Pathogens exert strong selective pressures on their hosts by threatening their fitness and survival, driving evolutionary innovations in many aspects of host biology. The innate immune system and adaptive immunity enable many host species to withstand such pressures; however, when pathogens exceed a hosts’ defensive capacity, the host is forced to evolve novel adaptations to survive and reproduce. One understudied mechanism for generating this novel adaptation is hybridization, a process by which beneficial immune alleles may introgress into hybrid offspring and, via backcrossing, spread through parental populations. In this review, we synthesize evidence across diverse animal systems showcasing how hybridization shapes immunological traits. We highlight cases where hybrid offspring exhibit enhanced tolerance or resistance to pathogens relative to their parent species, and identify gaps in research needed to further examine hybridization as a pathway for species to persist in the face of infectious disease.

Coastal ecosystems are exposed to both global and local stressors operating across multiple scales. However, research rarely considers how their combined effects propagate over time and across levels of biological organisation. Here, we employ an in situ warming experiment across two rocky shore sites with contrasting sewage pollution to quantify independent and interactive effects of warming and nutrient pollution from genes to communities. Passively warmed and control settlement plates were deployed at polluted and non-polluted sites and surveyed across a summer to quantify temporal dynamics in the responses of key intertidal taxa. Barnacles were further employed as a model for comparing responses across biological levels, including body size, stable isotope analysis, and RNA sequencing. Pollution consistently increased invertebrate abundance and macroalgal cover, alongside transient positive effects on barnacle size, whereas warming reduced barnacle abundance and suppressed macroalgal cover late in the season. Warming and pollution interacted synergistically on barnacle abundance, with pollution remaining the dominant stressor. Microphytobenthos groups similarly showed distinct pollution-driven increases with warming primarily modifying temporal trajectories; cyanobacteria showed both date-specific and season-wide synergistic interactions, against a backdrop of temporal variability across stressor treatments. Consistent with these patterns, pollution shifted barnacle δ13C and δ15N toward values indicative of greater assimilation of sewage-derived material, while warming increased elemental C:N ratios, consistent with altered nutritional stress. Transcriptomic responses mirrored this dominance of pollution, broadly regulating gene expression linked to protein turnover, DNA repair, and protein folding; combined warming and pollution further intensified proteostasis-related changes and produced predominantly reversal and antagonistic interaction types. Our results show that sewage pollution can overwhelm and reshape warming effects over time and across biological levels, linking group-level responses with parallel shifts in trophic biomarkers and gene regulation. Our scalable field approach provides a template for in situ marine multiple stressor experiments across wider spatiotemporal scales.

Cousinia (Asteraceae: Cardueae) represents one of the most species-rich genera within the Irano–Turanian floristic region, yet interspecific relationships remain incompletely resolved. Here, nine chloroplast genomes from species endemic to the Pamir–Alay mountain system were newly sequenced and analyzed in combination with previously published plastome sequences and nuclear ribosomal ITS data. The assembled plastomes were highly uniform in size (approximately 152 kb), displayed the canonical quadripartite organization of angiosperm chloroplasts, and possessed a GC content of 37.7%. Gene composition was largely conserved, with 131 annotated genes identified in most taxa. Examination of synonymous codon usage across sixteen plastomes revealed a consistent bias toward A/T-ending codons. Sliding-window analysis demonstrated generally low nucleotide diversity (Pi = 0–0.00918), although several divergence hotspots were detected, primarily within the large and small single-copy regions. Eleven categories of simple sequence repeats were identified, with A/T-rich mononucleotide motifs predominating. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on complete plastome data did not consistently recover morphologically defined sections as monophyletic, whereas the ITS dataset provided improved resolution of sectional delimitations. Comparative analysis of anther appendage morphology recognized nine structural groups and showed partial congruence with molecular evidence. Together, these findings highlight incongruence between plastid and nuclear signals and indicate that certain infrageneric classifications within Cousinia warrant re-evaluation

