Sexually selected weapons used in intra-sexual competition for mates are among the most striking animal features, but how their evolution affects life history traits closely correlated with fitness is not well understood. Here, we selected for or against the prevalence of a lethal weapon in a male-dimorphic mite Sancassania berlesei, and investigated how life-histories evolve in populations with high vs. low proportion of weaponized, aggressive males called fighters and non-weaponized, non-aggressive males called scramblers. After 25 generations of selection, females from fighter-selected lines showed higher early fecundity compared to females from lines selected for non-aggressive scrambler males. Furthermore, while fighter males took longer to reach adult stage compared to scrambler males in general, both the morphs and sexes matured earlier in fighter-selected lines compared to scrambler-selected ones. Larvae-to-adult survivorship was not affected by such selection treatment. Finally, we investigated whether adult survivorship under temperature stress was influenced by such selection treatment, and we found no difference between fighter-selected and scrambler-selected lines. Our results demonstrate that selection for male weapon and/or consequent prevalence of costly intra-sexual aggression leads to an increase in key components of fitness, with likely consequences for population dynamics. However, we found no evidence that the response to such selection affects how individuals cope with environmental challenge.

Many seabird populations along the UK’s East Coast have declined over the past three decades. A key concern is reduced availability of their primary breeding season prey, sandeel (Ammodytes marinus). While some seabirds have partially switched to sprat (Sprattus sprattus), this is not universal. Studying these predator–prey dynamics requires fine-scale estimates of prey distributions that are both spatially and temporally resolved—yet such data are limited, especially for sandeel due to sampling challenges. We evaluate the utility of large-scale ICES bottom trawl surveys to model sandeel distribution, combining them with winter dredge surveys designed specifically for this species. For sprat, we combine bottom trawl data with the Herring Acoustic Survey. Using hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal models (R-INLA), we estimate the biomass of small and medium sandeel (<= 16 cm) and sprat across the entire North Sea from 2000 to 2020, accounting for spatial and temporal dependencies. We validate our sandeel models by comparison with other modelling approaches and ICES stock assessments. Results reveal marked regional variation: sandeel increased in Area 3 (Norwegian EEZ), declined in Areas 1 and 2, and fluctuated in Area 4. Sprat biomass increased over time, with a modest northward expansion. This study provides the first North Sea-wide, fine-scale, multi-decadal distribution models for these two key seabird prey species and identifies important regional drivers of their populations.

The Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) is one of the most endangered leopard subspecies, restricted to less than 4% of its historical range across Southeast Asia. With severe population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and prey depletion, effective recovery requires urgent, spatially-informed conservation action. This study presents the first comprehensive connectivity analysis for the Indochinese leopard across its extant and former range, aiming to identify core habitats, connectivity corridors, and opportunities for population restoration. We used resistant kernel modelling through the CoLa Decision Support System to evaluate landscape connectivity across 14 forest complexes in the extant range and 11 potential reintroduction areas, considering scenarios of extant, reintroduction, and combined range connectivity. Importance to connectivity was assessed based on kernel extent, movement density, and protected area overlap. Our results confirmed the Dawna–Tenasserim landscape, spanning parts of Thailand and Myanmar, and Peninsular Malaysia as the most critical strongholds to conserve. In the former range, our analysis revealed potential for large-scale metapopulation structural connectivity across Cambodia and Lao PDR, despite recent local extirpations. Realizing reintroduction opportunities will require complementary actions such as reducing poaching, restoring prey, and improving habitat management. In some complexes, intensive landscape restoration may be needed to reconnect major core areas with smaller reintroduction complexes that could still be critical for meta-population connectivity. Despite increasing human pressure in the region, substantial habitat and connectivity potential remain. Our framework provides a spatial foundation to prioritize actions for preventing extinction and guiding large carnivore recovery across fragmented tropical landscapes.

Parental care is a key component of reproductive strategies in many anuran species, improving offspring survival through a variety of behavioural mechanisms. Acoustic communication plays a central role in mediating social interactions in anurans, yet its function during parental care remains largely unexplored. Here, we describe acoustic communication associated with parental care in anurans, including previously unknown observations. We conducted a systematic review to compile all available records of calling during parental care. We found reports of both males and females calling while providing care, using advertisement, warning, and territorial calls. Additionally, we include two new call types associated with parental care: attendance calls, produced by leptodactylid females, and egg-feeding calls, produced by dendrobatid males. These findings expand the known repertoire of anuran vocalizations and highlight that calling during parental care may be more widespread and functionally diverse than previously appreciated.

