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Decline of the Tasmanian devil due to transmissible cancer has allowed mesopredator release of the spotted-tailed quoll. Population genomic analysis of the quoll shows the effect of devil decline on population structure, and selection on genes, including those for muscle development and locomotion.
The authors apply explicit phylogenetic methods to single-cell transcriptomic data of eye cells to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cell types in distantly related mammals.
The authors collate literature on the responses of bird assemblages to forest loss and show that locations with a more variable natural environment and a longer history of agricultural land use have bird assemblages that are more tolerant to forest loss.
Using pseudogenes as a neutral reference, the authors examine whether prokaryotic pangenomes have evolved primarily under selection or neutral drift. They show that even rare intact accessory genes are often under selection, providing support for an adaptive pangenome model.
A compilation of survey data from pre- and post-2000 for 42 raptor species across parts of West, Central, East and southern Africa shows 88% of species in population decline and reveals trends across regions, protected areas and species size.
The authors evolved antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori in the absence of antibiotics and presence of DNA from antibiotic-sensitive strains. Horizontal gene transfer mediated the molecular reverse evolution of the antibiotic-resistance gene to the antibiotic-sensitive allele, and the authors used theoretical modelling to determine the evolutionary conditions that promote reverse evolution.
Combining long-term atmospheric CO2 records with satellite observations of vegetation activities across the Northern Hemisphere, the authors identify a weakening trend of the link between spring and summer productivity over the past 40 years.
Remote sensing of vegetation productivity in mangroves and nearby terrestrial evergreen forests shows that mangrove productivity has increased more but also shown more variability in the last two decades compared to nearby terrestrial forests, suggesting they are more vulnerable to coastal water deficits.
The authors compare how grasslands, shrublands and forests differ in their capacity to recover from fires, and how this recovery depends on deviations in water balance caused by drought; they show that the compound effects of fire and drought are less impactful in forests than in non-forests, owing to deeper rooting structures that can maintain access to water.