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a key tool in biodiversity monitoring due to its high-throughput, non-destructive nature. While short-read (SR) sequencing platforms such as Illumina Miseq have been routinely used in environmental monitoring, their limited read lengths (less than 600 bp) constrain the depth of taxonomic assignment, particularly for complex microbial eukaryotes like protists. Conversely, long-read (LR) sequencing technologies like Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) offer promising alternatives but remain underutilized for studying protist communities. We conducted a comparative study of SR versus LR metabarcoding of protist communities along a coastal-offshore gradient in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Using amplicons targeting the V4 region (SR; 577 bp) and the V4–V5 region (LR; 745 bp) of the 18S rRNA gene, we compared diversity patterns, taxonomic assignment, and community composition between approaches. We observed general congruence in community composition at higher taxonomic levels, but under the applied workflows, LR metabarcoding yielded a greater depth of taxonomic annotation at lower taxonomic ranks. Notably, dinoflagellates were less overrepresented in LR data, and a unique detection of potential nuisance taxa (e.g., Bellerochea), and ecologically important genera such as haptophytes (e.g., Gephyrocapsa) was achieved. These results highlight the potential of LR metabarcoding to complement SR approaches by providing increased taxonomic annotation depth and ecological insights. Although both methods targeted only partial regions of the 18S rRNA gene, LR metabarcoding yielded a greater depth of taxonomic assignment under the applied workflows. As next-generation sequencing technologies continue to evolve, our research provides valuable insights for selecting optimal strategies in routine plankton monitoring and biodiversity assessment programs.

Understanding the temporal dynamics of predator-prey interactions is the basis for predicting behavioral responses to climate or other environmental changes. Bats, as generalist apex predators, can provide a holistic view on ecosystem health, because their diet integrates signals from diverse insect communities and rapidly reflects environmental change. However, most molecular diet studies lack the temporal resolution needed to infer hunting strategies and prey choice mechanisms, because guano-derived species lists cannot be meaningfully interpreted without knowing when and what potential prey were available. Previous research has typically analysed eDNA metarcoding data or insect activity patterns separately, limiting insights into mechanisms underlying prey-selection. This study combines eDNA metabarcoding of bat guano with metabarcoding of time-stamped insect samples collected using automated Malaise traps to investigate the foraging ecology of long-eared bats ( Plecotus sp.) Guano-derived prey communities most closely resemble insect bulk samples captured between 22.00 and 6.00, with species-specific differences in peak foraging times and prey composition. We further detected distinct prey-selection patterns between two closely related species, Plecotus auritus and Plecotus austriacus, consistent with their individual hunting strategy. Our findings demonstrate that adding a temporal axis to molecular diet analysis enables direct inference of prey selection and foraging behaviour from guano. This integrative approach advances biodiversity monitoring and offers a tool box for conservation planning under changing environmental conditions.

I give details of the first known example of an ant (i.e., an undescribed Dorymyrmex close to D. medeis) that licks and nibbles on individuals of another, much larger ant species (workers of Pogonomyrmex barbatus) in much the way cleaner fish clean other species of fish. The Pogonomymex encourage this behavior by stationing themselves near Dorymyrmex nest entrances and even permit the Dorymyrmex to inspect between their open mandibles. The payoffs of this activity for both the cleaners and the tended workers have yet to be established.

A detailed understanding of how protected species use their habitats can guide management interventions in areas of high human use. For marine turtles, different food availability and physical habitat characteristics can underpin turtle presence at anthropogenically modified compared to unmodified sites. We develop telemetry-based habitat models with boosted regression trees to identify the environmental characteristics underpinning foraging habitat suitability for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region. We fit models to green turtle Fastloc GPS tracks from both modified and unmodified inshore foraging sites and using pseudo-absences (simulated correlated random walks). We assess model performance by the ability to predict known foraging areas, true skill statistic, explanatory power (percent deviance explained) and pedictive skill (AUC) of the models. We then predict potentially suitable foraging areas for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region using the model for unmodified habitats. Our model highlights shallow nearshore environments and midshelf reefs as important foraging areas for green turtles. These areas are likely affected by dynamic floods, development and turbidity. In 2022, 46.6% of predicted suitable habitat fell within habitat protection zones, and 16.5% in Marine National Park Zones of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A detailed foraging distribution of the species has not previously been compiled at this regional scale. Identifying biophysical drivers of habitat suitability can inform identification of possible foraging habitat in less data rich regions in Australia and overseas. Evaluating changes over time in habitat distribution provides insights into the degree to which broad-scale environmental changes and anthropogenic activities influence the condition and function of habitats, even within protected area boundaries.

