Evolutionary Applications最新文献

{"title":"The Chalk Streams of Southern England and Northern France Harbour Substantial Unique Components of the Overall Genetic Diversity of Atlantic Salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i> L.).","authors":"R Andrew King, Guillaume Evanno, Jamie R Stevens","doi":"10.1111/eva.70237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70237","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Populations of Atlantic salmon continue to suffer marked declines in abundance due to stressors acting in both their freshwater and marine habitats. It is therefore an imperative to identify populations in need of increased conservation intervention, with the aim of preserving as much as possible the genetic diversity present within the species. Previous microsatellite-based analyses have shown the chalk rivers of southern England and northern France to hold genetically distinct populations of salmon. However, these salmon populations have never been investigated in the same study. Using a suite of 93 single nucleotide polymorphism loci and samples from 42 British Isles and French rivers, we demonstrate the French and English chalk salmon to be closely related and confirm their distinction from salmon inhabiting non-chalk rivers. The identification of a small number of significant <i>F</i> _ST outliers and loci associated with environmental variables suggests that this distinction is driven by local adaptation. We propose that the chalk and non-chalk salmon be designated as two distinct Evolutionarily Significant Units that each contain multiple Management Units. The chalk river salmon, especially those from southern England, are identified as making a significant contribution to the overall diversity of the species within the English Channel region. Accordingly, we suggest that the salmon populations of the chalk streams could be considered as meeting the criteria for recognition as a distinct subspecies of salmon, <i>Salmo salar calcariensis</i>. Taken together, our findings highlight the urgent need for a better understanding of the intraspecific diversity of the species and the importance of such information in enhancing the conservation and protection of Atlantic salmon populations inhabiting the chalk rivers of southern England and northern France.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":"e70237"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13089387/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epigenetic Signatures of Ageing in Asian Elephants Revealed by Reduced Representation Bisulphite Sequencing.","authors":"Kana Arai, Miho Inoue-Murayama","doi":"10.1111/eva.70236","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70236","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate age estimation is essential for understanding life-history variation, modelling population dynamics and informing conservation strategies, yet remains challenging for long-lived species. Here, we developed a genome-wide DNA methylation-based epigenetic clock for Asian elephants (<i>Elephas maximus</i>), an endangered species, using reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS). Genome-wide methylation profiles from 91 blood samples yielded 144,611 candidate CpG sites, of which 389 CpG sites were strongly associated with chronological age. The final model predicted age with high accuracy (<i>r</i> = 0.96, MAE = 4.82 years), corresponding to a relative error of 6.06%, comparable to epigenetic clocks developed for humans and other non-model species. Longitudinal analyses revealed heterogeneous epigenetic ageing trajectories, with most individuals showing increases in epigenetic age over time, while others exhibited relatively slower or minimal change, indicating a potential inter-individual variation in ageing processes. Functional enrichment analyses revealed that age-associated CpGs were enriched in genes and pathways related to development, neurogenesis, metabolism and social or physiological regulation, including oxytocin, apelin and melanogenesis signalling. Age-related methylation changes were characterised by predominant hypermethylation in CpG islands and genic regions, consistent with patterns reported across mammals. Together, these findings demonstrate that epigenetic clocks capture biologically meaningful features of ageing that could be linked to life-history traits. As long-lived mammals with complex social systems and extended reproductive capacity, Asian elephants provide a valuable comparative model for investigating the molecular architecture of ageing. This study contributes to the growing field of comparative epigenetic ageing and highlights the potential of DNA methylation-based approaches to inform evolutionary and conservation-relevant research when applied in appropriate ecological and methodological contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":"e70236"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13076357/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147687325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environment and Pollen Diversity Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiomes of Introduced Honeybees and Bumblebees.","authors":"Sabrina Haque, Fleur Ponton, Andrew P Allen, Hasinika K A H Gamage, Francisco Encinas-Viso, Ian T Paulsen, Rachael Y Dudaniec","doi":"10.1111/eva.70234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70234","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Invasive species may exhibit shifts in their gut microbiome in response to novel environments and diet, but this may differ across host species and their time since colonisation. We investigate if site environmental variables and foraged pollen resources differentially shape the gut microbiomes of two bee species with contrasting introduction histories: The European honeybee, <i>Apis mellifera</i> (introduced 1831), and the recently invasive bumblebee, <i>Bombus terrestris</i> (invaded 1992). Using landscape-scale metabarcoding