Virtual reality (VR) and digital visualization tools offer new opportunities for science education and community outreach by increasing the accessibility and transparency of controlled-access laboratory spaces, such as ancient DNA (aDNA) clean room environments for paleogenomics research. These visualization methods provide a critical intervention for the field of paleogenomics by combining public science outreach efforts with digital tools to support engagement with descendant communities, the public, or other communities of care. Here, we present the creation of a 360° Tour of the Ancient DNA Laboratory at the University of Connecticut (360° Tour). The virtual environment was developed using 3DVista software and hosts interactive audio, images, and videos that allow users to engage with aDNA laboratory workflows in the spaces where they are executed. Interactive elements are organized into three thematic categories: Orientation Audio, which introduces the laboratory spaces and their functions; Information Hotspots, which provide contextual information about equipment or processes; and Embedded Skills Videos, which demonstrate core aDNA methods. We present the 360° Tour’s web integration and detail its use for public outreach in collaboration with Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation’s Bioarchaeology Program. Overall, VR tools such as the 360° Tour offer a transferable framework to improve accessibility and transparency in laboratory research, enhancing community engagement and education efforts for paleogenomics and science more broadly.

With accelerated urbanization, alien plant invasions severely threaten urban ecosystem stability, but research on their distribution and drivers in medium‑sized mountainous cities remains limited. We selected Anning City, a typical mountainous city in Yunnan, Southwest China, and surveyed 63 standard plots across an urban–suburban–exurban gradient. Using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Monte Carlo permutation tests, we explored invasion patterns and driving factors. In total, 66 alien invasive species from 24 families and 51 genera were recorded. Asteraceae was the dominant family (25.75%), most species (68.18%) were native to the Americas, and annual/biennial herbs accounted for 75.75%. The study area showed a reverse invasion pattern: invasion richness and abundance increased with declining urbanization, with significantly higher levels in suburban and exurban areas than in urban zones (P < 0.001). Roads and rural lands were invasion hotspots, while forests served as natural barriers. Invasive plant distribution was mainly driven by building density (P = 0.004), together with urbanization gradient, topography and population density. Road density and land‑use type had no significant effects. Widespread and common species correlated strongly with environmental factors, while rare species did not. We recommend targeted management: strengthen monitoring at suburban–exurban interfaces, roads and rural lands, focus on common widespread invaders, and protect natural habitats using native vegetation. This study improves understanding of plant invasions in medium‑sized mountainous cities and supports invasive species management globally.

Although stone martens (Martes foina) are widely recognised for causing urban property damage, including damage done when entering and tearing up car engine compartments, the human dimensions of these conflicts remain largely understudied. Based on interviews with local car mechanics in Kraków conducted in 2010 and 2023, we explored the long-term human-stone marten interaction through the lens of the car damage conflict. Contrary to expectations of increased conflicts with rising car registrations, the research found that while the total number of reported incidents slightly increased from 1135 in 2010 to 1219 in 2023 but did not differ significantly (p=0.8) between the years. The conflict rate, when adjusted for the number of registered cars, significantly decreased. Specifically, the adjusted conflict count dropped from 321 in 2010 to 270 in 2023 (p<0.01), despite continued urban expansion and vehicle ownership growth. A notable shift in 2023 was the official inclusion of marten repellents by car manufacturers, indicating the perceived importance of this issue. Car owners, even more than interviewed mechanics, appeared to view stone martens as a growing threat, leading to increased use of countermeasures and an increase in their availability at licensed providers, although their effectiveness lacked consensus among respondents. The study concludes by advocating for future research to prioritise stone martens, recognising their overlooked importance in urban human-wildlife conflict studies.

Environmental heterogeneity (EH) is widely recognized as a key driver of biodiversity, yet its conceptual foundations remain insufficiently structured. We conducted a systematic review of 194 studies published between 2000 and 2024 to evaluate how EH has been defined, quantified, and analyzed across taxa, regions, and biological disciplines. Although EH was frequently invoked as a central explanatory variable, only a minority of studies provided explicit definitions. Among those that did, definitions were predominantly descriptive, typically referring to environmental “differences” or “variation” without specifying scale, structural properties, or underlying mechanisms. This conceptual looseness was accompanied by substantial diversity in quantification approaches, including habitat-type counts, diversity indices, variance-based measures, and structural complexity metrics, often without explicit alignment between definition and measurement. Despite this variability, most studies reported significant associations between EH and ecological or evolutionary responses. Based in our review, the major limitation of EH research appears not to be a lack of empirical support, but a lack of conceptual integration linking definitions, quantification strategies, and hypothesized mechanisms. We propose an integrative operational definition of EH as spatial and/or temporal variation in abiotic and/or biotic environmental conditions across scales that influences resource availability, environmental filtering, niche differentiation, demographic dynamics, or adaptive processes. Clarifying conceptual alignment is essential for strengthening inference and advancing EH as a predictive and integrative framework in biodiversity science.