Ferns exhibit extraordinary ecological diversity, and their independent gametophyte and sporophyte stages make them distinct among other plant groups, yet the extent to which gametophyte and sporophyte ecology are coordinated is unknown. Here, we integrated spatial and climatic data to test the hypothesis that independent fern gametophytes occupy novel climatic niche space relative to their sporophytes. We also examined the physiological mechanisms in the gametophyte life stage that may underpin spatial patterns of fern ecology. We discovered that 57% of species examined have gametophytes that occupy novel climate niche space relative to their sporophytes and that this expansion occurs along specific axes of climate variation. We also discovered evidence of strong convergence in gametophyte ecophysiological function across broad environmental gradients. In particular, we found that gametophyte photosynthetic rate per mass was strongly linearly correlated to atmospheric water demand (e.g., potential evapotranspiration) and monotonically correlated to precipitation inputs. Taken together, these discoveries represent previously uncharacterized patterns and potential mechanisms that may drive spatial patterns of fern biodiversity.

Birds are among the most mobile organisms on the planet: many species routinely perform long-distance migrations that require remarkable feats of physical endurance and complex navigation. Rarely, individual long-distance migrants may make movements in exceptional directions, placing them beyond their species’ ordinary distributions and providing the potential for significant ecological developments, such as the colonization of a new region by the vagrant species, the introduction of novel parasites or pathogens, or the dispersal of seeds and fungal spores. We detail the occurrence of a Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica), a highly migratory passerine species typically found in east Asia, at an urban site in California on 17–19 September 2025, establishing the first record of this species and genus for temperate North America. We age this individual as a first-fall bird and discuss molt strategies in the genus Muscicapa. We identify it as a member of the nominate subspecies, therefore likely originating from highly migratory populations that breed in northeast Asia. We evaluate mechanisms by which this individual may have arrived in California and discuss the concepts of reversal misorientation and mirror-image misorientation, modes of anomalous navigation that may provide explanations for Palearctic-Nearctic vagrancy in highly migratory Asian passerines. Our observation represents a noteworthy addition to the known avifauna of temperate North America. In documenting this occurrence, we draw attention to the remarkable but little-studied process of long-distance vagrancy in migratory birds.

The genus Oreocharis is a species-rich group within the family Gesneriaceae and represents an excellent model system for evolutionary studies. However, taxonomic understanding of this genus remains insufficient, resulting in several unresolved issues. In this study, we focus on two species groups within Oreocharis---the O. argyreia group and the O. auricula group---each of which presents distinct taxonomic challenges. To address these, we conducted detailed morphological comparisons and statistical analyses, along with phylogenetic analyses based on dense population-level sampling. Our results support abolishing the variety O. argyreia var. angustifolia within O. argyreia, but establishing a new species of O. nanlingensis to accommodate specimens of this variety collected from the broader Nanling mountains region. In addition, our findings suggest that O. auricula var. denticulata should be treated as a synonym of O. magnidens. We provide final taxonomic treatments, amended descriptions, photographs, and a distribution map for the relevant taxa.

Hybrids between blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales have been reported since commercial whaling in the late 1800s. Even while species descriptions were still at their infancy, whalers described whales with intermediate characteristics between blue and fin whales. In more recent decades, hybrid reports have come mainly from sighting surveys or genetic analysis from biopsies or caught individuals. Over the past three decades, hybrids have been confirmed genetically with various methods, which have provided information related to maternal lineages. Furthermore, recent whaling operations have captured hybrids, enabling genetic verification and detailed assessment of their morphological traits. In this review, we synthesize available information on blue–fin whale hybrids across ocean basins, encompassing historical accounts and contemporary observations, including recently documented specimens. We document 46 possible hybrids. Of these, 17 have been genetically confirmed: 15 from the North Atlantic, one from the Mediterranean, and one from the north-east Pacific. We also highlight possible bias in current knowledge and recommend the collection of biopsies when atypical whales are encountered that exhibit characteristics of both species.