across the island state of Tasmania in Australia, we characterised gut bacteria (16S rRNA) and corbicular pollen diversity (ITS2) for each species. Gut bacterial composition was significantly associated with mean annual temperature for <i>A. mellifera</i> and with mean annual precipitation and percentage of pasture for <i>B. terrestris</i>. In <i>B. terrestris</i>, the core and facultative gut microbial diversity and richness showed associations with precipitation, foraged pollen diversity, wind velocity and temperature. Foraged pollen diversity of native plants more strongly predicted the facultative gut microbiome across species. Overall, the gut microbiome of <i>B. terrestris</i> showed a stronger response to abiotic and biotic predictors compared to <i>A. mellifera</i>. Our findings advance understanding of how environmental and dietary factors shape pollinator gut microbiomes at landscape scales, with implications for pollinator health and survival.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":"e70234"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13076359/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147687281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Complementary Evidence From Historical and Contemporary Gene Dispersal Reveals Contrasting Population Dynamics in a Tropical Tree Species.","authors":"Julien Bonnier, Myriam Heuertz, Stéphane Traissac, Olivier Brunaux, Olivier Lepais, Valérie Troispoux, Emilie Chancerel, Zoé Compagnie, Niklas Tysklind","doi":"10.1111/eva.70235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70235","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gene flow shapes the demographic stability and evolutionary potential of tropical forest trees, yet its dynamics may differ depending on the temporal scale at which it is assessed. We combined spatial genetic structure (SGS), parentage analyses, and reproductive success metrics to investigate historical and contemporary gene dispersal in four populations of <i>Dicorynia guianensis</i> across French Guiana, encompassing sites differing in environment and management history. A total of 1528 individuals were genotyped using 66 nuclear and 23 plastid microsatellite markers, enabling high-resolution inference of biparental and maternal gene dispersal. Historical mating and dispersal parameters inferred from SGS revealed marked contrasts among populations. Some populations exhibited high historical gene dispersal distances and weak spatial genetic structure, whereas others showed stronger SGS and long-term aggregative dispersal patterns. Contemporary parentage analyses further highlighted differences in seed and pollen dispersal distances, parent assignment rates, and reproductive skew. In certain populations, pronounced reproductive inequality and reduced effective connectivity were observed, while others displayed more balanced reproductive contributions. By jointly evaluating long-term dispersal legacies and present-day reproductive patterns, our study demonstrates the value of combining indirect and direct genetic approaches to assess population dynamics and conservation status in tropical forest trees. This multi-temporal perspective provides a comprehensive basis for long-term monitoring and sustainable management in heterogeneous tropical landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":"e70235"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13076358/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147687322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Selection for Function in Early Life: Implications for Early-Onset Pathologies","authors":"Klara Asselin,&nbsp;Antoine M. Dujon,&nbsp;Jean-Pascal Capp,&nbsp;Jean-François Lemaître,&nbsp;Florence Pirard,&nbsp;Daniel Vaiman,&nbsp;Beata Ujvari,&nbsp;Pascal Pujol,&nbsp;James DeGregori,&nbsp;Aurora M. Nedelcu,&nbsp;Frédéric Thomas","doi":"10.1111/eva.70226","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.70226","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Persistent pathological structures, such as tumors, fibrotic nodules, granulomas, microbial biofilms, or protein aggregates, are traditionally viewed as age-related conditions that emerge after reproduction, when natural selection is less effective at eliminating traits expressed late in life. However, some pathologies with robust and organized architectures can arise surprisingly early, challenging this classical perspective. We recently proposed that intra-organismal <i>selection for function</i>, a selective process operating within organisms and acting on non-reproducing entities by favoring structural configurations that enhance stability, robustness, and novelty generation, may play a role in aging. Here, we suggest that this same process can also operate well before the so-called selection shadow (i.e., life stages where natural selection is too weak to purge deleterious mutations). We identify three non-mutually exclusive mechanisms that may promote this early-life action: (i) initial local adaptive benefits, such as improved tissue repair or containment of infection; (ii) limited or context-specific fitness costs, allowing structurally stable but abnormal configurations to persist undetected; and (iii) rapid environmental changes that reshape tissue-level selective landscapes, driven by pollutants, endocrine disruptors, or novel diets. Recognizing early-onset organized pathologies as by-products of eco-evolutionary tissue dynamics, rather than as mere developmental errors, reframes their biological significance and opens new therapeutic avenues. Instead of targeting cells exclusively, future strategies could focus on disrupting the functional architecture of pathological tissues and structures, offering novel means to prevent or control early-life diseases shaped by internal selection forces.