{"title":"Resource availability and predator cues shape within- and transgenerational reaction norms.","authors":"Léo Dejeux, Juliette Tariel-Adam, Sandrine Plénet, Emilien Luquet","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1969","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1969","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The main dilemma facing prey is how to reduce predation risk while acquiring resources. Phenotypic plasticity, by modulating traits for acquiring resources and for defences, is a key process driving this trade-off. While there is ample evidence that predator-induced within-generational plasticity depends on resources, the relationship between resources and predator-induced transgenerational plasticity (TGP) remains understudied. This study investigated how predator exposure and resource availability influence within-generational plasticity and TGP. We based our predictions on theories related to information- and state-based plasticity, two kinds of plasticity occurring in response to environmental information or alteration affecting somatic state, respectively. We conducted a two-generation laboratory experiment in the freshwater snail Physa acuta, manipulating predator cues and resource availability. Our results revealed that both types of plasticity participate in shaping the within- and transgenerational responses. Within a generation, the limited resource decreased the somatic state but did not constrain the defences. Across generations, the poor parental state decreased the offspring state even in high-resource conditions, which in turn decreased the absolute levels of their defences but increased their investment in reproduction. These results highlight the importance of integrating informational and state-based effects across generations to provide a more complete understanding of prey responses to predators.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2081","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13682936/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jonas Nölle, Yichen Wu, Pablo Arias-Sarah, Oliver G B Garrod, Philippe G Schyns, Rachael E Jack
{"title":"Dynamic facial movements shape how confident speakers appear.","authors":"Jonas Nölle, Yichen Wu, Pablo Arias-Sarah, Oliver G B Garrod, Philippe G Schyns, Rachael E Jack","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.2044","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.2044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human communication is inherently multimodal, relying on signals conveyed through speech, vocal tone and facial movements. While gestures and vocal cues are known to influence how speech is understood, the role of facial movements remains poorly specified. Here, we test whether dynamic facial movements shape how spoken responses are interpreted by systematically modulating listener inferences of speaker confidence and doubt. Using a data-driven reverse-correlation approach and a generative model of facial behaviour, we manipulated speakers' upper-face movements while holding verbal content constant. On each trial, participants (n = 44; UK English and Mandarin Chinese speakers) rated the confidence of speakers responding to questions (e.g. 'Would they make a good leader?') on a five-point scale across 1800 trials. We find that opposing facial movements bias these inferences: eye closure and brow raising are associated with confidence, whereas brow lowering and eye tightening are associated with doubt. Signal amplitude further shapes these inferences, primarily by intensifying perceived doubt for doubt-associated movements. These mappings are largely shared between the two cultural groups, indicating common signal-inference relationships alongside differences in the weighting of specific cues. Together, these findings show that facial movements provide graded social signals that systematically shape how spoken responses are interpreted.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2081","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13682920/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zahra Haghighi, Takumi Tsutaya, Elizabeth C Velliky, Simon Armitage, Christopher Miller, Meaghan Mackie, Francesco d'Errico, Gaudry Troche, Jesper Olsen, Karen van Niekerk, Christopher Henshilwood, Enrico Cappellini
{"title":"Palaeoproteomic investigation of archaeological sediments associated with ochre use in the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa.","authors":"Zahra Haghighi, Takumi Tsutaya, Elizabeth C Velliky, Simon Armitage, Christopher Miller, Meaghan Mackie, Francesco d'Errico, Gaudry Troche, Jesper Olsen, Karen van Niekerk, Christopher Henshilwood, Enrico Cappellini","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2025.3300","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2025.3300","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The African Middle Stone Age (MSA) represents the cultural and technological context associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens and the development of complex cognition. In this setting, ochre use is considered a multifaceted proxy for modern behaviour, allowing inferences about technical and symbolic aspects of Homo sapiens. Powdered ochre is reported in multiple southern African ethnographic and archaeological contexts alongside various organic materials, some of which are protein-based. Yet, the recovery of proteinaceous residues is rare in the MSA. Since proteins can offer insights into their tissue and species of origin, identifying proteins in association with ochre may help to infer its function. At Klipdrift Shelter (South Africa), the 60 000-year-old Howiesons Poort layers contain a laterally continuous, ochre-rich sediment surface, possibly over 1 m long, 40 cm wide, and up to 1 cm thick. We used palaeoproteomics to identify proteinaceous traces from this feature. Our analysis identified type I collagen confidently matching common eland (Taurotragus oryx) in two samples. Together with the feature's highly complex nature, these findings suggest the deliberate mixing of eland-derived proteins with ochre powder. Our results confirm that palaeoproteomics can be a reliable tool for reconstructing the protein component of the early human material culture.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2081","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13682889/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Min Zhao, David W Steadman, Michelle J LeFebvre, Robert P Guralnick, Joshua R Doby, Julie M Allen, Jessica A Oswald