Biodiversity in urban environments is often underestimated, especially in tropical regions such as Ecuador. This study provides the most comprehensive inventory of amphibians and reptiles recorded in the remnant forests and urban gardens of Guayaquil, the largest and most industrially developed city in Ecuador. Located on the Pacific coast and close to two important biodiversity hotspots (the Tropical Andes and Tumbes–Chocó–Magdalena), Guayaquil has experienced significant urban expansion, fragmenting its unique ecosystems, such as tropical dry forests and mangroves. Our research combines over 16 years (2008–2024) of field monitoring efforts, museum specimens, and literature review, documenting 65 species (21 amphibians, 44 reptiles). This inventory includes introduced species, resilient taxa that are adapted to urban environments, and sensitive species that are affected by urban pressure. Notably, species such as Hemidactylus frenatus, Anolis sagrei, and Aquarana catesbeiana thrive in these modified landscapes, displaying ecological plasticity, whereas highly sensitive species, including Alopoglossus festae and Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi, are restricted to less disturbed areas. The study also highlights the presence of rare species with little previous documentation, such as Atractus microrhynchus, Caecilia tenuissima, Chironius flavopictus, and Drymobius rhombifer. In addition, expansions in the known distributions of several species in the Guayaquil area were recorded, including Caiman crocodilus and Clelia clelia, which emphasizes the ecological relevance of this region. This study highlights the importance of continuous monitoring and ecological studies to support urban biodiversity conservation, emphasizing that Guayaquil’s natural areas are essential refuges for herpetofauna amid urban expansion.

Viburnum laterale Rehder is a poorly known shrub endemic to southeastern China that has remained taxonomically enigmatic since its publication more than a century ago. The species was known only from a few historical collections that lacking critical characters, and no living populations had been documented for nearly a century. Here, we report the rediscovery of this taxon and clarify its taxonomic identity using integrative approach combining morphological and molecular evidence. Observations of living plants reveal several previously undocumented reproductive traits, including inflorescences with conspicuous white sterile marginal flowers, as well as fruit and seed morphology. Comparative analyses of living material, type specimens, and protologues indicate that V. laterale is most similar to V. hanceanum Maximowicz, differing mainly in its nearly glabrous indumentum, longer peduncles, and more coarsely serrate leaf margins. Phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast coding sequences, together with an expanded dataset comprising nuclear ITS and three plastid markers (rbcL, matK, and ndhF), consistently place V. laterale within sect. Tomentosa (Maximowicz) Nakai, where it forms a strongly supported clade with V. hanceanum. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, V. laterale is transferred to sect. Tomentosa and treated as a variety of V. hanceanum, namely V. hanceanum var. depilatum M. Tang & L.C. Zhao. Our study resolves a long-standing taxonomic problem and highlights the importance of rediscovering historically enigmatic taxa for accurate species delimitation in Viburnum.

A new fern species, Leptochilus yangjiangensis (Polypodiaceae), was discovered during field surveys in Ziluo Mountain, Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province, China. This study provides a detailed morphological description and illustrations of the new species. Morphologically, this species resembles Leptochilus pedunculatus and L. ovatus in plant height, petiole morphology, and soral morphology, but differs from them in its coriaceous laminae and lanceolate fertile fronds. To confirm its taxonomic status, phylogenetic analyses based on three plastid genome regions (rbcL, trnL-F, and rps4 + rps4-trnS) indicated that the new species forms a distinct and well-supported monophyletic clade and is sister to L. dolichophyllus. Furthermore, the complete plastid genome of this new species is reported for the first time. Preliminarily assessed as Data Deficient (DD) according to IUCN guidelines, this new species enriches the diversity of Leptochilus.

Limnephilidae is a species-rich and ecologically diverse family within the tube case making clade of caddisflies (Trichoptera). Species occur across a wide range of habitats, from cold headwater streams to stagnant pools to terrestrial environments. Here, we sequenced, assembled and annotated whole genomes from two species that are associated with terrestrial environments: Enoicyla pusilla (Burmeister, 1839), distributed in the West Palearctic and Philocasca rivularis (Wiggins, 1968), distributed in the Nearctic. Comprising three species, Enoicyla is the only genus of Trichoptera in Europe that exhibits a completely terrestrial life-cycle. As one of four species of Philocasca, larvae of P. rivularis also exhibit terrestrial behavior during wet months, dispersing across the forest floor up to several meters away from the stream channel. In both species, we investigated genomic features, e.g., genome size and dynamics of transposable elements across Limnephilidae. We also explored potential molecular adaptations of silk to terrestrial versus aquatic environments. Characterisation of the major silk gene, h-fibroin, of both species, as well as elemental analysis of silk of Philocasca rivularis, did not reveal molecular differences compared with silk of aquatic caddisfly species, potentially owing to the humid environments that both species inhabit. The new genomes form key resources for future genomic research on insect evolution, particularly related to habitat diversification and aquatic-terrestrial transitions.