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13067062/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147669295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Re-Interpreting Genetic Offset: Quantifying the Least Required Evolutionary Rate Under Climate Change at the Mediterranean Range Margin of European Beech","authors":"Josep Morando-Milà,&nbsp;Oriol Grau,&nbsp;Bartosz Ulaszewski,&nbsp;Albert Vilà-Cabrera,&nbsp;Josep Peñuelas,&nbsp;Alistair Jump,&nbsp;Ivan Scotti","doi":"10.1111/eva.70230","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.70230","url":null,"abstract":"<p>European beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) spans a wide range of European climates and exhibits evidence of local adaptation, which supports its persistence under diverse conditions. We analysed 18 populations—distributed across an altitude gradient on the southwestern geographic range edge of the species—using landscape genomics to assess their adaptive variation and vulnerability to future climatic conditions. We uncovered weak but structured genetic differentiation, revealing three main climate-tied genetic groups. Combining multiple Genotype–Environment Association (GEA) approaches—linear, such as Latent Factor Mixed Models (LFMM) or Redundancy Analyses (RDA), and non-linear (Gradient Forest)—we identified 373 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) detected by all GEA methods as being putatively associated with climate gradients. Using the Gradient Forest model, we mapped genetic offset across all 21st century periods under a key climate scenario: Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 5, forcing 8.5 W/m² (SSP585) and across all SSPs for 2061–2080, identifying Pyrenean and pre-Pyrenean regions as maladaptation hotspots. To capture temporal dynamics, we introduce a novel approach to interpret genetic offset. The Required Evolutionary Rate (REvoRate) quantifies the minimum genetic change per year needed to keep pace with projected climates. Joint interpretation of offset and REvoRate revealed that some stands with moderate offsets face high short-term adaptive demands, while others with larger offsets are required to evolve more gradually. The drought-temperature gradient emerged as the main driver of allele frequency turnover, with geography contributing through isolation by distance. Together, genetic offset and REvoRate provide a dynamic framework to assess temporal maladaptation risk. Our results highlight the need to integrate standing genetic variation and evolutionary potential into forest management and conservation planning to ensure the persistence of <i>F. sylvatica</i> in one of its most climate-vulnerable range margins.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13058577/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147643423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High Gene Flow With Patterns of Asymmetric Connectivity and Adaptive Divergence in the New Zealand Southern Rock Lobster, Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875)","authors":"Michael J. R. Mendiola,&nbsp;Irina Ilushkina,&nbsp;Jan M. Strugnell,&nbsp;Nick Murphy,&nbsp;James J. Bell,&nbsp;Jonathan P. A. Gardner","doi":"10.1111/eva.70233","DOIUrl":"10.1111/eva.70233","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding patterns of connectivity and adaptive divergence is crucial for supporting conservation and sustainable management of harvested species. This study utilised single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to investigate spatially explicit patterns of genetic structure, gene flow and adaptive divergence in the commercially important southern rock lobster <i>Jasus edwardsii</i> across New Zealand (NZ), a species with a 2-year pelagic larval duration. Using neutral (1608 SNPs) and outlier (250 SNPs) panels, genetic analyses revealed significant population differentiation between <i>J. edwardsii</i> individuals collected from one site in Tasmania (Australia) and those from 22 sites in NZ, supporting earlier findings indicating substantial genetic variation between the two stocks. Within NZ, neutral markers revealed a high degree of genetic connectivity of <i>J. edwardsii</i>, but also subtle genetic differentiation of one northern site only. In contrast, analysis of outlier markers identified three genetically differentiated regions within NZ: the Northeast (NE), Northwest (NW) and Southern (S) groups. Migration models indicated bidirectional but asymmetrical gene flow amongst these groups (S → NW → NE), consistent with larval dispersal and settlement models. Patterns of genetic structure at the outlier loci were strongly correlated with the environmental variables ‘carbonate concentration’, ‘roughness at the seafloor’ and ‘sea surface temperature’ across NZ, which may contribute to differential settlement and survival of <i>J. edwardsii</i>. These findings demonstrate complex patterns of connectivity and the influence of environment factors on genetic structure and local genetic adaptative divergence of <i>J. edwardsii</i> despite its very high dispersal potential. The population genomic and connectivity findings support the current spatially explicit management regime of the rock lobster fishery in New Zealand, and the seascape genomic findings may be of value to the fishery in responding to new or enhanced patterns of environmental variability driven by climate change or to the development of a new aquaculture industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054955/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147637383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variable Genetic Architecture Limits Cross-Range Genomic Prediction of Functional Traits in Invasive Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)","authors":"Andhika R. Putra,&nbsp;Kathryn A. Hodgins,&nbsp;Alexandre Fournier-Level","doi":"10.1111/eva.70232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70232","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Functional trait expression is a potentially powerful predictor of invasion success, but the reliability of trait-based predictions across populations depends on the consistency of genetic