{"title":"Caribbean Islands facilitated the colonization of Western Hemisphere barn owls, yet experienced rampant extinction.","authors":"Min Zhao, David W Steadman, Michelle J LeFebvre, Robert P Guralnick, Joshua R Doby, Julie M Allen, Jessica A Oswald","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1022","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Island biodiversity reflects multiple evolutionary roles, encompassing lineages derived from nearby continents, relict taxa and, in limited cases, sources of continental diversity. Reconstructing the biogeographic history and island-mainland diversification dynamics requires an integrated understanding of speciation, extinction and dispersal processes to and from islands. Extensive Holocene extinctions may obscure patterns of diversity and connectivity. Tytonidae (barn and bay owls) is a bird group with a worldwide distribution and numerous Quaternary extinctions. Here, we use ultraconserved elements and mitogenomes extracted from tissues, historical museum specimens and fossils to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and colonization pathways, with a focus on Western Hemisphere taxa. We also summarize extinct Tyto diversity to evaluate Quaternary diversity trends. Our results align with previous studies in supporting an Eastern origin for Western Hemisphere Tyto. We found that the Caribbean was, and still is, the centre of Tyto diversity in the Western Hemisphere, although nearly all Caribbean Tyto (and their mammalian prey) are now extinct. Unexpectedly, we identified two independent Tyto colonization events of the Galápagos. Our study provides strong evidence that islands can serve as sources of diversity for some continental lineages, as well as museums of diversity that harbour unique lineages prone to disturbance-driven extinction.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2081","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13682925/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ecology drives the degree of convergence in the gene expression of extremophile fishes.","authors":"Michael Tobler, Ryan Greenway, Joanna L Kelley","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1416","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1416","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Convergent evolution is common and a testament to the repeatability of evolution. Still, non-convergence is also widespread, and a major question is whether idiosyncratic, lineage-specific changes are reflective of chance events inherent to evolutionary processes, or whether they are influenced by deterministic genetic or ecological factors. To address this question, we quantified the degree of convergence in gene expression across lineages of livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae) that span 40 million years of divergence and have colonized toxic, hydrogen-sulfide-rich springs. We asked whether the degree of convergence across lineage pairs was related to their phylogenetic relatedness and the ecological similarity of their habitats. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, we showed that the degree of convergence in gene expression was variable across lineage pairs. While closely related lineages did not exhibit higher degrees of convergence than distantly related ones, we uncovered a strong relationship between degree of convergence and the ecological similarity among lineages. These results suggest that variation in environmental conditions that is often overlooked in simplified descriptions of habitat differences can play an important role in shaping adaptive evolution. Our study highlights the importance of multivariate approaches that capture the complexities of selective regimes and organismal responses when assessing the repeatability of evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2081","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13682929/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149229864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Claus Vogl, Lynette C Mikula, Helene Marbach, Katharina Mayer-Weihrauch, Sebastian Herndler, Leonie Breitschopf, Amy C Pickering, Mary-Elizabeth Jobson, Adriana Cabal Rosel, Nora Dinhopl, Igor Loncaric, Werner Ruppitsch, Lindsey N Shaw, Orla M Keane, J Ross Fitzgerald, Monika Ehling-Schulz, Simon Heilbronner, Tom Grunert
{"title":"A single transcriptional regulator is crucial for the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to diverse niches.","authors":"Claus Vogl, Lynette C Mikula, Helene Marbach, Katharina Mayer-Weihrauch, Sebastian Herndler, Leonie Breitschopf, Amy C Pickering, Mary-Elizabeth Jobson, Adriana Cabal Rosel, Nora Dinhopl, Igor Loncaric, Werner Ruppitsch, Lindsey N Shaw, Orla M Keane, J Ross Fitzgerald, Monika Ehling-Schulz, Simon Heilbronner, Tom Grunert","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1930","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.1930","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adaptation of bacterial pathogens to new hosts often involves the exchange of mobile genetic elements, or generally the highly variable accessory genome. However, adaptation to different niches is often plastic, mediated by conserved pathways in the core genome. The general stress response of most Gram-positive bacteria is a classic case of adaptive plasticity and mediated primarily by the alternative sigma factor B (SigB), a transcriptional regulator. In Staphylococcus aureus, however, sigma factor B appears to have been co-opted to regulate the switch between intracellular and extracellular niches. In the milk-rich extracellular niche of the bovine udder, low sigma factor B activity appears advantageous: during persistent bovine mastitis, narrowly adapted strains entirely deficient in sigma factor B have evolved repeatedly from phenotypically plastic sigma factor B-wild-type strains through various mutations. As we show by transfer of both natural bovine isolates and genetically engineered S. aureus strains from a complex medium to a milk-rich medium, this genetic assimilation is driven by the cost of phenotypic plasticity. Compared with mutated sigma factor B-deficient strains, plastic strains show long time lags in adapting to milk and slower subsequent growth. Overall, we show how a master regulator in the core genome can drive host-specific niche adaptation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2080","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13678726/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Change in the demographic dynamics of a spatially structured population of a colonial waterbird after a perturbation affecting a large colony.","authors":"Killian A Gregory, Odin Rumianowski, Jean-Dominique Lebreton, Pierre-André Crochet, Aurelien Besnard","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0388","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0388","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Localized perturbations may affect spatially structured populations (SSPs) as a whole by altering dispersal between patches. Yet, such