Evolution Letters
OA journal publishing the best work in evolutionary biology. Jointly owned by @eseb.bsky.social & @sse-evolution.bsky.social, published by OUP. academic.oup.com/evlett
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- Is speciation usually allopatric? Genomic analyses of 93 Drosophila species pairs show that gene flow during divergence is common—even among allopatric species—challenging the classic allopatric model of speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Reposted by Evolution LettersNew paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
- Is lifespan shaped by genetic conflict between the sexes? In wild marmots, longevity is heritable but negatively genetically correlated between males and females, implying selection for longer life in one sex favors shorter life in the other. Image Credit: Wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Does predictability matter for adaptation? In fruit flies, predictable thermal variation favors evolved longevity, while unpredictable environments impose survival and reproductive costs—revealing distinct routes to adaptation under climate change. Image: Wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Do alternative reproductive tactics promote evolutionary rescue? Riederer & Weissing show that claims for ART rescue depend on model assumptions—when thresholds evolve or mating success shifts, fixed tactics no longer prevent extinction leaving the question open. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- How does development shape skull evolution? In lizards, neural crest–derived skull bones drive rapid sexually selected shape change within species but show long-term constraint, revealing developmental bias linking micro- and macroevolution. Image Credit: Wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Evolution isn’t always forward-looking. Experiments show that an early, beneficial mutation can trap E. coli on a local fitness peak, preventing ecotype diversification in structured environments and highlighting the role of G×E interactions. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Can sexual selection alone drive divergence? Experimental evolution in seed beetles shows that strong sexual selection accelerates divergence in reproductive traits and gene expression, even without environmental differences. Image credit: Udo Schmidt Wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Why has live birth evolved repeatedly in lizards? A mechanistic model linking behavior, thermal physiology, and life history shows cold climates favor viviparity, providing causal support for the classic cold-climate hypothesis. Image credit: Wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Can microbial partners reduce agrochemical harm? In clover–rhizobia mutualisms, herbicide effects depend strongly on rhizobial strain, highlighting symbionts as potential buffers against stress. Image Matt Lavin @wikimedia academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Reposted by Evolution LettersTalk I gave about our recent Evolution Letters paper, in which we quantified the benefits of helping at the origin of eusociality using a combination of experiment & theory, at the @iussi-nwes.bsky.social winter meeting in Leuven this week! Powerpoint here: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4w3hw...
- Early-season helping in Polistes wasps shows increasing returns - more helpers lead to convex gains in sexual productivity, resolving a key paradox in the origins of eusociality. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... @ricaliari.bsky.social @twenseleers.bsky.social
- Reposted by Evolution LettersNew paper alert! 📜 200 gen of strong sexual selection in beetles 🪲 causes divergent evolution of male and female traits, possibly through more divergent expression of reproductive proteins . Work by Arnqvist group. Check it out 👇 academic.oup.com/evlett/advan... #evolution
- Who really lives fast and dies young? In Drosophila, females show faster ageing and reproductive senescence than males across social environments, overturning sexual selection predictions and highlighting social effects on ageing. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan... @laurenmharrison.bsky.social
- Why is phenotypic plasticity so common? Models show that even low migration between locally adapted populations can maintain costly plasticity in constant environments, revealing migration as a key driver of plastic trait evolution. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Why do selfing rates vary across a species’ range? In alpine monkeyflower, self-fertilization increases away from the range center, supporting the abundant center hypothesis over historical range expansion in shaping reproductive assurance. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan... Photo Credit: Brewbooks
- Reposted by Evolution LettersExcited to see this huge experiment finally published!! 🪰
- Fast females, slow males: accelerated ageing and reproductive senescence in Drosophila melanogaster females across diverse social environments url: academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Can we predict gene expression evolution? In flour beetles, transcriptome-wide selection predicts expression change, with indirect selection acting strongest on pleiotropic, network-central genes—linking co-expression architecture to adaptation. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... Photo: Udo Schmidt
- How do genetic variances and covariances evolve over deep time? This paper unifies quantitative genetics and macroevolution with analytical models for G-matrix evolution on phylogenies, enabling new tests of multivariate trait evolution. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Do extra chromosome sets mask bad mutations? Simulations show tetraploids often carry higher genetic load than diploids, depending on dominance, demography, and drift—with important implications for fitness and conservation. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Reposted by Evolution Lettersacademic.oup.com/evlett/advan... So exciting to see a new method to model the evolution of G (and P) matrices on phylogenies. Another step in the direction of trying to bridge micro and macroevolution
- Reposted by Evolution LettersA bit late, but really happy to see my first PhD paper out! We studied trait-elevation relationships in multiple traits spanning growth, size (both above and belowground) and leaf economics to understand whether these align at within- and among-species scales. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- We are continuously reviewing our AI policy as tools and capabilities evolve. This editorial outlines broad guidelines: accountability for content, preserving author voice, and maintaining trust in peer review. We welcome questions from authors, reviewers and readers academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Surprisingly, sperm length is not linked to sperm storage traits. Instead, vagina length emerges as a key—yet overlooked—player in post-copulatory sexual selection in birds. academic.oup.com/evlett/article/9/6/686/8271462
- Reposted by Evolution LettersElegant experiment-theory mix, showing increasing returns from helping in a cooperative wasp
- Early-season helping in Polistes wasps shows increasing returns - more helpers lead to convex gains in sexual productivity, resolving a key paradox in the origins of eusociality. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... @ricaliari.bsky.social @twenseleers.bsky.social
- Maternal age matters beyond early survival. This study shows persistent effects on male—but not female—offspring fitness in a wild mammal population. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Early-season helping in Polistes wasps shows increasing returns - more helpers lead to convex gains in sexual productivity, resolving a key paradox in the origins of eusociality. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic... @ricaliari.bsky.social @twenseleers.bsky.social
- Reposted by Evolution LettersIn our new study we were the first to experimentally simulate the origin of sociality! By controlling how many wasp 🐝daughters could help their mom, we found that early helpers don't just add to colony success—they multiply it!
