated by hunger-dependent receptivity. We determined the lower and upper optimal number of matings for females (at high and low prey availability, respectively) and test the hypothesis that females that obtain the optimal number of matings will achieve that same reproductive success independently of what the optimal number is. In laboratory experiments, females were offered 0, 1, 2 or 3 house flies per day as supplementary feeding and were presented daily with 4 gift-carrying males until oviposition. Fecundity, oviposition latency, egg hatching success, and the number of live spiderlings were independent of the level of supplementary feeding. For females, mating and aggression towards males (gift stealing and sexual cannibalism) are alternative ways of compensating for low foraging success. We confirmed 2-3 as the minimum optimal number of matings. The maximum optimal number of matings varied between 12 and 22-24 depending on the females' level of aggression. Female behavioral plasticity allows them to decouple their fitness from dependence on environmental prey availability through hunger-dependent receptivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf083
Francisca Virtuoso
{"title":"Digest: The role of sexual selection in the evolution of aposematism.","authors":"Francisca Virtuoso","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aposematism is an adaptation where individuals evolve conspicuous signals indicating the presence of anti-predator defenses. Maisonneuve and Aubier (2025) explored the role of sexual selection in the evolution of aposematism using a mathematical model and found that some aposematic signals may have originated from sexually selected traits. Their findings suggest that these signals evolved through a combination of mate choice and predation pressure, highlighting the potential interaction between sexual selection and natural selection in shaping the evolution of aposematic signaling traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf084
Tatjana M Washington
{"title":"Digest: Temperature Variation Effects on Wolf Spider (Schizocosa floridana) Courtship Behaviors.","authors":"Tatjana M Washington","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How does temperature variation affect signaling and mating behavior in wolf spiders? Rosenthal and Elias (2025) find that temperature affects courtship signal form in wolf spiders, with higher temperatures increasing courtship rates. Additionally, female preferences for courtship traits, such as 'chirp' duration, only appear at higher temperatures. These results highlight the importance of understanding how temperature influences signal evolution and function.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf085
Jente Ottenburghs
{"title":"Digest: Demographic changes and ancient introgression events might resolve Lewontin's Paradox in Australian geckos.","authors":"Jente Ottenburghs","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lewontin's Paradox concerns the weak correlation between genetic diversity and population size, challenging predictions of neutral theory. Lau et al. (2025) investigated this paradox in Gehyra geckos, finding a positive correlation between range size and heterozygosity. However, this relationship was not significant in the nana group, suggesting additional evolutionary forces are involved. Population expansion, local population dynamics, and ancient introgression likely contributed to shaping genetic diversity, highlighting the complexity of evolutionary processes beyond genetic drift.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143974243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf086
Stephen P De Lisle, Anneli Brändén, Ellen Pääjärvi Våg
{"title":"Multivariate sexual selection of color and morphology in a complex trait: the Drosophila wing.","authors":"Stephen P De Lisle, Anneli Brändén, Ellen Pääjärvi Våg","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Identification of traits causally linked to fitness allows for direct tests of the adaptive value of traits. In the case of Drosophila and other insects, wing interference patterns - striking structural color variation generated by optical thin-film interference - have been implicated in mate choice and sexual selection. Yet, we expect wing interference patterns may covary with many aspects of wing morphology, such as size and shape. Here, we used a competitive mating assay in Drosophila melanogaster to assess the degree to which sexual selection acts on wing color independently of wing size and shape. We found that 16% of multivariate wing color, and 17% of corresponding estimated wing thickness, can be explained by wing size and shape. Projection pursuit regression identified three suites of traits - a linear combination of color variables, wing size, and a linear combination of wing shape variables - as the most important predictors of fitness. Analysis of the corresponding selection gradients revealed a combination of strong directional selection on wing size, combined with multivariate stabilizing selection on wing size and shape, with weak but significant directional selection on wing color. Our results suggest that sexual selection may act on a complex combination of wing color and morphology in flies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf077
Pablo D Lavinia, Leonardo Campagna, Martín Carboni, Ana S Barreira, Stephen C Lougheed, Pablo L Tubaro, Darío A Lijtmaer
{"title":"Selection on a single locus drives plumage differentiation in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis).","authors":"Pablo D Lavinia, Leonardo Campagna, Martín Carboni, Ana S Barreira, Stephen C Lougheed, Pablo L Tubaro, Darío A Lijtmaer","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) shows phenotypic variation throughout its distribution. In particular, the Patagonian subspecies Z. c. australis is strikingly distinct from all other subspecies, lacking the black crown stripes that characterize the species, with a uniformly grey head and overall paler plumage. We sequenced whole genomes of 18 individuals (nine Z. c. australis and nine from other subspecies from northern Argentina) to explore the genomic basis of these color differences and to investigate how they may have evolved. We detected a single ~465-kb divergence peak on chromosome 5 that contrasted with a background of low genomic differentiation and contains the ST5 gene. ST5 regulates RAB9A, which is required for melanosome biogenesis and melanocyte pigmentation in mammals, making it a strong candidate gene for the melanic plumage polymorphism within Z. capensis. This genomic island of differentiation may have emerged because of selection acting on allopatric populations or against gene flow on populations in physical and genetic contact. Mitochondrial DNA indicated that Z. c. australis diverged from other subspecies ~400,000 years ago, suggesting a putative role of Pleistocene glaciations. Phenotypic differences are consistent with Gloger's rule, which predicts lighter colored individuals in colder and drier climates like that of Patagonia.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143963386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf074