Understanding the intricate dynamics of biodiversity within and across riverine ecosystems, influenced by geological history and environmental factors, is crucial for effective conservation and management strategies. Italy, particularly the Ligurian region, harbors diverse freshwater fish communities and populations shaped by unique geological and hydrological conditions. Here, we investigated the suitability of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to identify inter- and intraspecific diversity patterns of riverine fish populations in drainage basins on both sides of the main drainage divide (MDD) between the Adriatic and Ligurian river basins in Northern Italy. We collected 96 aquatic eDNA samples across 48 riverine sites, amplified them using a cytochrome b primer pair, and denoised the sequences to retrieve amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). We calculated communities’ phylogenetic distance with betaMPD based on genetic distances derived from the ASVs, combined them with conductance-based landscape metrics, and applied generalized dissimilarity models to assess spatial genetic structure. Our results reveal genetic differentiation among populations of several fish species, with some displaying clustering patterns across the main drainage divide and isolation by distance patterns. Overall, taxon richness was higher on the Adriatic side (12.82 ± 3.57; 26 unique taxa) than on the Ligurian side of the MDD (8.35 ± 3.66 SD, 25 unique taxa), but the other way around for ASV richness across all species (Ligurian side: 51.94 ± 25.79, 308 unique ASV, Adriatic side: 68.00 ± 32.97, 274 unique ASV). Our findings highlight the effectiveness of eDNA metabarcoding in uncovering various facets of diversity, shedding light on hidden genetic diversity among ASVs, and revealing significant spatial genetic structuring in freshwater fish populations across multiple species.

\articletype Original Articles Intraspecific variation in phenotypic plasticity can affect the ability of populations, and thus species, to respond to environmental changes. However, the prevalence and drivers of such variation are not well known. It is often assumed that intraspecific variation in phenotypic plasticity is driven by mechanisms associated with the position of a population within the species’ geographic range and the environmental heterogeneity experienced by the population. To test the effect of these two drivers, we use a combination of germination and greenhouse experiments to measure thermal phenotypic plasticity in traits ranging from germination to flower abundance in populations of three Hypericum species sampled across their European ranges. We then relate thermal plasticity to each population’s position within the species’ range and to the environmental heterogeneity of the sampling site. Our results revealed that while average thermal plasticity in several traits was similar among the three tested Hypericum species, it varied among the conspecific populations. Specifically, populations from closer to the range edge tended to be more plastic in germination probability and plant height, while populations from more heterogeneous environments tended to be more plastic in flowering phenology, plant height, and flower abundance. Interestingly, for plasticity in germination phenology, plant height, and flower abundance, we found a substantial interactive effect with accentuated plasticity in heterogeneous sites near the range edge. This suggests that populations in heterogeneous environments at range edges may adjust to environmental change via phenotypic plasticity more effectively than are other conspecific populations. These results support both tested drivers and reveal important interactive patterns for some of the tested traits. Furthermore, they encourage further research on plasticity to consider both range position and environmental heterogeneity.

Climate change is driving shifts in species’ geographic ranges, and understanding these changes is critical for effective biodiversity conservation. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) are widely used to predict the potential distribution of a given species under climate change. However, most studies focus solely on shifts in suitable habitats without considering whether species can reach these areas within a relevant timeframe. This omission often results in overestimation of future distributions and underestimation of extinction risk. Here, we designed an experiment to assess the impact of dispersal constraints on SDM predictions using ten species with varying dispersal abilities. We compared the potential future distribution of species under two scenarios: the first, incorporating its dispersal ability and the second, assuming unlimited dispersal. Our results demonstrate that ignoring dispersal leads to an overprediction of suitable habitats for species, which may result in underestimating species extinction risk or overestimating the risk range expansions by invasive species. This underscores the critical need to integrate dispersal dynamics into SDMs to enhance the accuracy of biodiversity projections. By incorporating realistic movement constraints, SDMs can provide more reliable predictions, leading to improved conservation planning, better management of invasive species, and more effective biodiversity conservation efforts under climate change.