- Seasonal adaptation leaves genome-wide signatures across all traits, while food quality drives narrower, oligogenic responses—showing populations can track multiple environmental axes at once. Now out in Evolution Letters academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
- Reposted by Evolution LettersSo excited to share our new work out in @evolletters.bsky.social today! doi.org/10.1093/evle... Sexual signals and preferences for them often differ across groups, contributing to reproductive isolation. But how do new signals evolve if females already have preferences for existing ones? (1/4)
- How relaxed preferences facilitate the evolution of novel animal signals doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Gabrielle T Welsh et al.
- Sick of bad dates? Try sensing their microbiome. New work in Evolution Letters by Tourani et al. found that endosymbionts change male thrips’ chemical profiles, allowing females to pick compatible partners. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- New signals thrive when females aren't picky. Relaxed pickiness allowed novel purr and rattle songs to become established in Hawaiian crickets. New work by @robinmting.bsky.social @gwelsh.bsky.social in Evolution Letters. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- The K/Pg extinction created a buffet for open-ocean fishes. A new paper shows that Pelagiaria underwent an adaptive radiation following the extinction based on new jaw shapes to fill the vacuum @knapprew.bsky.social @evoswami.bsky.social @sternarchella.bsky.social academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Reposted by Evolution LettersNew paper! Here we look at shape evolution of the mandible in Pelagiaria, a group of open-ocean fishes that includes tuna and mackerel. We find that shape disparity accumulated rapidly at the origin of the clade at around the K/Pg boundary... academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Temporal dynamics and adaptiveness of thermal phenotypic plasticity in a ciliate doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Léonard Dupont et al.
- Reposted by Evolution LettersNot sure our paper rocks as much as Katharina’s cover illustration, but we’re very delighted it was picked as ‘Editor’s Choice’ on @evolletters.bsky.social!
- Check out our cover article by @timjanicke.bsky.social and colleagues about the role of sexual selection in animal speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic.... The beautiful illustration is by Katharina Bóth.
- Check out our cover article by @timjanicke.bsky.social and colleagues about the role of sexual selection in animal speciation. academic.oup.com/evlett/artic.... The beautiful illustration is by Katharina Bóth.
- An early-life survival and reproductive trade-off shapes selection on body size doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Maria João Janeiro et al. 📷: Sam Whitfield
- Reposted by Evolution LettersDid you publish part of your PhD work in @journal-evo.bsky.social or @evolletters.bsky.social this year? Submit your paper for the SSE Presidents’ Award! Up to two recipients will each present an award talk during the virtual portion of #Evol2026 in May. Deadline: January 30. shorturl.at/CnVo6
- Infrared thermography is a useful tool in research on thermoregulation and evolution of heat tolerance doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Erik I Svensson et al.
- Reposted by Evolution LettersCheck our new paper in @evolletters.bsky.social "Live birth in lizards: A process-based model for the roles of temperature, behavior, and life-history" In this study, we develop and validate a model capable of accurately predicting gestation length in lizards! academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
- Reposted by Evolution Letters🪰🧪 now out in @evolletters.bsky.social, social environmental effects on Drosophila lifespan and reproductive senescence mean females not males "live fast, die young"! Work led by Lauren Harrison and Tracey Chapman, with @alexeimaklakov.bsky.social, funded by BBSRC @ukri.org doi.org/10.1093/evle...
- Gestation length both shapes and is shaped by other life history traits in terrestrial eutherian mammals doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Thodoris Danis et al.
- Changes in flexibility but not in compactness underlie the thermal adaptation of prokaryotic adenylate kinases doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Dimitrios - Georgios Kontopoulos, Ilias Patmanidis, Timothy G Barraclough, and Samraat Pawar
- Reposted by Evolution LettersDid you publish part of your PhD work in Evolution or Evolution Letters this year? You may be eligible for this award! Papers must have been included in a 2025 issue to be eligible. Apply by January 30: shorturl.at/CnVo6 @journal-evo.bsky.social @evolletters.bsky.social
- Pleiotropy increases with gene age in six model multicellular eukaryotes doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Reese Martin and Ann T Tate
- Reposted by Evolution LettersDoes #SexualSelection fuel #Speciation? Our new #meta-analysis of comparative studies finds support for a positive relationship, but the rather moderate global effect suggests it’s not necessarily a dominant force. doi.org/10.1093/evle...
- Horizontal gene transfer, segregation loss, and the speed of microbial adaptation doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by David V McLeod and Sylvain Gandon
- Alignment across taxonomic levels in strategies rather than in traits along elevational gradients doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Aaditya Narasimhan & Yvonne Willi 📷: Kevin Thiele
- Temperature can reverse sexual conflict, facilitating population growth doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Roberto García-Roa et al.
- Reposted by Evolution LettersRapid temporal adaptation structures tolerance to toxic cyanobacteria in a natural population of the water flea Daphnia doi.org/10.1093/evle... Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Maxime Fajgenblat et al. 📷: Janek Lass