Samuel R Hirst, Marc A Beer, Cameron M VanHorn, Rhett M Rautsaw, Hector Franz-Chávez, Bruno Rodriguez Lopez, Ricardo Ramírez Chaparro, Ramsés Alejandro Rosales-García, Víctor Vásquez-Cruz, Alfonso Kelly-Hernández, Sofía Alejandra Salinas Amézquita, David Emaús López Martínez, Tania Perez Fiol, Alexandra Rubio Rincón, A Carl Whittington, Gamaliel Castañeda-Gaytán, Miguel Borja, Christopher L Parkinson, Jason L Strickland, Mark J Margres
{"title":"Island biogeography and competition drive rapid venom complexity evolution across rattlesnakes.","authors":"Samuel R Hirst, Marc A Beer, Cameron M VanHorn, Rhett M Rautsaw, Hector Franz-Chávez, Bruno Rodriguez Lopez, Ricardo Ramírez Chaparro, Ramsés Alejandro Rosales-García, Víctor Vásquez-Cruz, Alfonso Kelly-Hernández, Sofía Alejandra Salinas Amézquita, David Emaús López Martínez, Tania Perez Fiol, Alexandra Rubio Rincón, A Carl Whittington, Gamaliel Castañeda-Gaytán, Miguel Borja, Christopher L Parkinson, Jason L Strickland, Mark J Margres","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding how human-mediated environmental change affects biodiversity is key for conserving evolvability. Because the most severe impacts are ongoing, such an understanding is proving exceptionally difficult to attain. Islands are natural, replicated experiments that serve as proxies for habitat fragmentation and, therefore, allow us to use historical changes in biodiversity under Island Biogeography Theory (IBT) to predict the consequences of immediate anthropogenic impacts on functional trait evolution. Rattlesnake venoms are molecular phenotypes that mediate interactions with prey, and diet and venom complexity are positively correlated. Consequently, rattlesnake venoms allow us to investigate how functional traits co-vary with changes in biodiversity according to IBT. We collected venom from 83 rattlesnakes across multiple species and 11 islands in the Gulf of California and estimated venom complexity using the Shannon Diversity Index. Using a mixed effects modeling approach, we found that the number of congenerics, island isolation, and island area best predicted venom complexity variability. All variables exhibited a negative relationship with venom complexity, contrary to predictions for island area under IBT. Larger islands with more congenerics exhibited reduced trait complexity, perhaps reflecting niche partitioning and venom specialization. Ultimately, we used a synthetic eco-evolutionary framework to predict functional trait evolution across fragmented landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143976481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-22DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf081
Maridel Fredericksen, Dieter Ebert
{"title":"Mixed network structure in a coevolving host - parasite system.","authors":"Maridel Fredericksen, Dieter Ebert","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genetic interactions between parasites and hosts determine how these antagonists coevolve. Networks depicting infection outcomes between host and parasite genotypes can be analyzed to characterize phenotype-level interactions. However, an open question is whether such network analyses can be used to infer allele-level interaction matrices and draw conclusions about coevolution. We address this question in a system coevolving by Red Queen dynamics and where a matching-allele model has been observed: the virulent bacterium Pasteuria ramosa and its crustacean host, Daphnia magna. We analyze infectivity representing the phenotype under selection. Additionally, because infectivity and resistance are polygenic and depend in part on the attachment site of the parasite spores, we analyze each of five attachment sites separately. We find the attachment site-specific matrices vary strongly in network structure. Foregut attachment shows only weak evidence of the modular network structure predicted from matching-allele models. For three other attachment sites, we find the more resistant hosts tend to be infected by the more generalist parasites, creating nested network structures. The matrices of the overall phenotype tend toward modular network structures. Overall, our findings suggest network analysis is a weak tool to predict the genetic interaction model underlying coevolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EvolutionPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpaf079
Maeva Leitwein, Bruno Ernande, Marc Vandeputte, Frederic Clota, François Allal
{"title":"Reduced fitness associated with introgression within the Western Mediterranean admixed population of European seabass.","authors":"Maeva Leitwein, Bruno Ernande, Marc Vandeputte, Frederic Clota, François Allal","doi":"10.1093/evolut/qpaf079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpaf079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unraveling the consequences of hybridization on fitness is of main concern in ecology and evolution. Many studies report how evolutionary mechanisms modulate the mosaic of introgression within genomes, but few assessed the associated effect of admixture on fitness traits. Here we took advantage of the Western Mediterranean population of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a population resulting from hybridization between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean lineage in the Western Mediterranean Sea. By genotyping 1,488 admixed fish with the Axiom Sea Bass 57k SNP DlabChip array, we assessed the relationship between individual admixture levels and fitness traits in different thermal regimes (19 °C, 21 °C and 23 °C). We first reveal that for admixed individuals with higher levels of Atlantic ancestry, the sex ratio was biased toward males and was more sensitive to temperature treatments. Then we show that admixed individuals with more Atlantic ancestry also had a lower body weight (which is correlated to fecundity in fish), compared to fish with less Atlantic ancestry. These results highlight the fact that introgression of Atlantic ancestry is likely disadvantageous in the Mediterranean basin, which is consistent with the previously observed purging of Atlantic ancestry tracts following hybridization.</p>","PeriodicalId":12082,"journal":{"name":"Evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}