Color and pattern serve as a range of anti-predator defense mechanisms across taxa, from crypsis to warning coloration, and these phenomena are well described across invertebrate and vertebrate systems. Coloration is often assumed to have a consistent anti-predator function across life stages, but research conducted at a single life stage can yield valuable insight into the ecological and evolutionary significance of coloration across shifts in stage-specific selection pressures. Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are so named for their striking coloration and patterning. In this study, we use simulated hatchling painted turtles to test the anti-predator function of shell coloration on land. Using resin models, we demonstrate, for the first time, that plastral patterns have an anti-predatory function in painted turtle hatchlings in conditions ecologically relevant to nest dispersal. Specifically, turtle models with simple patterns were predated significantly more than their complex-patterned counterparts. This suggests that plastral pattern may serve as an anti-predator strategy through background matching or disruptive coloration. These results provide evidence for the poorly understood functional importance of color and pattern variation in this species and demonstrate the need to test the roles of defensive coloration and patterning across life stages to better understand their ecological and evolutionary significance.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has become a powerful tool for biodiversity monitoring due to its high sensitivity and cost-effectiveness in species detection. This study pioneered the application of eDNA metabarcoding at a regional island scale to systematically investigate the distribution patterns of amphibian diversity and their nestedness patterns across 42 sites (encompassing paddy fields, vegetable plots, and other typical habitats) on 19 islands in the Zhoushan Archipelago, and to examine its relationships with environmental factors. Using aquatic environmental samples amplified with two newly designed amphibian-specific 16S rRNA primer pairs followed by PE300 sequencing, we successfully obtained 2,067,594 effective amphibian sequences, identifying ten amphibian species. Sequencing validation confirmed a minimum coverage depth of 10x for identical markers across species. The number of amphibian species per islands ranged from 2 to 9, with the main Zhoushan Island having the largest number of species. Among them, Fejervarya zhoushanensis dominated, accounting for approximately 82.46 % of total sequences. Island area exhibited extremely significant positive correlations with Shannon-Wiener Index, Simpson Index, Pielou Index and Species Number. Additionally, the distance to the nearest island and distance to the nearest large island were also positively correlated with all four diversity indices, whereas the island shape index showed a negative correlation. The stepwise regression identified Island area as the key predictor for all diversity indices. Nestedness analysis also revealed that island area was the primary factor influencing the nested distribution pattern. This research validates the efficacy and potential of eDNA technology in island biogeography and offers new empirical insights into the distribution patterns and drivers of amphibian diversity and nestedness in archipelagic ecosystems.

Marine corridors connecting basins with contrasting hydrographic and physicochemical regimes provide natural laboratories to investigate how environmental filtering and historical connectivity shape genetic structure and community composition. The Turkish Straits System links the brackish Black Sea to the hypersaline Mediterranean through a series of semi-enclosed basins, generating sharp gradients in salinity, temperature, and productivity that act as biogeographic filters for benthic organisms with limited dispersal. Here, we present a coast-wide, integrative analysis of the phylogeography and community turnover of botryllid and other colonial aplousobranch ascidians along the entire Turkish coastline, spanning the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, and eastern Mediterranean. Using a mitochondrial gene region (COI) from 321 colonies and environmental data, we reconstructed lineage relationships, delimited operational taxonomic units, and quantified species–environment associations and multivariate community–environment structure. Bayesian phylogenetic and species-delimitation analyses revealed nine colonial ascidian taxa and pronounced hierarchical structuring in Botryllus schlosseri, with distinct Black Sea and Mediterranean sub-lineages within the same mitochondrial clade. Several Botrylloides species formed genetically cohesive lineages with restricted southern distributions. Notably, the occurrence of Botryllus gaiae in the Aegean Sea represents the first genetically confirmed record for the Turkish coastline, extending its known distribution into the northeastern Aegean. Species composition exhibited strong latitudinal turnover, with B. schlosseri dominating low-salinity northern basins, whereas taxonomic richness and assemblage diversity increased toward the Aegean and Mediterranean. Environmental analyses showed that salinity and temperature were the primary drivers of species distributions and community structure, with redundancy analysis indicating that basin-scale hydrographic gradients, rather than local nutrients, explain most variation in assemblage composition. Together, these results show that the Turkish marine corridor functions as a semi-permeable biogeographic filter, promoting lineage divergence and shaping community turnover across connected seas, and highlight the combined roles of historical connectivity and contemporary environmental gradients in structuring benthic marine biodiversity.