architecture. We tested this assumption using common ragweed (<i>Ambrosia artemisiifolia</i>), an annual plant native to North America that has invaded Europe and Australia. Using genome-wide markers (158,652 SNPs) and five functional traits measured in a common garden, we characterised trait correlations, genetic architecture, evolutionary potential, and the transferability of genomic prediction (GP) models across the native and invasive ranges. Genetic and phenotypic diversity and their correlation declined from the native range through successively more recent invasive populations, with Australian plants showing the lowest diversity and weakest phenotypic integration. GP models trained using genotypes from one range were consistently poor at predicting trait values in other ranges, indicating that the genetic architecture underlying functional traits is not conserved across ranges. Prediction accuracy improved substantially when significantly correlated traits were included as additional predictors, but only where the strength and direction of those correlations were conserved, which was not the case between all ranges. Multi-trait analyses of evolutionary potential revealed declining phenotypic integration in invasive ranges, suggesting these populations have not yet reached trait optima. Our results highlight how the demographic and evolutionary processes inherent to biological invasions reshape genetic architecture and trait relationships, limiting the use of conventional genomic prediction models and instead requiring integrated frameworks that account for species biology to predict invasion outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.70232","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147708436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenotypic and Genomic Signatures of Adaptation in Urban Populations of the Wild Radish Raphanus raphanistrum","authors":"Y. F. Chan,&nbsp;G. Scopece,&nbsp;L. Guzzetti,&nbsp;L. Pellegrini,&nbsp;D. Cafasso,&nbsp;M. Labra,&nbsp;S. Cozzolino","doi":"10.1111/eva.70212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70212","url":null,"abstract":"<p>By modifying biotic and abiotic environments, urbanisation can influence the evolutionary adaptation of organisms, especially when their distribution is fragmented. However, the effects of urbanisation on evolutionary adaptation remain poorly understood within a metapopulation framework, where high gene flow and recurrent extinctions/colonisations may counteract local adaptation. To bridge this gap, we integrated phenotypic and genomic data and explored how urbanisation shaped the evolutionary processes in the wild radish <i>Raphanus raphanistrum</i>, a widely distributed ruderal species. We conducted field surveys and a common garden experiment to compare phenotypic differences between urban and natural populations in a Mediterranean area. Additionally, population genetic analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) were performed to uncover the genetic basis of urban adaptation and population structure. Our findings indicate that urban populations of the wild radish exhibit significantly smaller flowers and earlier flowering times compared to natural populations. Their correlations with fitness suggest that earlier flowering and longer petal length have higher adaptive values. However, a trade-off between these traits indicates that earlier flowering is advantageous in urban environments, whereas larger flowers are favoured in natural habitats. Genomic analyses reveal low genetic differentiation and frequent gene flow among urban and natural populations. The GWAS identified 46 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with urbanisation, 32 of which are located within gene regions. Notably, one of these genes, AT3g27390, is associated with the shift to the reproductive phase. Overall, our results demonstrate how natural selection in an urban context promotes rapid phenotypic divergence in <i>R. raphanistrum</i> despite ongoing gene flow.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.70212","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147708437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Evolutionary Biology of Female-Biased Pain and Its Disorders","authors":"Bernard Crespi","doi":"10.1111/eva.70228","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70228","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article describes and evaluates a general evolutionary theory for explaining variation among individuals in sensitivity to pain, the Vulnerability-Value-Opportunity model. The model posits that pain sensitivity is mediated by vulnerability to fitness-reducing injury (probabilities of damage, including from infection), Fisherian reproductive value (fitness costs of injury), and trade-offs of pain with other components of fitness (opportunity costs). Predictions of the model are evaluated through analyses of the life-historical and hormonal correlates of pain, with special reference to females and female-biased pain conditions in humans. Liability to pain and pain conditions are associated with (1) early age of menarche, (2) low testosterone, and (3) high leptin. Pain sensitivity in women thus appears to involve hormonally mediated trade-offs between reproduction and survivorship (defense). Mechanistically, liability to pain in women is mediated by trade-offs involving inflammation, an integral, adaptive component of reproduction, immune defenses and pain system regulation. Female-biased pain is also increased by evolutionary mismatches, including earlier age of menarche and more frequent menstruation. This work has specific implications for the reduction and management of pain and pain conditions in women, and it outlines a program of evolutionary-medical research designed to move this field forward.</p>","PeriodicalId":168,"journal":{"name":"Evolutionary Applications","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eva.70228","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}