large-scale consequences remain poorly understood and may depend on the proportion of the SSP affected by the perturbation. Here, we used correlative analyses and integrated population models to investigate the impact of pond draining-localized perturbations of breeding site availability-on the structure and demographics of an SSP of black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). Pond draining regularly affected patches occupied by colonies, reducing the occupancy probability of those patches in subsequent years, but causing no visible changes in population growth or structure as breeders relocated to unperturbed patches. However, the draining of the pond occupied by the largest colony in the system (64% of total breeders) triggered the immediate emigration of over 60% of breeders outside the SSP, with no subsequent recovery. In the following years, apparent survival showed increased interannual variability, suggesting greater sensitivity of the SSP to the perturbation of smaller colonies. Dispersal between colonies also became more uniform, reflecting the homogenization of colony sizes after the emigration event in a context of informed dispersal. Considering perturbation magnitude and dispersal mechanisms appears essential for understanding the response and resilience of SSPs to local perturbations.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2080","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13678519/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The co-evolution of hominins and Stone Age culture.","authors":"Alastair Key","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0772","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human biological and cultural evolution are tightly intertwined; the two display dependent relationships and each influences the trajectory of the other. Archaeological evidence for hominin culture first emerges ca 3.3 million years ago, but increasing data attests to an earlier, deeply rooted onset of gene-culture co-evolution in our lineage. Diverse phenotypic traits are linked to Stone Age culture via the latter's impact on the survival and success of early human populations. Hominin cognitive and language capabilities, along with the anatomy of the hand, are key examples. Similarly, variation in Stone Age culture can be linked to the biological traits of the populations from which it derives; important examples concern stone technologies, hunting strategies and social organization. The co-evolution of hominins and Stone Age culture is, therefore, complex, multi-factorial and one of the major stories in human origins research. Here, current understanding of hominin cultural and biological co-evolution prior to the advent of agriculture is reviewed, and new links between the fossil and archaeological records are drawn.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2080","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13678621/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Socially guided individual learning mitigates the double-edged sword of pedagogy.","authors":"Jérémy Perez, Maxime Derex","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0619","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2026.0619","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Social learning and innovation are fundamental processes in cultural evolution, yet their interaction remains poorly understood. Prior research suggests that inheriting social information reduces exploration. However, most studies have focused on the transmission of fully fledged solutions. Here, we investigate whether alternative types of information can facilitate cumulative cultural evolution without reducing exploration. Specifically, we conducted a pre-registered experiment with 400 adult participants comparing the inheritance of solutions with that of heuristics-simple rules that guide problem solving. We found that social learners who inherited a heuristic explored more frequently and broadly than those who received a solution. Their productions were also less similar to those of their demonstrators, suggesting that heuristics foster more independent exploration. Despite these differences, both heuristics and solutions enabled learners to surpass their demonstrator's performance. These findings highlight that the type of social information transmitted plays a crucial role in the evolvability of culture.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2080","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13678623/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca Branconi, Marian Y L Wong, Daniel B Stouffer, Theresa Rueger, Peter Buston
{"title":"Experimental manipulation of ecological constraints influences conflict but not cooperation in the humbug damselfish Dascyllus aruanus.","authors":"Rebecca Branconi, Marian Y L Wong, Daniel B Stouffer, Theresa Rueger, Peter Buston","doi":"10.1098/rspb.2025.3229","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rspb.2025.3229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal societies vary widely in levels of cooperation and conflict, and understanding the causes of this variation is a central goal in evolutionary biology. As with other features of animal societies, relatedness, competitiveness and ecological constraints (e.g. habitat saturation and risks of dispersal) have been proposed as key factors explaining variation in cooperation and conflict. However, the exact causes remain unclear. We used the humbug damselfish (Dascyllus aruanus)-a small coral reef fish that occupies coral heads-to experimentally test the prediction from Emlen's ecological constraints model that relaxed constraints increase conflict and decrease cooperation within social groups. We manipulated ecological constraints by providing a vacant coral near groups and examined changes in social interactions. We also assessed how variation in social context (e.g. individual size, group size and size ratios) and ecological context (e.g. territory size, habitat availability and local group density) modulated these effects. Relaxing ecological constraints led to increased conflict in groups occupying larger corals, in areas with greater habitat availability and in larger groups, whereas it led to decreased conflict by larger individuals and in areas with higher local group density. No effect on cooperative behaviours was observed. These findings suggest that ecological constraints influence conflict within groups, but that this relationship is context-dependent and modulated by both ecological and social factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":520757,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings. Biological sciences","volume":"293 2080","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13678518/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}