1. Understanding the diet and the quality and availability of food resources is critical for the conservation of threatened species. Seasonal patterns of resource availability can influence the dietary behaviours of wildlife and how they utilise the landscape. This information is important to allow well-informed decisions for the protection and management of habitat for these species. 2. Here we investigate the dietary preferences of the southern subspecies of the endangered black-throated finch (Poephila cincta cincta) in the Desert Uplands bioregion of Queensland, examining their diet composition, the nutritional value of grass species and their selection preferences from field-based assessments. Observations of foraging birds in the field were collated, and vegetation assessments were completed from quadrats at all observations. 3. We identified 46 plant taxa, including 34 grass species, in the diet of black-throated finch. However, a relatively small subset of these grasses was preferred for consumption due to their higher profitability, reduced handling time and seasonal availability. Digitaria ciliaris, Paspalidium rarum and Panicum effusum were strongly favoured by black-throated finch, especially during the wet season when seeds from these grasses are more available. These preferred species have higher metabolisable energy and crude protein content, and shorter seeds than other grasses that are more abundant in the landscape but are consumed less. 4. Synthesis. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining habitats that support the availability of nutritionally valuable grass species to aid conservation efforts for this threatened species.

1. Ecological data are increasingly collected by networks of collaborators using replicated designs and methods, which can significantly improve the quality and quantity of data collected throughout the ecological niche and geographic range of a species. The coordinated generation and management of data is critical to producing coherent datasets (Standard Data Products) across multiple sites that can be used by different researchers, over extended time periods and for multiple purposes. 2. Here, we describe and use a Quality Assurance framework for the design, collection and production of reproducible Standard Data Products for population ecology. We identified six critical project elements of a Quality Assurance framework (QA1-6) to produce ecological Standard Data Products with high immediate and future value. 3. We applied the Quality Assurance framework to the Plantpopnet project as a case-study. Plantpopnet is a coordinated distributed system for demography and population macroecology which uses the model species Plantago lanceolata. We mapped Plantpopnet activities to the Quality Assurance Framework as: QA1) Measurable objectives: research project objectives with data requirements, QA2) Process control: governance policies, QA3) Project specific procedures: model organism selection and data collection protocol, QA4) Supporting production of high quality data: recruitment, retention and engagement of participants, QA5) Data management: data management plan and reproducible data cleaning workflow, QA6) Production and management of outputs: Standard Data Products and papers. The framework allows for flexibility and adaptation to changing circumstances. 4. Explicit use of Quality Assurance, project and data management tools together with standardised ecological methods enabled the design, collection, maintenance and sustainability of high-quality data products. We provide a Quality Assurance framework together with governance documents, code and data for a reproducible Standard Data Product. This framework can be applied to the goals of the Plantpopnet project as well as facilitate future research and applications of coordinated distributed ecology projects more generally.

Despite the great diversity of reproductive modes in Chondrichthyes, our understanding of their evolution is still limited. Distinct modes co-occurring within lower taxonomic levels (i.e. species within genera), suggest multiple independent transitions throughout the evolution, and the lack of available information to a wide number of species, indicates a low understanding of the real diversity in the group. In this study, we compiled data on reproductive modes of species included in the available phylogenetic framework, reconstructed ancestral states, evaluated the phylogenetic signal of trait, imputed the modes of extant and fossil species lacking reproductive data, and analyzed the relationship between phenotypic variance, age and diversity among clades. Our analyses support at least the 11 reproductive modes described in the literature. Here, we propose a new classification and renaming of some of the previously recognized modes. The ancestral reconstructions indicates that “short single oviparity” was the ancestral mode, with independent transitions between oviparous/viviparous and lecithotrophic/matrotrophic modes. Although the trait showed a high number of transitions, phylogenetic signal was considered significant for the group. The imputation analyses allowed the estimation the reproductive mode of 481 extant species lacking reproductive data and nine fossil species. Finally, we identified a significant relationship between diversity and phenotypic variation in shark orders. These findings increase our knowledge of the evolution and diversity of reproductive modes in Chondrichthyes, evidencing their complexity and dynamics over time.

