BMC ecology and evolution最新文献

{"title":"Whole genome sequencing reveals interbay population structure of Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) in western Iceland.","authors":"Áki Jarl Láruson, Katherine Warren, Keely E Brown","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02514-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02514-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The nearshore macroalgae Saccharina latissima (eng. sugar kelp, ice. beltisþari) is abundant across the boreal arctic marine region and has been receiving increased focus around Iceland and other countries bordering the Northern Atlantic Ocean for aquaculture and ecological engineering potential. While the ecological and economic importance of nearshore macroalgae has become increasingly clear, the amount of population connectivity is poorly understood. Genetic, and especially genomic, data for this group are exceptionally depauperate. We here report the first population genomic level analysis of S. latissima in Iceland, comparing individuals sampled across two of the largest bays on the island, Faxaflói and Breiðafjörður. We see a clear segregation of the northernmost and southernmost sites, with a secondary split between inner and outer bay sites. These patterns suggest a dynamic biogeography impacting the population structure of S. latissima across relatively short distances (less than 150 km) in western Iceland and highlights the potential for local selection pressures to shape genetic composition across small geographic scales.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13107648/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147719106","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":"Life history and ecology shape global patterns in avian hatching failure rates.","authors":"Oddvar Heggøy, Jostein Gohli, Helene Dale Johnsen, Terje Lislevand","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02515-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02515-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Hatching failure is common in the eggs of wild birds, yet its variation in relation to ecological and life history factors remains poorly understood. Understanding these patterns is essential for explaining reproductive strategies and evolutionary trade-offs in birds. RESULTS: In a comprehensive comparative study, we found that the previously recognized latitudinal decline in avian hatching failure rates is driven by a greater proportion of eggs failing in larger clutches at lower latitudes. We suggest that this pattern could reflect higher exposure to ambient conditions in larger clutches, which might have more severe consequences for egg viability in warmer environments. Furthermore, hatching failure rates increased with species longevity. We predicted this from the notion that, if needed, short-lived species should invest more heavily in current reproduction, whereas longer-lived species should be more prone to prioritize self-maintenance to improve future breeding opportunities. Hatching failure rates were also higher in species with uniparental incubation compared to biparental species, higher in elevated nests than in ground nests, and negatively related to altitude. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal several novel patterns of variation in hatching failure rates in relation to aspects of ecology and life history. These results suggest that clutch size, latitude, and parental care strategies interact to shape reproductive success and highlight potential evolutionary trade-offs between current and future reproduction. Further research is needed to clarify the proximate mechanisms underlying these patterns and their implications for avian life history evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13067641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147647862","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":"Conserved and diverged embryonic expression patterns of panarthropod NK-Cluster genes and new evidence for CRE-shuffling.","authors":"Ralf Janssen, Lucia Isla Cabello, Madeleine E Aase-Remedios","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02513-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02513-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: The interest in the NK genes, a group of conserved homeodomain encoding transcription factors, has increased significantly in the recent years, especially among arthropods and their closest relatives. One reason is that these genes have important and (often) conserved functions in development. Another reason is that some NK genes are clustered within the genomes of different species of arthropods and indeed animals in general. The fact that this clustering has been retained for hundreds of millions of years strongly implies a biological function, and it is believed that shared cis-regulatory elements (CREs) could act to constrain the clusters. Our knowledge about the expression and function of clustered NK genes, however, is still restricted to only a few well-investigated members of this group of genes, while others have only been studied in few model species, or have been completely neglected. Recently, genomic data have provided exciting new insights into the content and clustering of NK genes in non-model species, but corresponding gene expression data are still incomplete or lacking altogether. RESULTS: Here we present a comprehensive overview of the complement and embryonic expression pattern of NK genes in a variety of arthropod species and an onychophoran in order to gain further insight into conserved and divergent patterns of NK gene expression which we use to extrapolate the putative ancestral function(s) of these genes in panarthropods. CONCLUSIONS: We report unexpected instances of expression-pattern swapping among closely-clustered NK genes that may result from CRE-shuffling. We also discuss and conclude on the clustering and order of NK genes in the last common ancestor of bilaterian animals. Finally, we come to the conclusion that NK genes are not just involved in mesoderm evolution but are found to have conserved functions in all germ layers.