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Genomes and phenotypes of interspecific yeast hybrids isolated from breweries reveal hybridization between Saccharomyces species followed by adaptation to specific beer styles.
Evolutionary theory predicts that trade-offs between traits are pervasive, yet they are rarely observed in experimental evolution. Dense sampling and precise measuring of performance of adaptive mutations in evolving yeast shows that while many such mutations result in modest improvements in multiple traits, the totality of the data reveals the existence of trade-offs even during initial adaptation.
Using a conceptual framework known as the integrative hypothesis of specialization, the authors suggest that phylogenetic constraints separate species into different layers and shape the modules of a Neotropical network composed of the frugivorous and nectarivorous interactions between bats and plants.
This study presents a method to identify divergent gene regulation between archaic hominin and anatomically modern human sequences, and shows differences in gene regulatory architecture between the two groups.
Conducting a series of removal experiments using synthetic leaf-inhabiting bacterial communities, the authors identify several keystone strains and show that priority effects drive phyllosphere community assembly.
Whereas vertebrate genomes are highly methylated at CpG positions, invertebrate genomes are typically sparsely methylated. Here, the authors report a highly methylated genome in a marine sponge and show striking similarities with vertebrates.
A Free Ocean Carbon Enrichment study on the Great Barrier Reef finds that elevated carbon dioxide impairs net calcification of living corals and may accelerate dissolution of dead corals.
Microscopic analysis of backed stone pieces from the Uluzzian technocomplex of Italy (45–40 thousand years ago) identifies them as hafted armatures, probably used as projectiles.
Sampling plants and lichens from across boreal North America and Eurasia, the authors show that the composition and diversity of symbiotic fungal endophyte communities are controlled primarily by host associations, not environmental filtering.
Ascaroside pheromones reflect population density in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, the authors show that variation in ascaroside receptor genes contributes to differences in pheromone responses in natural populations of C. elegans.
An analysis of 33 brain regions across a wide sample of primates reveals that primate brain structure is largely driven by selection on sensory and cognitive specializations that develop in response to different socioecological niches.
Comparing body-length distributions of modern and archaeological specimens of common carp, the authors find evidence consistent with fish management in the Early Neolithic site of Jiahu in China, representing the earliest identified form of aquaculture.
Vavilovian mimicry is the phenomenon whereby weeds evolve to resemble co-located crop plants through unintentional human selection. Here the authors compare mimetic and non-mimetic populations of Echinochloa crus-galli (a weed mimic of rice) to characterize the genomic underpinnings of this case of Vavilovian mimicry.
The number of species increases from the poles to the Equator; yet it is unclear what determines this pattern. Using simulations, the authors show that spatio-temporal climatic changes recapitulate the patterns of vertebrate biodiversity as a function of speciation, extinction and dispersal alone.
An assessment of fish movement along stream networks of the southern Appalachian Mountains identifies species-intrinsic sensitivities and habitat characteristics that allow some fish to disperse to keep pace with climate change but prevent successful climate tracking in some species.
On moonlit nights, barn owls with white plumage are more successful hunters than those with red plumage. White owls trigger longer freezing times in their prey by exploiting their aversion to bright light, despite the fact that they can be more easily detected.