1. Niche partitioning and resource specialization can lead to spatial heterogeneity in trophic dynamics, but little is known about how these dynamics may change across landscapes of varying complexity. 2. Urban ecosystems are characterized by a wider array of both natural and anthropogenic food sources, which can increase predator densities compared to exurban and wildland areas. Urbanization could thus intensify intraspecific competition and facilitate individual specialization, or relax intraspecific competition if resources are not limited, leading to more generalized diets. 3. To investigate how urbanization affects dietary niche breadth and individual specialization, we used fecal metabarcoding to analyze diets of 50 coyotes (Canis latrans) across three landscapes in Washington, USA: the Seattle metropolitan area, Bainbridge Island, and two wildland study sites. 4. Population level dietary richness was similar between urban and island coyotes (x̄=56 and 52 taxa, respectively), but considerably lower for wildland coyotes (x̄=35 taxa). Despite variation in population-level richness, the diversity of individual diets was surprisingly consistent across regions. Urban coyotes had limited individual specialization, whereas wildland coyotes exhibited the highest individual specialization. 5. Specialization and dietary diversity may be constrained by home range size and the diversity of prey types available to an individual coyote, highlighting the importance of landscape and prey heterogeneity in urban landscapes. These findings suggest that urbanization can relax intraspecific competition among predators, whereas individual dietary specialization may have a greater influence on predator-prey dynamics and human-wildlife conflict in more natural ecosystems with less diverse resources.

Accurate sex identification of immature ticks is essential for understanding sex-specific ecological dynamics, pathogen transmission, and reproductive biology. However, tick larvae and nymphs lack morphological sexual dimorphisms, limiting the studies. Here, we report the development and validation of copy number variation (CNV)-based molecular sexing approach for two important hard tick species, Ixodes scapularis, a major public health vector of human pathogens, and Rhipicephalus microplus, a pest responsible for significant economic losses in cattle industry. Using newly published chromosomal-level genome assemblies and whole-genome resequencing data, we identified female-enriched CNVs in two genes, calcium/calmodulin-dependent 3’,5’-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 1A-like (NPD) and rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 2-like (RAPGEF2), and developed SYBR-Green based and probe-based qPCR, and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays using DNA extracted non-destructively from a single leg, preserving ticks for continued feeding, molting, and behavioral analysis. In I. scapularis, we were able to assign the sex of 87% of nymphs based on results from at least two molecular tests, and these assignments were confirmed when the nymphs later molted into adults. In R. microplus, two qPCR assays revealed clear, sex-linked differences in gene copy number, despite the species having an XX: XO sex system. Together, these findings indicate that CNV-based markers are a reliable and widely applicable method for sex determination in immature ticks.

Across the planet, angiosperm diversification has been shaped by palaeoclimates and biotic interactions, particularly with pollinators, leaving signatures in the angiosperm age structure. Regional floras represent biased samples of this global diversification shaped by dispersal, extinction and environmental filtering, yet it remains unclear whether floristic age structure reflects pollination strategies or their interaction with palaeoclimates. We constructed a 97% resolved phylogeny of all 1,178 angiosperms in the Netherlands and characterized age structure of eight pollination syndromes by standardized epoch-specific lineage diversities (stELDs) quantifying the proportional increase in lineages per 10-Myr interval. Overall, stELDs peaked under the coldest intervals and were lowest for intermediate-temperature intervals (geological age alone had no effect). This age structure was strongest in wind-pollinated species. Resolving insect pollination into six syndromes revealed strong heterogeneity: lepidoptera-pollination was most strongly associated with warmest palaeotemperatures, bumblebee and wasp-pollination under intermediate temperatures, and fly, lepidoptera and beetle-pollination under coldest temperatures. Paleotemperature signatures correlated positively with contemporary seasonal flowering temperatures, indicating conserved thermal niches across ecological and macroevolutionary timescales. We suggest that temperate floras reflect both recent cold-house diversification of wind- and certain insect-pollinated lineages and earlier warm-house radiations of lineages pollinated by older insect clades. Phylogenetic age structures permit detecting such patterns.

Gender inequality in publishing is a well-documented phenomenon especially for STEM fields. Thus far, however, the focus has been on authorship itself rather than the peer review process. Using reviewer responses from the past five years, we asked whether there is a gender bias in accepting to review a manuscript for articles submitted to Ecology and Evolution. Although men were asked twice as much as women to review a manuscript, we found no gender difference in agreeing to review a manuscript. However, we found that the gender of the editor asking does make a difference. To illustrate, men were more likely to agree to review a manuscript when asked by someone they likely perceived as a male editor than a female editor, whereas female reviewers were equally likely to agree regardless of their perception of the editor gender. This discrepancy is the first documentation of the importance of the editor gender, and we urge further examination of these results to disentangle the specific underlying causes as well as extensions into other journals and fields.