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13088399/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147617257","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":"Diet impacts the effects of thermal stress on infection outcomes.","authors":"Biswajit Shit, Selah Makinishi, Tanmay Singh, Imroze Khan","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02516-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02516-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Climate change can lead to warmer environments, facilitating higher pathogen growth and increasing disease burden. Climate change can also reduce the nutritional value of food resources, causing malnutrition, which can lead to impaired immunity and disease vulnerability. However, despite these associations, no experiments have tested how dietary manipulations and temperature variations interact to drive the effects of pathogenic infections. In this work, we conducted laboratory experiments with the model insect Drosophila melanogaster to test these effects. RESULTS: Virgin flies raised on low-carbohydrate diets throughout development and early adulthood exhibited improved post-infection survival rates and more resilience to pathogen burden compared to those reared on regular or high-carbohydrate diets. However, such a survival advantage of the low-carbohydrate diet was lost in their mated counterparts. Notably, temperature stress decreased survival rates in flies only when they were reared on a regular diet. This effect was not observed in flies reared on high- or low-carbohydrate diets, indicating that the impact of temperature on infection responses might depend on diet. Besides, flies reared on a low-carbohydrate diet showed greater reproductive output at standard temperatures than those on other diets, indicating an apparent lack of fitness costs associated with improved post-infection response. Also, high-carbohydrate diets conferred greater resistance to starvation, suggesting differences in resource allocation among somatic maintenance tasks that could increase vulnerability to pathogens. CONCLUSION: Overall, these findings imply a complex interaction between diet, temperature, and fitness traits that influences variation in infection responses. As many organisms around the world face environmental warming and poor diets, examining these patterns and processes can provide a deeper understanding of variations in health and disease responses amid a changing climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13063919/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147610828","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":"Diversification of cichlids in the genus Danakilia in the Danakil depression of Eritrea and Ethiopia.","authors":"S Elizabeth Alter, Giorgio Chiozzi, Giuseppe De Marchi, Mauro Fasola, Naoko P Kurata, Melanie L J Stiassny","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02509-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02509-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Cichlids in the genus Danakilia, endemic to the hyper-arid Danakil Depression of Eritrea and Ethiopia, represent a rare example of diversification in one of Earth’s most extreme aquatic environments. While previous mitochondrial and morphological studies have identified two species (D. franchettii and D. dinicolai), the evolutionary history of this clade remains poorly resolved. Here, we use genome-wide SNP data from 85 individuals of Danakilia, sampled across six sites to infer phylogenetic relationships, assess population structure, and explore the role of historical hydrology in shaping diversification within the genus. We analyzed double-digest RAD-seq data to generate maximum likelihood phylogenies, PCA, and admixture profiles, and calculated pairwise FST values to assess genetic differentiation. RESULTS: Our results support strong phylogenetic and population-level differentiation between the two described species and three additional riverine populations, with four to five discrete genetic clusters identified. Phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of D. dinicolai and reveal that all riverine populations form a well-supported clade sister to D. dinicolai, suggesting a shared origin. In contrast, D. franchettii is not monophyletic, and populations from southern spring habitats near Lake Afrera show limited genetic structure. Patterns of genetic divergence are broadly consistent with a paleohydrological model in which a mid-Holocene lake system connected the northern and southern Danakil Depression, facilitating gene flow among now-isolated habitats. We also detect varying levels of admixture among the northern populations, with evidence of historical gene flow between the crater lake and riverine populations. Despite their close geographic proximity, the three riverine populations are genetically distinct and may represent independent evolutionary units. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a complex interplay of historical connectivity, geographic isolation, and adaptation to extreme environmental gradients in driving divergence within Danakilia. Given emerging environmental threats in the region, our results underscore the urgent need for conservation attention and further exploration of unsampled populations to fully characterize the evolutionary and ecological diversity of this little-known lineage.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13045030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147610850","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":"Biodiversity of freshwater planarians (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Dugesiidae) in Chile: exploration of unknown species.","authors":"Andrés Lagos-Basoalto, Pamela Morales, Miguel L Allende, Constanza Vásquez-Doorman","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02501-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02501-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Freshwater planarians (Tricladida) are widely used as model organisms in regeneration biology, invasion ecology, ecotoxicology, and systematics. Despite this relevance, their diversity remains poorly documented in large regions of South America. In Chile, only five freshwater planarian species have been formally described, a number that likely reflects limited sampling rather than true diversity. Given Chile’s pronounced latitudinal extent, biogeographic complexity, and environmental heterogeneity, freshwater planarian diversity is expected to be substantially underestimated. Here, we provide a first molecular-based assessment of Chilean freshwater planarians by sampling previously unexplored localities and integrating external morphology with phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses. RESULTS: Specimens were collected from seven freshwater habitats spanning northern and central Chile, including high-altitude Altiplano environments and a geothermal field. External morphology was consistent with assignment to the genus Girardia, a conclusion supported by BLAST and BOLD searches. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (EF1-α) markers recovered three major Chilean clades with strong support, corresponding broadly to geographic regions. Altiplano populations formed a previously unreported monophyletic lineage within Girardia, suggesting isolation-driven diversification in extreme environments. Molecular species delimitation using ASAP, GMYC, and bPTP identified six putative species: Girardia sp. El Tatio, Girardia sp. Lauca/Chungará/Ascotán, Girardia sp. Calafquén, Girardia sp. OHP/LTB, Girardia sp. Los Lagos, and Girardia sp. LPM. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that freshwater planarian diversity in Chile is far greater than currently recognized and that Girardia exhibits pronounced geographic structuring across the country. The discovery of multiple genetically distinct lineages, including in high-altitude and geothermal environments, highlights the role of geographic isolation and environmental heterogeneity in shaping diversification. Although formal species descriptions will require internal anatomy and additional molecular data, this study provides a critical framework for future taxonomic, evolutionary, and ecological research on South American freshwater planarians and underscores the importance of expanding biodiversity surveys into understudied regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13045118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147577031","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":"Earthworm diversity and spatial distribution across the Hazara Division.","authors":"Saira Bibi, Shumaila Noreen, Waqar Azeem Jadoon, Kaleem Imdad, Muhammad Azhar Jameel, Awais Ali","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02506-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02506-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As ecosystem engineers, earthworms play a significant role in maintaining soil health, fertility and ecosystem functioning by enhancing organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil structure. Their diversity and distribution are shaped by land-use practices such as urbanization, agriculture, and forests. This study investigates earthworm species richness and spatial distribution across various land-use types in Hazara Division, Pakistan. Examine key ecological drivers including soil moisture, pH, organic carbon and potassium. The research explores how land-use practices affect earthworm diversity, providing insights essential for biodiversity conservation strategies in similar ecosystems. Sampling across six districts Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Batagram, and Tor Ghar 2697 individuals from 16 species belonging to three families: Lumbricidae, Megascolecidae, Moniligastridae. Eisenia fetida and Amynthas morrisi were the most abundant (12% each), while Drawida japonica (Gene bank ACESSION NOPV871406.1) was documented for the first time in Pakistan, highlighting the region’s unexplored biodiversity. Species richness showed a significant positive correlation with soil moisture (r = 0.472, p < 0.05) and neutral pH levels. Population densities were highest in Haripur and Mansehra, whereas Kohistan and Tor Ghar exhibited lower densities, likely due to poor soil structure and organic carbon content. The Shannon Diversity Index (H’) ranged from 2.55 in Tor Ghar to 2.61 in Kohistan, with overall earthworm abundance highest in Mansehra. Urban and industrial areas exhibited low species richness, possibly due to soil compaction and pollution. These findings highlight the ecological importance of earthworms in promoting soil health, enhancing ecosystem services, and reinforcing soil resilience amid environmental stressors.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13045150/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147505287","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":"Recent postglacial population expansions may explain a surprising lack of lineage splitting in Arctic meiobenthic flatworms.","authors":"Joel V Wernström, Yick Hang Kwan, Tobias R Vonnahme, Ronnie N Glud, Andreas Altenburger","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02511-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02511-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUND: Meiobenthic metazoans often showcase a puzzling combination of poor dispersal capabilities and wide geographical distributions. Because meiofauna ‘should’ be prone to endemism, the surprising observation of widely distributed morphospecies has spurred substantial interest and explanatory attempts. We place the searchlight on two small flatworm species – Itaspiella helgolandica and Notocaryoplana arctica – which are particularly restricted in habitat preferences and dispersal capabilities but which occur across the Arctic. Two hypotheses which could account for their wide distributions are explored: (1) populations are genetically divergent but showcase morphological stasis in an instance of cryptic speciation and (2) postglacial population expansion occurred recently enough that genetic drift and local adaptation has not produced divergent allopatric clades yet. RESULTS: We observed consistent gross and copulatory stylet morphology across local and global scales, confirming the general lack of morphological differences noted by other authors. Our phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation test (bPTP) of partial ribosomal gene sequences (28 S and 18 S rDNA) support the monophyly of each species, with no apparent signs of nascent allopatric lineage splitting. Likewise, haplotype networks do not indicate geography-derived clustering of populations but rather point toward interconnectivity across global and local scales. While our sample sizes and the genetic markers included limit the interpretations of the study, the star-like shapes of the haplotype networks together with negative Tajima’s D and significant, negative Fu’s Fs test values strongly point toward a history of recent population expansions in the studied flatworms. CONCLUSIONS: We find strong support for postglacial population expansions as the most parsimonious explanation for the observed morphological similarities and a weakening of competing hypotheses, e.g. that of widespread cryptic speciation. We note that both species may still be dispersing over long distances e.g. through drifting of egg capsules, and our findings carry important implications for phylogeographical studies of meiobenthic invertebrates and the associated ‘meiofauna paradox’.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13011653/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147494851","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":"Analysis of niche and interspecific associations of dominant associated species in the community of the rare and endangered plant Clematis tientaiensis.","authors":"Shunyun He, Hanxi Yang, Xinli Zeng, Jichen Wang, Duojie Wei, Zhigao Liu","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02510-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02510-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clematis tientaiensis is a rare and endangered plant species endemic to Zhejiang Province, China, characterized by weak natural regeneration and a scarce extant population. To elucidate its endangerment mechanisms and formulate scientific conservation strategies, this study collected data from its natural community using the quadrat sampling method, with C. tientaiensis and its associated dominant species from the shrub layer (n = 19) and herb layer (n = 19) as the research subjects. By comprehensively applying niche analysis (niche breadth and overlap), interspecific association tests (overall association, [Formula: see text]-test, association coefficient, Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses), and cluster analysis, we systematically revealed the resource utilization strategies and interaction patterns between the target species and its associated plants. The results showed that a total of 133 associated plant species were recorded in the C. tientaiensis community, belonging to 107 genera in 58 families. The proportion of liana species accounted for only 6.77%, and a shortage of seedlings was observed. C. tientaiensis belongs to the endemic Chinese distribution type, while 83.46% of the associated species or 70.00% of the dominant species belonged to the East Asian distribution type. In both the shrub and herb layers, C. tientaiensis exhibited the widest niche breadth (BL = 10.756 and BS = 2.508), but this ecological attribute did not enhance its population survival. The niche overlap among dominant associated species was generally low (mean value < 0.30), indicating weak interspecific resource competition. Furthermore, the overall associations among dominant species were not significantly negative. The ratios of positively associated species pairs to negatively associated species pairs were all below 1.00 in the [Formula: see text], AC, Pearson, and Spearman test results. According to the hierarchical clustering analysis results, C. tientaiensis was suitable for constructing a stable shrub community with associated plants such as Rubus idaeus, Lespedeza davidii, Mallotus apelta, and Oplismenus undulatifolius. In conclusion, the C. tientaiensis community is characterized by high species richness and a relatively complete structure, currently in the early unstable stage of positive succession with independent niche differentiation and loose interspecific associations. The majority of associated species, sharing similar resource requirements, created a niche monopoly effect that significantly inhibited resource acquisition by plants from other floristic regions. This may be a primary reason for the endangered status of C. tientaiensis. For the conservation and restoration of its native habitat, in situ protection of individuals should be implemented to enhance niche occupation, accompanied by appropriate replanting and optimization of associated species composition to improve community stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13045155/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147482397","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":"Blade-running: an efficient yet simple behaviour to potentially combat summit disease in ants.","authors":"Enikő Csata, Katalin Erős, Ágota Szabó, Abel Bernadou, László Rákosy, Bálint Markó","doi":"10.1186/s12862-026-02508-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12862-026-02508-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social systems are attractive targets for parasites. Once infiltrated they are able to manipulate the host to contribute to their further dispersal. A wide array of parasites causes summit disease: driving their host up on elevated points on plants from where propagules are then dispersed. In ants, previous observations suggested the existence of a simple social prophylactic strategy that could help reduce the pathogen's dispersal success through early corpse disposal e.g., in the case of summit-causing pathogenic Pandora fungus.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We experimentally tested the efficiency of prophylactic corpse disposal in a large nest complex by imitating summit diseased ants with the use of fresh uninfected ant corpses and dummies fixed to grass blades. Indeed, ants discovered and disposed of corpses very efficiently, primarily of those close to the nest margin.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We argue that while this behaviour is not necessarily specific to summit disease but rather part of a general sanitary repertoire, its efficiency in removing elevated corpses before sporulation could reduce pathogen transmission and might contribute to the low prevalence observed in our field population.</p>","PeriodicalId":93910,"journal":{"name":"BMC ecology and evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13020244/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147476586","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}